Purchasing an EOS20D

[cappy27]

I am seriously considering purchasing an EOS20D and was wondering what would be the best telephoto lens to purchase that can be used at fast-action sporting events, like football and soccer ? I would like to keep the lens price at about $500, if that helps.

Thanks so much in advance.

Cappy

[FlyingPete]

Do it, get the 20D, you know you need it!

As for the lens at that price in a Canon that is pretty much only the 75-300IS (Image Stabilised), good lens for the cost (I think the RRP is $499US), the IS really helps. It can be a little slow to focus if it has to hunt though. To move up from that though you are looking at some serious $$$ (hmmm 100-400L).

Would be interesting to see what non-Canon alternatives there are to that lens at theat price.

[cappy27]

Thanks, for the reply, Peter.

I am definitely getting this camera, and a few accessories as well. I came into a little disposable cash and want to buy as much as I can before my wife notices :wink:

My niece is a collegiate soccer player and I have some close friends who are American football college coaches and I like to take pictures for them. I have been using a video/still camera from Sony for a coupe of years and want to step up and get serious about shooting digital stills. The Sony is still great for video.

I have spoken with a lot of professional sports photographers and it seems that at least 90% of them are sold on Canon cameras. I was all set to buy the digital rebel and then saw the 10D. I had heard that the 20D was coming out, so I decided to wait for it. Now it is just a matter of figuring out all the "extras" I can buy while I have the money. Any recommendation of "must haves" for the 20D ? Battery Grip, 2gb memory cards, high speed memory card reader ??

As always, your advice is apprecicated.

Cappy

[FlyingPete]

I came into a little disposable cash and want to buy as much as I can before my wife notices

Ah yes the 'covert operations' budget 8)

And by the way, welcome to the forum, between these guys here they know pretty much all there is about Canon Digicams!

The main reason I bought the 20D over the DRebel (300D down in these parts) was that it is fast and has a great fram buffer for making sure you get the shot, I shoot a lot of live music performances, so the fast frame rate and the ability to take several shots without waiting for the camera do debuffer is great, you will defiantly appreciate that for your sport shooting.

Not sure about the 'must haves', I had a grip on my old cam, but I can't get the 20D's one down here yet, I do miss it a little. They are a must for big lenses though (the 75-300IS doesn't really qualify). The Speedlite 420EX is a great addition, and makes a huge improvement over the internal flash, as you can bounce it so you don't get that harsh washed out look, not really necessary for sport shooting though.

As for lenses, that is personal preference, the kit lens is a good start, I also has a 28-105 and a 75-300IS, both great lenses for how I work, I sounds like you have a similar budget to me, so you probably can't fork out for 'L' series glass, which you will find id highly recommended around here, but out of my reach for now!

A spare battery is a must in my opinion, the battery does last quite some time, but I have been caught short with an almost flat battery a couple of times, at least you can have on on the charger ready to go. You can get some cheap ones around, I have had no problems with them, but some of the other guys have, might pay to do a search on the forum for more info on that. BTW, I got mine from www.mydigitaldiscount.com.

Number and size of cards depends on how long you will be away from a computer (or portable hard disk/card reader). My 20D shots around 240 high res JPG's on a 1GB card, a high speed card will debuffer quicker, and will make downloads quicker. The 20D's buffer does well to compensate for slower cards. I run a 1GB, 512MB card and a portable hard disk/card reader combination (X's Drive) which lets me clear my cards in the field without a laptop or PC, I use the 512 when I am clearing the 1GB. High speed card ready would be great for ones patience downloading, I still have a USB1 reader, I am over waiting for it to clear cards, a USB2 version is on the buy list (I can use the X's Drive, but is a hassle and not much quicker). There is a school of thought that I subscribe to, more smaller cards is better than less larger ones, so if you loose a card you loose less shots.

My last word of advice is get your wife on board! Mine finally agreed to the camera and is very happy with the decision, I had a bonus at work that paid for it, even though it was my money, nice to have her on my side :wink:

[tim]

Pete, you buy camera gear in NZ? I bought my 300D from a parallel importer, and I buy my lenses from bhphotovideo.com. Things are a rip-off here, especially with the strong NZD at the moment.

