Also, if you want to try out different lenses, there are several websites out there that are like Netflix for lenses - you can rent and try one for a weekend to find out what you like. Very reasonable prices (well, unless you want to rent like a 500 mm L-series lens, LOL), like $20 or $30. Just google lens rental.
Agreedā¦a good lens on a good camera body can be on the heavy side (I have bad wrists, and use wraps for support when photographing).
I do not have this lens, but have heard excellent reviews of itā¦the 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6, for Nikon, and it weighs much less than the 70-200! As with most variable aperture lenses, the aperture on the long end will be limiting in some circumstances, but in full sun it shouldnāt be a problem. I have heard this lens is decently sharp and fast focusing (for action shots, most camerasā focusing speeds are limited by the lensesā¦and good lenses, such as the 70-200mm f/2.8, are fast focusing lenses).
My pleasure!!!
also: heavy equipment - get a pod. Mono or tri which ever works best. especially needed for those times you do video, and a huge plus when you have to wait around for the perfect opportunity.
[QUOTE=DMK;4858902]
yes, the lack of crispness in the images shown in the reviews bothered me, but Iām pissed about the lack of crispness in a $200 lens attached to an $600 body, so clearly I have a problem in this area! The rest of the camera was awesome cool (except the price tag).
But that two of the key issues with non DSLRs is the quality of the glass in the lens and the ability to manipulate depth of field/shutter speed (that would be a function of both the quality of the lens and the āmanualā functions of a DSLR). Both are a lot more than the average photographer is interested in but both really dictate the quality of the image.
To be fair, at best I have vague flashbacks to my Minolta SR-1 and yashica-44 days ā¦ then just say screw it and go for full auto because I just have too many other thing that are more important than making the time to make that old knowledge first instinct. The dayās too short and that is down on the list of priorities. But I know what I am missing. Seriously what I clearly need is BOTH cameras![/QUOTE]
My Dad had a nice Yashicaā¦ that was long agoā¦
I know what you mean about two camerasā¦I would like a nice SLRā¦ I have an OK oneā¦one of the Nikons they call DSLR, that isnāt really. Iād love to have a nice oneā¦but having shelled out for the other two, it isnāt gonna happenā¦ 
My brother has a really nice one he bought for diving, takes AWESOME picsā¦
[QUOTE=Alagirl;4859744]
also: heavy equipment - get a pod. Mono or tri which ever works best. especially needed for those times you do video, and a huge plus when you have to wait around for the perfect opportunity.[/QUOTE]
I found out the hard way to stick to monopods. Was videotaping a friendās XC ride at a local Horse Trials ā¦ if you have to pan more than 90 degrees, you will end up tripping over a tripod leg. Monopods allow for smoother tilts, as well. Just tip the thing down a bit, rather than messing with the head.
Currently, I just use my Leitz Tiltall tripod and keep 2 of the 3 legs retracted. A tripod can double as a monopod, but not the other way around :lol:
I have the Nikon D80, which came with an 18-55 and a 70-200 lens. I shoot horse shows mostly with the 18-200, and have also added a 70-300 lens to the bunch. I find the 70-300 to be too much for local shows when I can get right up next to the ring.
I have found, however, that when the light is off or if I am not careful about following the horseās motion, I get some blur, like in this pic. Would have been great, had it not been unfocused!!
Iām not sure what the remedy for that is, and, overall I have been happy with the D80, which has now been replaced by the D90 but is basically the same camera.
I have a Nikon D50, which I love. Ditto what everyone else says about lenses, thoughā¦the lenses are the key to good pictures. I coveted a telephoto lens for awhile and eventually got 55-200 mm lens, but after using that for awhile, the latest object of my desire is the 18-200 mm lens that NE Rider posted. 
Sometimes the telephoto lens is TOO much, and Iāll miss a good shot because I donāt have time to swap lenses.
