I am sick of taking a million photos of my horses with my digital camera and having them look blurry, grainy because they are on digital. I am looking to upgrade to a SLR, does anyone have any recommendations for a camera? So far I have found the Canon EOS Rebel XS1. Not sure what else is out thare and have just begun my search.
Thanks!
Just got my husband a Canon Rebel. It is FABULOUS. It can take great pics fast and in all sorts of lighting conditions. He did a ton of research before he picked it and we absolutely love it.
I’ve been looking at the Canon Rebel T1i. And by looking I mean coveting. It has a HD video recorder and can take almost 4 frames a second, you know, for those great action shots of falling off :). And its SLR! Its a little spendy ($700) but reviews are good. Plus, Costco usually has them in a package with extra lenses.
just a caveat: to take pictures at an even you need a zoomlense with 200mm BARE minimum. more is better, or you only see ants.
When purchasing an DSLR camera, you are buying into an entire system, not just a camera. I would suggest sticking with either of the two major brands, Nikon or Canon (either of these brands can fulfill any requirements!). Go to a camera store and handle both Canon and Nikon cameras, and see if one feels more comfortable for you (there are differences in the designs, and many people find one more comfortable than the other).
Most entry level DSLR cameras will greatly increase your ability to capture action shots of horses, but lenses also play a huge roll, too, especially in low light conditions!!! Lenses often cost more than the camera body, but if wisely chosen, they are an investment which will long outlive your camera body. For most images, horses look better if they are photographed at 70mm or longer, so look for a good telephoto lens (as good as your budget will allow ;)). Also, third party lenses are a good compromise to get the type of lens for your needs, but not break the bank.
B&H is a good place to have a look at all the current models, and also to know what the prices should be.
Good luck, and you will have fun!!!
I bought a Sony A100 as I was also the owner of a Minolta SLR camera and the lens’ are compatible with the Sony camera (Sony bought out Minolta). It is satisfactory for my level of use. If I were a pro I’d likely look at the higher priced systems but for me it does the job.
Also, there’s a good supply of used Minolta lenes around and they are of pretty high quality.
G.
I LOVE my Nikon D60 with upgraded zoom lens. Takes fantastic pictures! NE_Rider has excellent advice, but I’d like to add to it- If you’re going to invest the money in a DSLR (which can easily reach $1000 for entry level and a decent lens), invest in a Digital Photography class. I took one at the local community college and learned so much!! These cameras can do so much more than shoot on “Auto.” In fact, the “Auto” setting (on my camera at least) doesn’t produce great pics. Good luck!!
Love my Canon Rebel xsi. It takes fabulous action shots - I never miss that perfect shot over the jump. Takes fantastic pictures, crystal clear even if the horse/rider is in the distance. Just zoom in and trim while editing - looks like I was thisclose to the action.
Canon SX 120IS 10x optical zoom, image stabilization. Cheap enough to throw away when you break it/lose it/drop it in the water bucket. AWESOME pix. It even takes surprisingly good videos. I know it’s not SLR and expensive, but for $200 you can’t beat it. And you can put it in your pocket.
LOL,I love my Kodak Z710 for most things and my Z980 for long distance shots but someone usually tells me how ignorant I am.
IMHO the most important thing is to really learn how to use the camera you have.
FWIW we also have a Nikon D80 that rarely leaves its bag
These 2 pictures of my gone-nuts Arab were taken with a Canon REbel EOS on the sports mode. Canons are WELL Worth the price…
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o120/macmtn/Copyoffartin.png
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o120/macmtn/Copyofbuckin.png
I love my Canon Rebel. I have had Nikons and had bad experiences with them.
I have the Canon Rebel xsi and it’s wonderful. Make sure you buy a good lens too though, otherwise you can end up with similar quality pictures(crappy lens=crappy pictures…usually).
http://themaneimage.smugmug.com/Photography
everything on there was taken with my xsi
I really like my Pentax K10D, and it did get very high ratings for its dust/moisture seals (very important around show rings) as well as its ability to be used like a good old fashioned SLR and produce that sort of film image. That worked for me since I never really bothered with the high end fake DSLRs so what little knowledge I had left in my brain was old fashioned SLR.
That said, Pentax seems to bother with only two types of lenses - starter DSLR lenses or very very expensive lenses. For most people the starter lenses do the trick, but if you think you are going to become a lens junkie, Nikon is probably the way to go - millions of good lenses in all sorts of price ranges.
And you know what? The first time you shoot a GP in less than optimal conditions and you start to do some research on what it would have taken to get less grain (lower f-stop), you WILL want a better lens than a starter lens. Or if you like macro shooting and learn what bokeh is, and you desire it.
So far I have the great bokah lens, I’m still waiting to afford the perfect high speed jumping lens.
Here’s some shots with a nice DSLR
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3476/3358721238_974a8f31bd_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3311/3343070512_c1ffa5bf0c_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2371/2326334977_caea08e389_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3567/3390645349_8af815cde5_b.jpg
and the one that send you into full scale lens addiction
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3565/3304562877_8f12660833_o.jpg
[QUOTE=Rodeio;4856170]
I am sick of taking a million photos of my horses with my digital camera and having them look blurry, grainy because they are on digital. I am looking to upgrade to a SLR, does anyone have any recommendations for a camera? So far I have found the Canon EOS Rebel XS1. Not sure what else is out thare and have just begun my search.