Cappy, I got some batteries from http://sterlingtek.com the batteries seem pretty good so far, better than the canon supplied one.

[FlyingPete]

Pete, you buy camera gear in NZ? I bought my 300D from a parallel importer, and I buy my lenses from bhphotovideo.com. Things are a rip-off here, especially with the strong NZD at the moment.

Cappy, I got some batteries from http://sterlingtek.com, the batteries seem pretty good so far, better than the canon supplied one.

I bought all my lenses here in NZ, the last lens I bought was a couple of years ago (28-105), so nothing recently. I will definatly look at the import option when I buy again (hmmm 17-85IS) I imported my batteries and my X's Drive though. The problem is it is not worth just buying one battery!

I bought my 20D localy as there was only $50NZ difference for a $2850NZ spend and I was able to buy an extended warranty with it as well.

Thanks for the tip though!

[CoolToolGuy]

Hi Cappy, and welcome to the forum.

The best zoom lens if budget is a concern is the Canon EF 70-200 f4L. This is an outstanding lens, and the price is not much above your target.
Canon has a promotion on right now with rebates, and if you buy more things, the rebate doubles or even triples. The rebate on the lens I mentioned is $25, and if you buy the 20D, it doubles to $50. I have included a link to B&H Photo as a reference. Their price is $580, and with the $50 rebate it comes down to $530. You will never be sorry that you got this lens - with a maximum aperture of f4 it will let you shoot outdoor sports and give you great image quality.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=183198&is=USA

I'll also include a link to Canon's Web site, where they talk about the 'Cash In With Canon' rebates. OBTW, they are only good in the USA.

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=PromotionsAct&fcategoryid=111

Have Fun,

[gramps]

I'm 100% with CoolToolGuy on his suggestion on the 70 - 200 f4. If you can afford a couple of extra $$ try to add the 1.4 extender to it. ALSO do get you wife "behind you", when my wife saw what I could do with the 20 D she started pushing me to add more extra goddies!!!!!

[cappy27]

Many thanks to gramps, CoolToolGuy, Tim, and of course, FlyingPete. You ALL have been so kind to share your knowledge with a newbie like myself, and I greatly appreciate it ! I am checking out the links you have shared with me and am finding some really good deals. Tim - that battery link came up as a bad gateway for some reason :?:

I may as well give you a little background on me while I am here. I am 39 and have been married since 2001. We have a 11 month old son, who is the happiest baby I have ever seen. He is also the cutest baby of all time ( ok, I am a little biased ), who inherited his Mom's looks :D

I have been a tradeshow/corporate events manager for about 15 years and have traveled all over the world ( which created my love for Cuban cigars, but that is for another forum ). I am a sports fanatic and really want to get into fast action sports photography using great equipment.

My wife knows I am going to buy the camera and the other goodies, but doesn't realize that I am about to drop about $3k. :shock: I showed her some of the 20D photography that is on this site and she, like me, was floored. There are some super talented people here and I cannot wait to ( hopefully ) start shooting some of the same images.

Thanks, again, for all the help. This is a great forum and I am looking forward to chatting with all of you and ( again ) hopefully, giving back to the Forum as you have done for me.

Cheeers !
Cappy

[FlyingPete]

We have a 11 month old son, who is the happiest baby I have ever seen. He is also the cutest baby of all time ( ok, I am a little biased ), who inherited his Mom's looks :D

We have an 11 month old girl, she is mainly responsible for the high counter on my camera, and one of my reasons I tild my wife to get the 20D, was to take better images, once she picked it up and had a go, she knew exactly what I was talking about!

[tim]

Sorry, I stuck a comma after the link. Try this one

http://sterlingtek.com/

[cappy27]

Tim:

Much better, thanks.

I still need to make the big purchase, but have been buried at work preparing for a large tradeshow in Vegas in January.

As soon as I can actually sit down for an uninterupted moment, I can actually buy the gear. :P

Sorry it has taken me a few days to get back to you.

Thanks !
cappy

[cappy27]

FlyingPete, Gramps, Tim, & CoolToolGuy:

What exactly does an 1.4 extender do when attached to a camera and lens ?

