What to buy for sports shooting?

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518 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2346414 30-Oct-2019 19:22

I'm very pleased with how this thread has gone and want to thank all of you that have given me things to think about.

So far I've concluded that my primary consideration should be the lens system and that as interesting as micro four thirds systems are, the lenses I want to go with are the Canon ones. The availability of 2nd hand Canon L lenses are definitely a part of that. I really want a L series 70-200 for the motorsport photography and the f4 IS or the f4 IS II would be my pick for weight/price/image quality. I think I'll run into problems at the wider end and will also need a 24-70, maybe a 2nd hand 24-70 f2.8.

So, what body to connect those lenses to?

I'm thinking that a 2nd hand 7D MkII isn't completely what I want, but if one comes up on TM at a good price then it has to be worth considering, I can always buy a new camera body in a few years and use existing lenses with it.

If I buy new then FF cameras have an appeal. Not really essential for sports photography, but they do offer benefits for other types of photography. If I'm lugging around heavy L glass, then why not a decent FF body too?

I haven't ruled out Sony Alpha A7 series cameras, I would probably go with the top quality Metabones EF to E mount adaptor, not cheap but hardly the dearest piece of equipment I'm looking at!

The Canon 5D Mk III 2nd hand is an option, quite a few improvements on the MkII and even 6fps is probably fine for sports shooting. It is a solid performer and would give good results for any type of photography I would do.

The M6 MkII with EF lens adaptor would be a temping option, but not dust/weather sealed means that I'll probably rule this one out.

The 6D MkII with 6.5fps is a FF D-SLR worth considering I think.

The EOS-R with EF adaptor could be worth considering, but it seems like a MkII is sorely needed.

Batman

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#2346415 30-Oct-2019 19:24

Couple of points

24-70 is not wide enough for aps c

6d mk2 has one of the worst image sensors of its generation. But hey I'm a photography geek don't let that put you off.

MarkH67

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Ultimate Geek

#2346422 30-Oct-2019 19:50

Batman:

6d mk2 has one of the worst image sensors of its generation. But hey I'm a photography geek don't let that put you off.

I've been reading up on the 6D MkII and there are rumours about a 6D MkIII coming out in 2020, that could be a FF camera worth considering.

https://www.photographytalk.com/canon-6d-mark-iii-release-date

Right now a new 6D MkII isn't all that much more expensive than a 7D Mk II and the Sony Alpha A7 MkIII isn't a huge jump up from that. FF cameras have never been so affordable! I think that my 10D was over $3K in 2003, so accounting for inflation the FF cameras are quite a bit cheaper!

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#2346423 30-Oct-2019 19:53

canon takes forever to release new things. buy a secondhand one now and then wait.

MarkH67

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Ultimate Geek

#2346431 30-Oct-2019 20:11

Batman:

canon takes forever to release new things. buy a secondhand one now and then wait.

I'm thinking that if there isn't a 6D MkIII to consider by the time I go to buy a camera then I'll look at a Sony Alpha A7 Mk IV if that comes out in time or a 2nd hand 7D MkII and then wait a few years for the FF Mirrorless cameras to improve.

Talkiet

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#2346437 30-Oct-2019 20:40

You've said sports. a 7dMk2 will be better for sports than a 6dAnything. Buy the body secondhand unless it's got a zillion clicks on it and save up for some more lenses. I went FROM a 1dMk4 with nothing wrong to it to a 7dMk2 for motorsport (inc. rallying) and the 7d2 is better in all ways except ergonomics and battery life.

Cheers -N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

geekzen

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Geek

#2346462 30-Oct-2019 21:34

iPhone 11 Pro

Perhaps less versatile but similar performance at a fraction of the price.

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Geektastic

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#2346543 30-Oct-2019 22:36

Here is one that I shot at the last WRC.

MarkH67

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Ultimate Geek

#2346750 31-Oct-2019 12:45

Talkiet:

You've said sports

Definitely sports, but not only sports.

I've already booked the week off for the Rally of NZ next September, so I want the camera gear for that event. But I'll end up using the camera for other things too.

With my 10D I went out and used it for all sorts of stuff, even though I had bought that camera for rally photos too.

Sunrise:

Night shots:

Other Motorsports:

Nature:

Heaps more stuff too.

MarkH67

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Ultimate Geek

#2347360 1-Nov-2019 19:09

I found a good combination for shooting sports: https://youtu.be/Vl5FDG0jQfI

Not too sure how to pay for it though . . .