Thanks![/QUOTE]
I’ve got a Canon Xti and love it. It’s a STEEP learning curve from a point and shoot, but there is no comparison in the photos.
Get a moderately priced body and invest in glass. I think I wore out my Tamron 70-300 lens, it doubles as a macro also. I’m starting to use my wide angle more but my go-to lens is the 50mm.
50mm photos:
http://themares.blogspot.com/2010/04/horses-riding-dogs.html
you can see how dark it was, the background is black.
http://themares.blogspot.com/2009/11/court-and-mojo.html
and again, the background is so dark it’s black.
http://themares.blogspot.com/2010/02/sunday-stills-challenge-2142010.html
this one shows shallow depth of field. Depth of field means some of the photo is out of focus. That draws the eye to the subject which is supposed to be IN focus. The 50mm does an excellent job of this.
this is what you can get with a 50mm while riding
http://themares.blogspot.com/2009/11/sunday-stillshorses-112209.html
Take a bit of time to learn the difference in how lenses work, what f stops are and invest in the fastest lens you can afford. My big glass is 4-5.6 and now that I’ve experienced the 1.8 I would put the money into a faster lens first and learn how to get in close for the shots OR learn how to use a photo editing program to crop the photos before getting another 4-5.6. If I could not afford the 2.8, I’d go with the 3.5-6. The smaller the f/stop # the faster the lens. Fast glass will 1. stop action 2. take better photos in low light.
my big lens:http://www.amazon.com/Tamron-70-300mm-4-0-5-6-Digital-Cameras/dp/B000EXR0VK
Keep in mind, that once you go the DSLR, you will not be satisfied with p/s anymore for action shots. My next 3 purchases with be an extra body (the new T is up now), and a 85 or 90 fixed lens.
Good luck and have fun! I spent so much $$ on my camera I was afraid to use it at first!
[QUOTE=DMK;4857018]
I really like my Pentax K10D, and it did get very high ratings for its dust/moisture seals (very important around show rings) as well as its ability to be used like a good old fashioned SLR and produce that sort of film image. That worked for me since I never really bothered with the high end fake DSLRs so what little knowledge I had left in my brain was old fashioned SLR.
That said, Pentax seems to bother with only two types of lenses - starter DSLR lenses or very very expensive lenses. For most people the starter lenses do the trick, but if you think you are going to become a lens junkie, Nikon is probably the way to go - millions of good lenses in all sorts of price ranges.
And you know what? The first time you shoot a GP in less than optimal conditions and you start to do some research on what it would have taken to get less grain (lower f-stop), you WILL want a better lens than a starter lens. Or if you like macro shooting and learn what bokeh is, and you desire it.
So far I have the great bokah lens, I’m still waiting to afford the perfect high speed jumping lens.
Here’s some shots with a nice DSLR
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3476/3358721238_974a8f31bd_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3311/3343070512_c1ffa5bf0c_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2371/2326334977_caea08e389_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3567/3390645349_8af815cde5_b.jpg
and the one that send you into full scale lens addiction
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3565/3304562877_8f12660833_o.jpg[/QUOTE]
love the first photo and the last. What lens did you use?
Canon
I love my Canon T1i! I also agree the glass is your most important part of having a dslr. My next lense is going to be the 70-200 2.8. The lower the aperture the faster the lense is going to be! I am hoping to upgrade to the Canon 50D within the next year and have the T1i as my backup.
[QUOTE=threedogpack;4857061]
love the first photo and the last. What lens did you use?[/QUOTE]
believe it or not, that is the cheapie (for a DSLR) pentax 50-200mm telephoto f/4-5.6. Needless to say, that “4” is a real limiting factor in that last shot, and I would say that the quality of lens for the price is pretty good since it was shot in less than optimal light (too overcast) given the speed needed and the distance I was from the object. But it’s still not anywhere good enough once you have a nice oversize PC screen of decent quality and you can see in uber-magnification the difference in graininess when you are developing shots. That first shot was a triple blessing - the most perfect post rain glowing light that gives perfect saturation and depth, I actually had my camera with me and I found a somewhat bedraggled great horned owl juvie that I subsequently carted off to a Birds of Prey rescue. Most Awesome Day.
I have one nice fixed lens - a limited edition 77mm f1.8 that is good for action in subprime light… if you can get close enough!
And then I bought a young horse and that has curtailed my budding lens addiction… 
[QUOTE=KateKat;4856194]
I’ve been looking at the Canon Rebel T1i. And by looking I mean coveting. It has a HD video recorder and can take almost 4 frames a second, you know, for those great action shots of falling off :). And its SLR! Its a little spendy ($700) but reviews are good. Plus, Costco usually has them in a package with extra lenses.[/QUOTE]
If you are trying to capture fast action, the Casio Exlim EX-F1 is great. 60 Frames/second! and you can catcth the previous second worth of pics if you want…so you’ll never miss that perfect shot.
Also does high speed video up to 1200 fps. Great for gait analysis
Not SLR , but great for fast action…
[QUOTE=foggybok;4857204]
If you are trying to capture fast action, the Casio Exlim EX-F1 is great. 60 Frames/second! and you can catcth the previous second worth of pics if you want…so you’ll never miss that perfect shot.
Also does high speed video up to 1200 fps. Great for gait analysis
Not SLR , but great for fast action…[/QUOTE]
Holy molies, what do you even do with 60 frames/sec!! LOL
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