Any comments on a 67mm Circular Polarizer Glass Filter ? It was under the Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM Autofocus Lens information as an accessory. Is something that I really should have ?

I am trying to find a package that will give me the 20D, a memory card, a high speed reader, a lens, and maybe a bag for under $2k. Then I will get an extended warranty, the EF 70-200mm lens, possibly the lens filter, the 1.4 extender, the 420EX Speedlite, and a mono-pod.

Any thoughts on a really nice color photo printer ?

Thanks, so much, for your help.

Cappy

[tim]

What exactly does an 1.4 extender do when attached to a camera and lens ?

Well, if you have a 100mm lens and you add a 1.4 extender, you now have a 140mm lens.

[FlyingPete]

What exactly does an 1.4 extender do when attached to a camera and lens ?

Yep, as Tim said, however they don't fit on all lenses. The Canon 1.4 and 2x generally only work on the 'L' series Telephotos. I think it is OK on the 70-200mm, might want to check first.

Any comments on a 67mm Circular Polarizer Glass Filter ? It was under the Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM Autofocus Lens information as an accessory. Is something that I really should have ?

I like my Circular Polarizer Filter (CP-L), it is mainly used for reducing reflections, but it can also darken blue skies on a sunny day, works especially well with the sun behind you.

Any thoughts on a really nice color photo printer ?

Personally I gave up on printing my own photos quite some time ago. I had issues with colours and fading on my inkjet (Epson Stylus Photo EX). I now use an online service that has a machine called a Fuji Digital Frontier, it prints on real photo paper and in my opinion for the cost and convience can't be beat!

[cappy27]

Tim and Peter:

Thanks, for the info.

I think I am driving myself nuts, trying to find the right package and not buy a lot of the gear a la carte. At this point, I just want to get everything and start shooting :P

Time to start spending money...................

Bob

[cappy27]

Ok, I finally went for it and bought the 20D !

It came with a 17-85mm lens and 2GB memory card, so that was cool. I also bought the memory card reader, the EF 70-200mm f/4.OL lens, the EF 1.4x II extender, battery grip, a 67mm UV filter, lens cleaning kit, 2 extra batteries, and a dual battery charger. Still need to get a decent bag, mono or tripod, and possibly, a tripod ring, but I think I am at least on my way.

Should be here on Monday, so I can hardly wait !

[FlyingPete]

Ok, I finally went for it and bought the 20D !

It came with a 17-85mm lens and 2GB memory card, so that was cool. I also bought the memory card reader, the EF 70-200mm f/4.OL lens, the EF 1.4x II extender, battery grip, a 67mm UV filter, lens cleaning kit, 2 extra batteries, and a dual battery charger. Still need to get a decent bag, mono or tripod, and possibly, a tripod ring, but I think I am at least on my way.

Should be here on Monday, so I can hardly wait !

OK I am now jealous!

I like the look of the 17-85 as a 'walk about', my 18-55/28-105 combination covers most situations, but I am still carrying two lenses!

[cappy27]

Peter:

I know one thing that you will NOT be jealous of: my credit card bill ! :(

Thanks, again, for all the helpful advice. It was a huge help in purchasing all my equipment. I let the wife in on the final $$ tally. Raised her eyebrows, but I am sure once she sees what I will be able to do ( once I get proficient with the gear ), she will be astounded.

Bob

[MarkH]

Ok, I finally went for it and bought the 20D !

It came with a 17-85mm lens and 2GB memory card, so that was cool. I also bought the memory card reader, the EF 70-200mm f/4.OL lens, the EF 1.4x II extender, battery grip, a 67mm UV filter, lens cleaning kit, 2 extra batteries, and a dual battery charger. Still need to get a decent bag, mono or tripod, and possibly, a tripod ring, but I think I am at least on my way.

Hey, that sounds like a pretty well balanced range of gear, the lenses plus extender let you shoot at the equivalent (in 35mm terms) of 28 - 448mm as far a angle of view is concerned. I don't think you really need a tripod ring, but you probably do need a monopod and possibly a tripod as well.

Once your gear arrives I think that you are indeed well on your way, I hope you get some great pics.

[cappy27]

Thanks, Mark.

I can hardly wait to come home and see a very large box awaiting me.

Bob