Drebel any good for sports photography?

[burkdog]

Am wondering.

Thx.

[timmyquest]

I'm taking mine to a H/S basketball game tomorrow, i guess we'll find out.

Prolly dpends on what your doing, horse racing may be a problem with the slow FPS and small buffer. But basketball may be just fine.

[burkdog]

Let me know how it works out! :lol:

[ryleung]

I shot a badminton tournament with my DRebel in November, and my only gripes are:

1) the 4-picture buffer is inadequate
2) data transfer rate is too low
3) the 2.5 fps is a tad on the slow side (but this is only a minor complain)

#1 & 2 are pretty serious when there is a lot of action going on. In particular, #2 is especially bad when shooting RAW since I could easily wait for over a minute before the buffer is partially free again. Using a fast CF card doesn't seem to help either, since the time differences are minimal on the DRebel.

-Rick

p.s. If focus point prediction (or whatever it's officially called) is important to you, don't forget that with the DRebel, you can only get it when you're using the Sports mode. P, Tv, Av, and M modes do not offer this.

[burkdog]

Hmm.....

If I hear you correctly, what you are saying is that the Drebel sux for action sports photography, and that I should definitely get the 10D?

Thx.

[ryleung]

Hmm.....

If I hear you correctly, what you are saying is that the Drebel sux for action sports photography, and that I should definitely get the 10D?

Thx.

Well, I guess I wouldn't go that far. IMO, the DRebel is still adequate for sports photography in many cases. And even if you were to go ahead with the 10D instead of the DRebel, I don't know how much the situation would improve. (I've never tried the 10D myself.) The 10D is rated at 3 fps with a 9-shot picture buffer while the DRebel is 2.5 fps with a 4-shot buffer. Having an extra 5 shots would certainly help, but once you use that up, you'd still have to wait just as long for the pictures to get copied over to the CF card. (I read in another thread that the data transfer rates between the DRebel and 10D aren't that much different)

-Rick

[playinhockey]

I've been using mine for both ice hockey and basketball. It works great. If you need to take more than 3 shots in a row then use a video camera. Just let the action come to you, take the shot and have fun.

[maderito]

I've been using mine for both ice hockey and basketball. It works great. If you need to take more than 3 shots in a row then use a video camera. Just let the action come to you, take the shot and have fun.

I agree. I'm still on the (steep) uphill learning curve of trying to capture sports images (our local college basketball team). You need a fast lens and a good strategy for capturing shots. Just aiming an expensive camera at the action and blasting away to fill the image buffer just doesn't work. Search this Forum for "basketball" or "hockey" for some good tips.

[fwhitesides]

If you need to take more than 3 shots in a row then use a video camera. Just let the action come to you, take the shot and have fun.

This comment had me lauging. It's good, down-to-earth advice.

[fishingjts]

Hmm.....

If I hear you correctly, what you are saying is that the Drebel sux for action sports photography, and that I should definitely get the 10D?

Thx.

Nope... quite the opposite... I think the DRebel does a great job.. I think a lot of it has to do with having the right lens.... Here are some of sports pics i've taken in gyms using available light (read the worst lighting conditions you can imagine!) :wink:

http://www.tammyandjohn.com/PhotoAlbum/Sports/Gym_010904/index.htm

http://www.tammyandjohn.com/PhotoAlbum/Sports/Gym_Flytz_04/index.htm

http://www.tammyandjohn.com/PhotoAlbum/Sports/Wrestling/index.htm

http://www.tammyandjohn.com/PhotoAlbum/Sports/Basketball/index.htm

[CyberDyneSystems]

The Drebel will be better than any None SLR camera out there for sports.. the lesn you use will play a HUGE part in how well suited the camera is for sports.. but with the right lens,. it will be right up there with the 10D,. the biggest drawback being the lower burst speeds and capacity.

Again... compared to a Digicam,. the Rebel will ROCK!

[Tom W]

Hmm.....

If I hear you correctly, what you are saying is that the Drebel sux for action sports photography, and that I should definitely get the 10D?

Thx.

