Tag: 100mm

by David Burgess on April 27, 2018 0

The best camera for sports photography

Improve your action images with the best camera for sports photography

The best camera for sports photography will improve your sports and action images no end. If you are looking for the best camera for sports photography you have come to the right place since this article focuses solely on the best camera for sports photography as well as all the lenses and accessories you are going to need to capture those awesome sports and action photos.

Sports is an excellent subject to photograph but due to the speed and fast nature of sports capturing those stunning images can be a real challenge. If you want to increase your hit rate and the number of “keepers” you need the best camera for sports photography. This is obvious, but what is the best camera for sports photography? Carry on reading, and you will find out.

So, if you are looking to improve your sports photography and need a new camera make sure you read this article before parting with your hard earned cash.

When choosing the best camera for sports photography there are a couple of key things you need to consider.

Sports and action photography is fast and quick moving. In order to increase the number of usable images, i.e. your hit rate, you need a camera with a high burst rate. The more photographs you can take in quick succession the higher the chance of getting the shot.

Full frame digital cameras with a high burst rate are very expensive and can cost several thousand dollars. Many people simply don’t have this amount of money to spend on the best camera for sports photography, or can’t justify spending this amount of money on a digital camera. Fortunately, there are some very good crop sensor digital slr cameras with burst rates that offer great image quality and are far more affordable. If you want the best value for money, and want to get the most bang for your buck these crop sensor cameras are the ones to buy.

If you want a camera specifically for sports and action photography a digital slr camera is the only digital camera you should consider, so don’t even bother investigating point and shoot cameras or micro four thirds and mirrorless cameras.

All the major camera manufacturers sell at least one digital SLR camera that is ideal for sports and action photography, so there is something for everyone. For the best sports photography cameras take a look at the products below:

Best camera for sports photography – Canon eos 7d

In my opinion the Canon 7d is the best camera for sports photography for the masses. The Canon 7d is tough, durable and, what I consider bulletproof. The magnesium body and seals ensure it is dustproof, waterproof and shockproof, which makes it ideal out in the field

The Canon eos 7d

The Canon 7d has an impressive 18MP sensor that allows you to capture high levels of detail and images that can be blown up real big. This makes it possible to crop and enlarge every photo taken, which is ideal for subjects that you consider “too small” in the frame because they were just a bit too far away for the focal length of lens used to take the photograph.

The Canon 7d has an impressive 8fps burst rate that allows you to fire off loads of shots all in one go, so you will never miss the action again. Just remember you are going to need to have plenty of spare and make sure you have some backup batteries.

The Canon 7d is affordable and the best camera for sports photography for budding sports photographers on a budget. The Canon 7d is an awesome camera and I highly recommend it, and it is for the reasons above I consider it the best camera for sports photography.

Best camera for sports photography – Canon 1DX

The Canon eos 1DX is the flag ship of the Canon dslr range and when you look at the specifications of the 1DX it is easy to see why, I mean 18MP full frame sensor, dual-digic 5 processors for a staggering 12fps burst rate, tough magnesium alloy body and an ISO range of 100 – 51,200 (which is expendable to 204,800) is jst some of the features.

Whilst I don’t own a Canon eos 1DX I have been fortunate to use one and I can say it is an awesome camera. The 1DX is bullet proof, the burst rate is something else (although it does eat memory cards), and the images it produces are exceptional, but would I pay the $6,000 + asking price?

If I were a professional photographer and could make a living out of sports photography I would, but as I am not there is no way I could justify the cost. Buying the 1DX is one thing but then there are the lenses to go with it. The 1DX doesn’t have a crop factor so if you need a lens over 400mm you are going to have to buy a lens extender (which is not ideal for sports photography because it leads to a loss of light and hence slower shutter speeds) or spend a few thousand bucks on a long reach lens, such as the EF500mm.

The Canon 1DX is a camera for professional photographers or enthusiasts with exceptionally deep pockets. A cheaper alternative, and one that is best suited to enthusiasts.