MarkH67

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Ultimate Geek

#2348500 5-Nov-2019 15:39

I have decided that I definitely want to buy a 24-70 f2.8 II lens and a 70-200 either f2.8 or f4. I was thinking that the 70-200 f4 would be fine for motorsports, but 70-200 is very useful for other stuff too and f2.8 would be better for low light or blurring the background when taking photos of people. It seems that the f2.8 would be more versatile when doing other sorts of photography. If I owned a 24-70 f2.8 and a 70-200 f2.8 then I'd have the two main workhorses for the majority of photographic needs.

For the camera body I've narrowed down to the 5D MkIII or the 7D MkII, with each offering some advantages and disadvantages compared to the other one. They are both listed often enough on TM (currently several of each listed) and neither are crazy expensive. When it comes to selling a camera to buy some new model - there is a lot less money lost if the camera had been bought 2nd hand compared to new.

One issue with buying a 7D MkII is that the 24-70 only works at a 38mm at the wide end, and a nice wide L lens (16-35 f2.8 maybe) is pretty expensive (over $1K 2nd hand). Whereas a FF camera may suffer on the long end and I'll want a teleconverter or a longer zoom to push out the zoom to an acceptable length. I have looked through a few of my rally photos and many of them were taken at 135mm (135 x 1.6 = 216mm effective) and I would have gone a bit longer if my 28-135 lens went longer.

This all leads to a crazy thought - since buying 2nd hand is cheaper and selling later would get me back a reasonable chunk of what I spend, would it be totally insane to buy 2 camera bodies? Like BOTH a 5D MkIII & a 7D MkII? Both are weather sealed, I could mount the 24-70 on the 5D and the 70-200 on the 7D and not need to swap lenses in a dusty environment. It would also gain me some redundancy - I would be pretty annoyed after arranging time off (11 months in advance in fact) to go to the Rally, only to have a camera fail and be unable to get decent photos. For other sorts of photos I could use the best camera for the job, combined with the most suitable lens. For portraits the 5D MkIII with a 70-200 f2.8 would give great bokeh. For landscapes the 24-70 on the 5D would be decently wide. For faster action the 7D MkII with 70-200 f2.8 would obviously have the edge. For longer zoom the 7D MkII with 70-200 would give a FoV equivalent to 200 x 1.6 = 320mm.

Of course either one of the cameras I'm looking at would blow away the 10D I have now or the 40D I was using until it failed. The 10D only shot 3 fps with a buffer of 9 images. Even the 40D maxed out at 6.5 fps. More res too - the 10D is only 6 Mpix and the 40D gave me 10.1 Mpix. The 5D Mk III with 22 Mpix and 6 fps is a big step up and so is the 7D MkII with 20 Mpix & 10 fps. The lenses would also be a big jump up for me - my 28-135 f 3.5-56 IS (my dearest lens before I sold it) had no weather sealing, slower aperture and no IS modes (only on or off) and it certainly wasn't internally focusing or internally zooming.

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#2348501 5-Nov-2019 15:44

I'm wanting to sell my 5dmk3 as I'm upgrading.

Talkiet

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#2348502 5-Nov-2019 15:49

LOL. Not crazy at all... When I shoot rallying I dual wield quite often... a 1d4 with a 24-70 (As you say - it's a bit wider then a 1.6 crop) and a 70-200 F2.8LISMk2 on a 7d2. I have a 300F2.8 as well in the bag for if I can't get close or really want to isolate the subject.

(And multiple flashes and wireless triggers, and lots of filters - but that's another story!)

SHort story - 2 cameras is a fine idea if you can deal with the heft. (Protip - Get one of these - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1278406-REG/blackrapid_361003_double_breathe_strap.html )

You also get the advantage of not having to change lenses in potentially dusty conditions and being setup for multiple shots in a single car pass...

Cheers -N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

MarkH67

518 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2348514 5-Nov-2019 16:20

Batman: I'm wanting to sell my 5dmk3 as I'm upgrading.

Condition? Number of shutter activations? price?

What are you upgrading to?

MarkH67

518 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2348517 5-Nov-2019 16:33

Talkiet:

SHort story - 2 cameras is a fine idea if you can deal with the heft. (Protip - Get one of these - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1278406-REG/blackrapid_361003_double_breathe_strap.html )

That's a pretty cool strap for holding the cameras, definitely worth considering.

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