Nope... quite the opposite... I think the DRebel does a great job.. I think a lot of it has to do with having the right lens.... Here are some of sports pics i've taken in gyms using available light (read the worst lighting conditions you can imagine!) :wink:

http://www.tammyandjohn.com/PhotoAlbum/Sports/Gym_010904/index.htm

http://www.tammyandjohn.com/PhotoAlbum/Sports/Gym_Flytz_04/index.htm

http://www.tammyandjohn.com/PhotoAlbum/Sports/Wrestling/index.htm

http://www.tammyandjohn.com/PhotoAlbum/Sports/Basketball/index.htm

Excellent pictures in those links, and a good illustration of what a good SLR with a low-noise sensor can do. There's been too much discussion of frames-per-second here. Yes, we'd all love the new 1D Mk II, but its important to note that the DigiReb can shoot just fine under adverse conditions. There is no doubt that it, like any good SLR (film or digital) is perfectly capable of stopping action if the need arises. Do note that as CDS says, a good fast lens is essential if the lighting isn't going to be.

In my younger years, I shot action slides with a manual FT - I had to wind the film manually after each shot. The Elan II was a drastic improvement in that respect, and the DigiReb is even better. I wouldn't hesitate to use it for this type of photography.

[burkdog]

Thanks for all the answers and good advice.

My next question is: What's "a good fast lens." Preferrably some type of zoom.

Thx

[Tom W]

Thanks for all the answers and good advice.

My next question is: What's "a good fast lens." Preferrably some type of zoom.

Thx


Well, fast means that the lens has a wider aperture, allowing more light in so that you can use a faster shutter speed. The F/stop is the measure of aperture as a ratio to focal length. For example, a lens with a maximum aperture of f/4.0 would have an aperture opening of the lens' focal length divided by 4. If it were a standard 50 mm lens, that would be an aperture diameter of 12.5 mm. In general, fixed focus lenses are faster than zoom lenses.

Really fast zoom lenses tend to be very heavy and costly, but worth it if you do a lot of indoor shooting without flash. An F/2.8 70-200 mm Canon lens will run you upwards of $1000 US. However, an F/4.0 lens of the same zoom range can be had for considerably less, more than likely around $600.

As for good, there's "good" and then there's "GOOD". Canon lenses with the "L" designation are generally of the bigger "GOOD" variety, but they are also more expensive. You can find non-"L" lenses that are still very good but cost considerably less. Also, don't forget the other brands like Sigma and Tamron. Some of their lenses are of very good quality.

There are a couple of links that have lens ratings such as www.photodo.com and www.fredmiranda.com. Between those ratings and the personal recommendations of folks here, you should be able to find good lenses that fit your budget.

[fishingjts]

Thanks for all the answers and good advice.

My next question is: What's "a good fast lens." Preferrably some type of zoom.

Thx

Tom gave a good explanation of a fast lens. :)

Here are the lens that I use for those sports shots...

Sigma 70-200 f2.8 EX APO
Tamron 28-75 Xr - Di
Canon 50mm 1.8

I am very happy with all 3 lens... and for $70 the Canon 50mm is like the deal of the century! :wink:

[burkdog]

I know lenses are expensive. I was planning on having to spend up to $1500 to get a decent zoom lens. Any recommendations besides what you've already mentioned?

Thx.

[Canuck]

I know lenses are expensive. I was planning on having to spend up to $1500 to get a decent zoom lens. Any recommendations besides what you've already mentioned?

Thx.

Dare I mention the Sigma 120-300 F2.8EX? I have one and it rocks. PM me and I can show some pics I took with it. It is a monster at 5.75 lbs and I can't use it right now. I'm reccoperating from a lower lumbar sprain. Can you say pain? I can't use it till the end of the month according to the doc, as it was put "no lifting over 5 lbs." I love the hell out of the lens. It runs about $1900 from a reputable place.

Jim/CDS, even Canoga Camera has it for about a dollar cheaper.

Cheers from England,
Canuck.