Nikon D7000

A popular camera for sports photography

Best camera for sports photography – Nikon D7000

The Nikon D7000 is a popular camera with sports photographers and it is easy to see why. The first thing you will notice about the Nikon D7000 is the build quality, which is superb. This is a tough and durable camera that is built to last, which is a good job given sports photographers spend a lot of time out in the field.

With a 16.2MP sensor the Nikon D700 is a powerful camera that is capable of capturing some stunning sports images that will impress family and friends. Sports photography requires a lot of cropping and with this impressive sensor it is possible to get 100% crops and still get excellent image quality.

The 39 point auto focus points helps to ensure the Nikon D700 finds the target, locks on and stays locked on and it does this very well. The Nikon D700 has a fast Expeed 2 processor which is essential for sports photography. This sensor allows for 6fps, so you can fire off a lot of images in quick succession, which is vital to ensure you don’t miss the shot.

One of the best things about the Nikon D700 is the twin SD card slots, which means you don’t have to faff around swapping over memory cards and can continue to capture the action as it unfolds instead.

Overall the Nikon D700 is an excellent camera and therefore has to be included as a best camera for sports photography.

Top Sports lenses for your digital slr camera

Capturing awesome sports and action photographs requires more than the best camera for sports photography. Oh yes, if you want to capture the best sports photographs possible you also need the right lens.

When capturing sports photographs you are likely to be quite far away from the action, therefore a long reach telephoto lens is needed. If you want to “freeze” the action and still get sharp shots you also need a fast lens, which allows you to keep the shutter speeds up.

There are plenty of great sports photography lenses available for all brands and models of digital slr camera. It doesn’t matter whether you shoot a Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony or Olympus, there is the perfect sports lens for your particular digital slr camera.

For some of the best sports and action photography lenses currently available check out the lenses below:

Best Canon lens for sports photography – Canon 100mm – 400mm L IS USM

Canon 100mm – 400mm L IS USM Lens

My most used lens for motorsports photography is the Canon 100mm – 400mm f4.5 – 5.6L IS USM lens, which is awesome. This lens is tough, durable and built to last. This lens is also fully sealed, which means it is weatherproof making it excellent for out in the field. This lens isn’t particularly fast but then given the affordable price tag this is to be expected. Besides, the image stabilization technology is awesome and helps to ensure tack sharp shots each and every time.

One of the best things about the Canon 100mm – 400mm is the push/pull zoom which makes it super quick and easy to change between focal lengths. With this lens it is possible to zoom right in close and personal or pull back to capture more of the background.

The image quality of this lens is simply superb and it is possible to capture some awesome images. If you want the best sports photography lens to go with your Canon digital slr camera the Canon 100mm – 400mm f4.5 – 5.6L IS USM lens is the lens to buy.

Top rated Nikon sports lenses

If you shoot a Nikon digital slr camera there are a few long reach zoom lenses available to buy, although the best (and most popular) are detailed below.

nikon 70 – 200 2.8

nikon 80 – 400nikon

nikon 300

Top rated Sigma sports lenses

Canon and Nikon branded tele lenses are expensive however there is a cheaper alternative, which is a Sigma lens. Sigma lenses are tough, durable, well made and the image quality is very good. Sigma produces lenses that will fit both Canon and Nikon digital slr cameras, so it really doesn’t matter what you shoot.

For the best Sigma sports and action photography lenses check out the products below, all of which are worth looking in to if you want to buy a Sigma sports photography lens.

Sigma 70 – 200Sigma

Sigma 150 – 500 Sigma

Sigma 120 – 400Sigma

An essential bit of kit of sports photography

The Monopod
Sports photography with big zoom lenses requires some support, otherwise you are going to experience camera shake and get some blurry photos. There’s no doubt about it, a tripod is the best type of camera/lens support you can buy however a tripod is not ideal for sports photography. Focusing on a moving object using a tripod is nigh on impossible, besides most sports venues prohibit the use of tripods.

