Expert: Abe - 12/21/2007

Question
QUESTION: Abe,

It is time for us to upgrade our camera. We have kids and very important for us to be able to catch quick action shots in sports.  

We have narrowed our choices to the Nikon D80 and Canon Rebel XTI - at least these are the 2 all of our friends have.  Can you help us decide?  Also we have a very good local camera shop - would you suggest buying there or online if it mean saving a few bucks?

thanks

ANSWER: Thanks for the question.

Both of these are great cameras. Autofocus on the D80 is probably fractionally better, but overall image quality from the XTi is more than just fractionally better - especially if you plan to do any shooting (sports or otherwise) in low light. Nikon's viewfinder is bigger, brighter, and more comfortable, and the D80 has a better grip. Ergonomically, it is much better. The Canon is lighter and more portable.

But this may be the most important consideration for you: Canon excels in lenses made for sports. For example, Canon's 85mm f/1.8 or 70-200 f/2.8 are both fast, excellent lenses and good values. Nikon lenses are typically better suited to landscape and portrait work, and are generally costlier. Nikon is catching up, however, and slowly producing better sports-type lenses, but again, at a cost. While you can use lenses in the Nikon lineup for sports, you won't see many serious sports photographers with Nikon cameras.

Now that the XTi with introductory lens sells for around $650, vs. a few hundred more for the Nikon equivalent, and since you want this camera mainly for sports, I would say  there's little argument against the Canon.  

Once you decide, buy online from a reputable online store to save tax $. Many offer free shipping as well. I use bhphoto.com, adorama.com, amazon.com, and buydig.com. But you can search resellerratings.com and get a good evaluation of any online store. Be wary of the "too good to be true" prices. These are usually 2nd rate sellers that sell inferior/incomplete/warrantee-less products.

Should you have more questions about the camera choices, how to use them, or what lenses to get for your specific needs, don't hesitate to ask!

All the best!
Abe

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Canon EOS D-Reb XTI
Canon BG-E3 Battery Grip
Canon EF 75-300 F/4-5.6 III

is this a good selection?  if not is there something else you would suggest?  what should i pay for each of these itmes?  do i need a 5 year warranty @ $89?  Price in May for this camera locally was $899 and $199 for lens.

thanks for your help

ANSWER: Your camera and battery grip are good, but the lens is a poor choice for sports. You need a lens with an aperture of f/2.8 or faster (smaller number). This allows faster shutter speeds to freeze action.

Prices:

XTi: Amazon - $519
Canon BG-E3 - Adorama - $140

Lens recommendations:

Canon 85mm f/1.8 - Buydig.com $315
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 - Amazon $1140
 --or---
Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS (image stabilized) - buydig.com $1569

Image stabilization allows you to shoot at longer focal lengths with less chance for blurry pictures. This becomes important with lenses exceeding 100mm focal lengths.

I know the price tag on either of the 70-200mm lenses is steep, but there is no getting around that unless you want to buy a Tamron or Sigma alternative - which don't have image stabilization, have much poorer optics, and have slower maximum apertures (giving you slow shutter speeds, which means less action frozen).

If I were you, I'd start with an 85mm, which on your XTi will feel like 136mm. Many people at basketball games shoot from the stands with 85mm lenses. You can always crop the picture in software to bring the subject closer.

Feel free to ask anything else at anytime.

All the best!
Abe



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION:   Here is the deal for $999:
Canon EOS Rebel XTI w/EF 18-55 lens
Canon EF 75-300 Zoom Lens
Promaster Digital 4 Tripod
Promaster 1GB Memory Card
Promaster PNB-2LH Battery
2-58mm Promaster Sky/UV filters
Canon Gadget bag
Quick Pro Digital 101 DVD

is this a fair price and what you recommend?

Thanks,

Answer
Promaster brand is from Ritz Camera - and to be honest, the quality is very poor.

Don't buy kits from Ritz camera; you aren't saving money.

Back to your original desire to shoot sports, you'll need a fast lens. A fast lens has an aperture of f/2.8 or faster. So get yourself the Rebel XTi for approx $575 (check current prices on resellerratings.com), an 85mm f/1.8 lens ($320) and a 50mm f/1.8 ($90). For under $1000 you now have a much better, higher quality, and more useful "kit."

Really, no filters are absolutely necessary at this point. I would just buy the camera and lenses you want and learn how to use them before you spend money on filters you may or may not end up needing.

If you want an all-around zoom lens for general picture taking (but not for sports) than the Rebel XTi with 18-55mm kit lens is an OK choice. You don't need a tripod right now unless you plan to do time exposures, and that is not the case for sports. You can pick up a nice gadget bag on eBay for $30.

So there you have it. For about the same price at Ritz Camera's kit, you now have much more useful and higher quality accessories.

To sum up, and if I were you, here's what my kit would look like to shoot your kids sports games:

Rebel XTi -------- $575
Canon 85mm f/1.8 - $320
Canon 50mm f/1.8 - $90
1GB Card (any brand)$35
Gadget Bag ------- $30   
-----------------------
***** Total $1,045 ******

If you really need the 75-300 lens, you can buy one, but the quality isn't the best and without the $600 image stabilized version, many (if not all) of your photos will be blurry. A tripod won't help you to freeze action with this cheaper 75-300mm lens because the lens isn't capable of fast shutter speeds due to it's aperture limitations.

Stick with less but higher quality accessories for now, as I've described above, and you'll be well on your way to great pictures!