[MarkH]

[quote=burkdog]
The 10D is rated at 3 fps with a 9-shot picture buffer while the DRebel is 2.5 fps with a 4-shot buffer. Having an extra 5 shots would certainly help, but once you use that up, you'd still have to wait just as long for the pictures to get copied over to the CF card.
-Rick

This is not true. The 10D has 2 buffers, if you shoot JPG then the 10D can take more pictures once the first buffer has been processed to the second buffer you can take more pictures, without any pictures needing to be written to the CF card.

Using Large Fine JPG and ISO 100 I can take a burst of 9 images, then within 5 seconds a 2nd burst of 9 then after 5 more seconds and 3rd burst of 9, after that the camera will slow down because the second buffer is not limitless and the images DO eventually need to be written of to the CF card.

At higher ISO speeds the JPG files are larger, so the recovery speed after filling the first buffer is slower. Shooting RAW is also slower after the first 9 shots.

Unfortunately once the second buffer is really full, it will take a while to write out all that data to the CF card.

The best solution would be to buy the 1D Mk II, but try what you have and see how you go. :D

[burkdog]

What about this guy??

Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/largeimages/162616.jpg

[Ferdinand]

Here this should give you a clearer picture on the performance of the DRebel.

Done using kit lens.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos300d/page10.asp

=Quote=

Continuous drive mode
To test continuous mode the camera had the following settings: Manual Focus, Manual Exposure (1/250 sec, F3.5), ISO 400. No matter what image output format the shooting rate is always 2.5 fps (+/- 0.1 fps). With this in mind we decided to test a different set of parameters:

Next single shot - How soon after a burst of four shots you can take the next single shot
Next burst of four - How soon after a burst of four shots you can take another four
Full write - How long a burst of four shots takes to be processed and written to the CF
The media used for these tests were:

256 MB Canon High Speed Type I Compact Flash card
512 MB SanDisk Ultra Type I Compact Flash card
1 GB IBM Microdrive Type II Compact Flash card

Burst of four JPEG images
Timing 256 MB Canon 512 MB SanDisk 1 GB Microdrive
Next single shot 1.3 sec 1.2 sec 1.3 sec
Next burst of four 3.3 sec 3.1 sec 3.2 sec
Full write 15.2 sec 13.6 sec 12.5 sec

Burst of four RAW images
Timing 256 MB Canon 512 MB SanDisk 1 GB Microdrive
Next single shot 1.8 sec 1.8 sec 1.8 sec
Next burst of four 29.3 sec 27.2 sec 26.7 sec
Full write 31.2 sec 32.1 sec 31.8 sec

Because of its relatively fast processing speed the EOS 300D allows you to take a total of eight 6mp JPEG images in just over 6 seconds (a burst of four, wait 3 seconds, another burst of four). A very respectable performance for an 'entry level' digital SLR and certainly enough to scare off most prosumer level digital cameras.

=Unquote=

So worst case senario shooting in RAW, four shot burst, next four shot burst is 30 seconds away. But if you can't wait that long the next single shot can be taken 2 seconds after the first four shot burst.




Regards,
Ferdinand

[MarkH]

Hmm.....

If I hear you correctly, what you are saying is that the Drebel sux for action sports photography, and that I should definitely get the 10D?

Thx.

Personally I'd say the DRebel is good, but the 10D is better. Wait till after the PMA show to see what's going on with pricing and whether there are new models. If you are happy to pay the extra for the 10D (or replacement) then you should probably go that way - for the shooting speed and buffer alone.

Remember, you'll need to spend money on lenses, CF Cards and maybe a flash for indoor sports. Check how far your budget can go.

[burkdog]

Yeah, I'm planning on buying that 550 flash, and close to a couple thousand in lenses to start (about 1500 on a telephoto then whatever is left on something else).

I hope the Drebel isn't obsolete in 2 years. but I know that's the way things go. Maybe the lenses will hold some value.

[Tom W]

What about this guy??

Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/largeimages/162616.jpg

Great lens, but if you're shooting from relatively close (such as high school basketball or volleyball), you'll probably want something shorter and faster, like the 70-200 f/2.8 lens.

In my opinion, of course.