The best camera/lens support for sports photography is the monopod, which is an upright pole that screws in to the bottom of the camera or the lens ring. The foot of the pole is place on the ground, hence providing a support for big and heavy lenses. The monopod is small (when collapsed), light and easily transportable, which makes is a doddle to carry around all day long. The monopod is a simple but very effective product that doesn’t cost much but will improve your sports photography photos no end.

Compared to other types of photography monopods aren’t expensive however it does pay to get the best one you can afford. Cheap monopods are heavy but made out of inferior materials that tend to flex and bend once loaded up with a heavy camera/lens combo. The best monopods are made out of carbon fibre and these are both lightweight, but most importantly strong.

Manfrotto are well known for making top quality tripods and their range of monopods is equally as good and the 680B is one of Manfrotto’s top rated monopods. This monopod is very strong and can easily support the heaviest of camera/lens combinations. I always use a fully gripped 7d combined with a 500mm prime (a seriously heavy set up) and the 680B can easily cope with this and never bends or flexes.

The weak part of all monopods is the joints, however this is not the case with the 680B . The joints on this monopod are second to none. The isn’t the cheapest monopod but it is worth every cent.

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by David Burgess on April 27, 2018 0

Best camera for macro photography

The best camera for macro photography for close up images

If you are looking for the best camera for macro photography you have come to the right place since this article focuses solely on the best macro cameras, and macro lenses, currently available to take your macro images to the next level.

Digital cameras, especially digital slr cameras, are expensive so if you want to buy the best camera for macro photography make sure you take a look at the rest of this article before shelling out your hard earned cash. After all, you don’t want to waste it right?

If you really want to get the most out of your macro photography there are other things you need to consider besides the camera. Lenses are one such consideration, and the best macro lenses are also covered in this article.

If your macro subjects consist of moving things, such as insects, butterflies and the like, the best macro camera needs a high burst rate. The top end Canon and Nikon digital SLRs are full frame and have a high burst rate but these are very expensive. Cheaper alternatives include crop sensor cameras with dual processors and these are the best value for money cameras.
macro shot of flower If you take macro images of static subjects, such as flowers and still life things, the best camera for macro photography need not have a high burst rate. In these circumstances the best camera for macro photography is the one with the best image quality, and highest number of pixels.

Point and shoot cameras and mirrorless cameras have a macro photography mode however these don’t capture “true” macro photographs. I would not recommend either a point and shoot or a mirrorless camera for macro photography, and the only real options are digital slr cameras, as detailed below;

Best camera for macro photography – Canon dslrs

Arguably you can use any digital slr camera for macro photography however many photographers claim the best camera for macro photography is a full frame slr camera since these have the largest sensors and produce some exceptional images. If you are capturing macro and close up images of flowers and still life subjects then I agree the best camera for macro photography is the full frame digital slr camera.

If, however, you are taking macro and close up images of insects I think the best camera for macro photography is one with the highest burst rate. Capturing images of insects can be tricky and to get the keeper shots you need to fire off a load of shots in quick succession and choose the best. You can buy full frame digital slr cameras with a high burst rate, such as the Canon 1D X, but these cost several thousand dollars and are out of reach of most enthusiasts. There are alternatives, but these are not full frame cameras.

Best camera for macro photography – Canon 5d

If you want an affordable full frame camera the Canon eod 5d is the camera of choice, which is Canon’s top selling digital slr camera of all time and when you get to have a go with this camera it is easy to see why. The 21MP sensor captures a lot of information and the image quality of the 5d is simply awesome. This camera captures images that will impress family and friends, and images that you can easily sell on and make some extra cash.

The Canon 5d is superb. It is a relatively small dslr camera that is tough, durable and well built. Like all Canon dslr cameras the Canon 5d is user friendly, intuitive and all the necessary controls are close to hand, which means you won’t have to go delving through the menu system.
The Canon 5d has a poor burst rate, but then given the cost of the 5d this isn’t surprising. Because of the poor burst rate the Canon 5d isn’t best suited to insect photography. If, however, you want to capture macro images of flowers and still life subjects the Canon 5d is the tool with which to do it.

