What camera for £2,500?

emsharris

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3 May 2009 - 10:06 AM

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Hi there, I have up to £2,500 to spend on a professional camera kit.....I take alot of sports photography and portrait work, have looked at the Canon 50d body with the 70-200 F2.8 lens, but would love to have suggestions on whether this is the right camera for me or am I missing something else??
Many thanks, Emma

wrinkles

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3 May 2009 - 12:03 PM

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Sony A900 plus Sony glass can't be bad.Like no other.

Coast (e2 Member)

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3 May 2009 - 8:50 PM

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Emma. You have a variety of options and probably comes down to what fits you best too. Nothing beats going and trying out a camera in the hand to see if it fits you.

Opinion and experience will help you but I suggest you make a shortlist of cameras after looking at them in the flesh first and comparing them to the spec requirements you need ie. frame rate, high ISO with quality....

Olympus will provide the best value for money in a start up package but for serious sports photography is not specced up I guess.

Full frame would be my recommendation and although Canon 5D is a great option it does not run a fast frame rate but at £700-£800 for a used body in good condition is a tempting proposition. Canon and Nikon will provide a better longer term option to build your kit up and are generally the first choice for professionals.

Lens wise you will be better off with at least a 300mm reach at the long end for sports dependant on what you are photographing. I use a 100mm f2.8 on my 5D for portraits and it is fantastic - the 85mm 1.8 is also a great portrait lens on the Canon..

I am sure there will be plenty of suggestions for you on here and from there I would go and feel and touch to help you make your final decision.

Good luck and enjoy - its always a good feeling when you have pennies to spend on new kit and the search and decision is almost as fun as the purchase! Although nothing beats the thrill of capturing a great shot.

Paul

Coast (e2 Member)

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3 May 2009 - 10:16 PM

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All manufacturers will offer you a capable camera body and lens selection supported by the Sigma, Tamron and Tokina's etc of this world.

Cannot disagree with Paul M that a crop sensor will give you a better reach as most are 1.5/1.6x magnification on the lens (2x on Olympus and other 4/3rds format) although faster frame rate is not specific to crop sensor cameras. Nikon D700 will shoot 5fps or 8fps with the battery grip.

I re-iterate that Canon and Nikon are generally the choice of the professional and there are plenty of reasons for that - from build quality, specs, lens range and quality.....

You could ask yourself do you want the best you can afford and build up your kit over time therefore spending your initial £2500 on the best body and lens combo you can ie Nikon D700 with 18-200mm will cost around £2200 and get you into the Nikon family.

Alternatively systems from Sony, Olympus, Pentax etc you could get a well specced camera and a couple of lenses or more for your money.

The Canon 50D with 70-200 2.8 IS is a good choice too although possibly a touch long for portraiture on the crop sensor at the short end as it becomes a 112mm equivalent. Not impossible though.

As a Canon user it would be easy for me to say buy Canon, buy Canon as so many respondents may do (Paul M and his love for Olympus and his E3 is an example) however what works for me might not work for you so I stick with my original advice - list the specs you need, check out the camera in the flesh to see if it feels right and then dependant on budget look at your available lens options.

Paul

Chris_L

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3 May 2009 - 11:04 PM

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I, on the other hand. don't favour any particular brand. I'm a keen Nikon owner but if I had that kind of money to spend to photograph what you plan to then I'd buy Canon, no doubt about it.

Paul Morgan (Challenge Team)

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4 May 2009 - 1:28 AM

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Quote: Another good thing with going the Canon/Nikon route is that the kit maintains it's 2nd hand prices well

Lenses yes, bodies not so well.

That goes for all makes not just Canon/nikon, never seen any Olympus premium glass going cheap

There`s plenty more second hand Canon/Nikon kit available though.

martin_hurton

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4 May 2009 - 10:56 AM

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I have a D300, with a 300mm f4 it's a pretty decent set-up.

The 6fps is great, but by no means essential. Like any photography, considered shots are always better than just blasting away at a high frame rate. But when things to go wrong it's nice to be able hold the shutter down and capture it a 6fps. Not had the buffer fill up on me yet either with the D300.

It's weatherproof so you won't have to run indoors when it rains, providing you have a lens of equal quality obviously. Battery life is superp.

Now the important part, the lens. I can't agree that the D700 and 18-200 would be a good entry to Nikon. You don't need full frame, you do need good glass. Spend less on the body (ie the D300) and have more to spend on a lens. The 18-200 isn't going to be fast enough for the job, or of a good enough quality (both image and build I'm afraid).

The Nikon 300mm f4 can be had cheaply second hand. I paid £340-£360 for mine - a bargain! Plenty good enough for outdoor sports on all but the darkest of days.

A 50mm f1.8 can be had new for £100ish. A lovely portrait lens if you don't need a zoom?

For your budget I'd take a look at the 70-300 f/2.8, a 50mmf/1.8 and a D300. Both lenses would be suitable for portraits and the 70-300 for sports. The D300, don't worry about it, it can cope with both also.


PS - I have only recommended Nikon because that is what I actually use. I'm sure Canon has a similar line-up but I don't tend to follow other manufacturers kit as I don't intend to use it.

I moved from an Olympus E-1 to Nikon when the E-3 came out. It didn't feel quite right to me (like the E-1 did) and the lens costs where way out of my league for the quality of lenses that I wanted. I could get the lenses I wanted, second hand, for Nikon for much, much less money.

clickdog

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4 May 2009 - 11:44 AM

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Just checked your web site Emma, and at the moment with the current set of camera bodies for the sort of photography you do the Nikon 3,300 and 700 have really very good high asa settings,and me a Canon shooter, I do photograph equine sports full time, not sure about the other Camera makes. The older pro bodies have lower max asa settings and they are noiser than the new bodies.