What kind of setup is best for action sports shooting?

Newbie here. I currently have an Olympus 2 megapxl point and click.

I've been a point an click guy for a while now and I want to move up to the digital SLR range. I shoot mostly water sports, wakeboarding, surfing, kiteboarding, motorcycle riding. obviously, I need a faster camera with more mega pixels. What camera's should I be looking at? Doesn't have to be Canon, the Nikon D70 is looking awefully nice...

I know I'll be spending most of my money on spiffy telephoto lenses right??

Give me some direction please.

What's the best camera right below the professionals.

Strangely most of us here use Canon equipment!

I think most Canon shooters would agree that the 20D has the speed and flexibility needed for sportsshooting.

When comparing it to other brands, check the specs on frames per second, buffer size, max. number of shots in burst mode, servo focus, number of AF points, etc.

Don't get hung up on megapixels. There are dozens of features and specifications that are more important.

For sports, The 20D would be your best bet with Canon.

The d70 is slower in buffer speed in JPG or RAW. 12 jpg vs 23 jpg images for instance. And of course 3fps vs 5fps.

Megapixels aren't that big a deal, but you get more with a faster camera. And it allows you to crop the image more and still save more, because sports usually has the tight crop. Also it's 1.6 crop factor versus 1.5. So you'll get a little more reach with the Canon than Nikon which is nice unless you have lots of money for those long telephotos. A 200mm for instance on 1.6 crop is 320mm.

For lens, you want a 70-200 2.8 lens and also a 300 2.8 idealy. And then of course depending on the specific sport, a longer prime might be useful.

For starting out, first item would be a 70-200 lens for general sports, and\or an 85 f1.8 lens for indoor sports. A 50 f1.8 or f1.4 could be substituted for the 85. I am sure Nikon has the equal lenses. As to a camera body, if you have the money a Canon 20D or the Nikon D200 would do very well, but I think in learning mode both the Canon XT or Nikon D70 will work fine. I have seen fine work from both. You will not get the 5 frames per second (which I never really have seen the 20D actually achieve - another topic for another day), but early on you really should be concetrating on composition and timing - which are both very hard to get the discipline of by holding the hammer down.

Personally, I wouldn't overspend on the body. That piece of technology is a rapidly changing. Lenses have a much longer life span. Until you know exactly how you want to shoot, I would recommend maybe looking at a used camera body - a Nikon D2 class or even a used Canon 1D class. I started with a used Canon 10D... my son now uses it and has had a couple images published from Division 1 sports - considering he is a highschooler... not bad.

I'd strongly agree with Mark's comments above.

You might also find some info over in my Q&A thread in the Talk About Photography forum: http://www.photography​-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=116971 - there have been a few discussions there about resolution, lenses, etc... etc...

---- Gavin

Thanks guys. I recently compared the 20D to the 350 Rebel and the rebel looked better on paper. Should I get a used one of those?

Here is my set up for a NPPL (National Professional Paintball League) tournament or other major event in this sport. This is what I carry:

Canon 1D Mark II Body with either:
EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM telephoto for smaller fields
EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM for bigger fields
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM for night and low light conditions because it has a bigger aperture
I prefer the 1D Body because I really need the 9 FPS

Canon 20D Body with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM wide angle

Canon Speedlite 580EX for pictures in the player paddocks and pictures in the shade

Six 4Gig Memory cards
Two sets of extra Batteries
I also carry lens cleaning supplies with me. Paintball is very messy and lens hits are common.

I'd get the 20D instead for speed and performance at high ISO's. I own a 20D and have the use of an XT for yearbook pictures. After using the XT a couple of times, I put it back in the bag, because I didn't like the control setup and the overall build quality of the camera. You can pick up a used 20D on the Buy and Sell forum at www.fredmiranda.com for a good price. For gym sports, I would recommend the 85mm f/1.8. It's a great lens in terms of speed and quality.

Hey, Tiger. I've only been at this for one year, and I started out with a Rebel XT, but found I needed the higher ISO capability of the 20D so I added a second body about mid-year during the HS football season. As far as lenses go, the suggested 70-200 f2.8 is a great all-purpose starter lens, although I shot a Sigma 120-300 f 2.8 on my XT for almost 8 months, made a bunch of money with it (enough to buy the 20D, the Canon 70-200 2.8L and a 85 f1.8 plus a slew of other toys) and still use it for field sports. It's not cheap, but it paid for itself in a couple months.

Remember fast glass for the low light conditions under the lights

20d, grip, 70-200 2.8,24-70 2.8 monopod, good shoulder bag, 550 or 580EX

Even on paper, the 20d, should look better.

If going Canon, idealy, that's the best body to fit the compromise, even with changing bodies every 6 months to 12 months and pairing with good glass.

You can get a used one for between 1000 and 1200(sometimes body + more). And a new one for about 1250ish range(body only).

Regardless, it is a big investment.

Just starting though, the 10D's are great and becoming cheaper. I've seen many for less than $700.

For indoor sports the 85 f1.8 is essential. The 70-200 f2.8's are okay, but the 200 f2.8 L is much better (ie faster AF, sharper pictures).

The ultimate sports set up would be a 1D MkII with a 300mm f/28

If this is out of your budget,. a 20D or even 350D with a 70-200mm f/2.8 would be excellent.

Other than lower cost though,. I can't imagine what about the 350D would make it look better "on paper" than the 20D?