Best camera for macro photography – Canon 7d

When I go chasing insects and mini beasts my camera of choice is the Canon 7d. With an 8 frames per second burst rate the 7d is ideal. The 7d has an 18mP sensor, and whilst it is not quite as impressive as that of the 5d, it is more than enough to capture some stunning macro images.
Like all Canon digital slr cameras the 7d is tough, durable and built to last. It also has a sensible menu system and user friendly interface, which makes it a doddle to use. All settings controls are close to hand, which means there is no need to go through the menu to change anything.
You can also use the Canon 7d for taking macro images of flowers and still life subjects, but it is insect photography where this camera is really good.

Best camera for macro photography – Nikon dslrs

Nikon D7000

If you prefer Nikon branded cameras my recommendation is the Nikon D7000. The Nikon D7000 is a top rated, and very popular, Nikon dslr camera you can use for macro photography. The D7000 has a high burst rate, which makes it ideal for insect photography, however you can also use it for close up and macro photos of flowers and still life subjects.

Like all Nikon dslr cameras the D7000 is a top quality camera that is made out of high quality materials and contains great optics, which means this camera is built to last and is capable of capturing some stunning photographs. If you prefer Nikon branded cameras and need a camera that has a high burst rate the Nikon D7000 is a camera you should look at.

Top macro lenses to get the most out of your macro photography

Macro lens When taking macro images you have to remember that you need a decent macro lens to get the most out of your best camera for macro photography. Macro lenses are prime, i.e. a fixed focal length, fast and very sharp. The image quality of all macro lenses is simply stunning and you won’t be disappointed with any of them. Macro lenses are available in a range of focal lengths from 50mm to 150mm so there is something for all types of macro subjects. Below are the best macro lenses currently available.

Top Canon macro lenses

Canon 100mm f2.8L IS USM macro lens

If you shoot a canon dslr camera the Macro lens of choice is the Canon 100mm f2.8L IS USM lens. With a 100mm focal length this lens has a large working distance, i.e. distance between the end fo the lens and the subject, which gives you a lot of room to move and also makes lighting that much simpler.

Being an L series Canon lens the 100mm f2.8L IS USM is bullet proof and built to last. The image quality is second to none and many photographers claim it is Canon sharpest lens of all, and I have to say I agree. The image stabilisation technology helps to keep camera shake at bay, and this technology works exceptionally well. If you want the best macro lens to go on your best camera for macro photography the Canon 100mm f2.8L IS USM lens is the lens to buy.

Nikon lenses for macro photography

Nikon 105mm f2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR macro lens

If you shoot a Nikon dslr camera the top end macro lens is the Nikon 105mm f2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR lens. This top quality lens is simply awesome and if you are serious about your macro photography this is the lens to buy.

The build quality is great, the image quality is amazing and boy, this is one sharp lens. In fact, many people consider it Nikon’s sharpest lens and I would have to agree. This lens produces images that are tack sharp from the centre to the edges.

The 105mm focal length gives a big working distance, i.e. distance between the end of the lens and the subject, which makes it perfect for insect photography, although this lens can obviously be used for taking macro images of flowers and still life subjects as well. The vibration reduction “VR” technology keeps camera shale at bay and ensures images are tack sharp at all times.

If you want the best Nikon branded macro lens for your Nikon camera you have to have the Nikon 105mm f2.8 lens. It really is an awesome lens that won’t disappoint.

Top Sigma macro lenses

If you want an alternative to a Nikon branded or Canon branded macro lens there are a few third party manufacturers out there, but the best is Sigma by far. Sigma has some excellent lenses and all of them are available in both Nikon and Canon fit.

Sigma 105mm macro

Sigma 50mm macro

Sigma 70mm macroSigma 70mm macro

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