[URL="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30752441&l=724f265865&id=1114381130"]This picture
is an example of what I took, just taking pictures of kids riding at pony club last week (not my child, but I like how it came out, with the lighting).
My son also ski races, and that gets a bit trickier for good pictures - low winter light, frequently it is snowing, subject is moving at a high rate of speed + spectators have to stand quite a distance away from the action, relatively speaking. If anyone has lens suggestions for this set of circumstances, Iād love the feedback!
Hereās an example of what Iām talking aboutā¦I was helped by the fact it was a slalom race, so slower skier speeds than giant slalom.
And for fun on the go stuff, I have a Casio Exilim that is very small and can fit in the pocket of my riding breeches. It also takes videos. Not a DSLR, though, and the shutter lag drives me nuts.
It would really help to know the camera settings (shutter speed, aperture, and ISO) used for the image you linked (and to see a larger version ;)), but two factors can come into play with lower lighting. Focusāvery often auto focus does struggle in lower lighting, especially when finding a dark subject (bay horse). For this picture, before the horse arrives to the jump, focus on the middle of the white top rail of the jump (it is a brighter subject, and the auto focus will have a much easier time āfindingā it), lock that focus, and wait for the horse to go over the jump, and youāll have your perfect focus :). Shutter speedāmake sure the shutter speed is fast enough to stop the action. Even on a sunny day, if a cloud floats by, it can greatly impact the shutter speed and cause problems with motion blur.
You might take a look at an Olympus SP800-UZ (14 mp) or a Fuji Finepix HS10. Not quite SLR but really quick with 30 X (840mm) zooms and HD video. Both are small and light and not too spendy. I love the fact that I have a 32 gig card in my Olympus. (Digital Image Stabilization too) http://www.videodirect.com/olympus/digitalcameras/olympus-sp-800-ultra-zoom.html
Whatever you buy, this is usually a good place to get it; http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
I absolutely LOVE my Nikon D5000, takes super great photos, and came with an 18-35mm lens and a 55-200mm lens. Great package deal for under $1000.
I have two Kodaks the P850 and the ZD8612 IS love both of them ā¦
Untill I got a Canon powershot SX120 IS and I love it, it really puts my
two Kodaks to shame. The pictures are so much clearer and crisper with
the Canon. I have taken tons of action shots with it and have had none
blury.
[QUOTE=NE_Rider;4896186]
It would really help to know the camera settings (shutter speed, aperture, and ISO) used for the image you linked (and to see a larger version ;)), but two factors can come into play with lower lighting. Focusāvery often auto focus does struggle in lower lighting, especially when finding a dark subject (bay horse). For this picture, before the horse arrives to the jump, focus on the middle of the white top rail of the jump (it is a brighter subject, and the auto focus will have a much easier time āfindingā it), lock that focus, and wait for the horse to go over the jump, and youāll have your perfect focus :). Shutter speedāmake sure the shutter speed is fast enough to stop the action. Even on a sunny day, if a cloud floats by, it can greatly impact the shutter speed and cause problems with motion blur.[/QUOTE]
These are great tips! Iāll have to look at the .raw file and see what it was. Somewhere I read that you should focus on the horse and follow it to the jump to get clear pictures, but maybe in low light focusing on the lighter rail is the better idea. I will try that next time! The light was really difficult this weekend, moving from cloudy to sunny and back again really fast.
I havenāt read the other responses, but just wanted to add that itās the photographer that makes the picture, not necessarily the camera or lens.
I have what Iāve been told is a lower end, discontinued SLR - the Olympus E-500 and I primarily use the 45-150mm lens (if I remember correctly). Anyway, here are some photos. When shooting horses, I usually use the āautoā setting unless the lighting is bad or the camera canāt seem to figure out the situation.
I bought it for around $500 used.
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs36/i/2008/252/d/2/cavalor_cumano_i__by_janetpants.png
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af183/petebn/horse3.png
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af183/petebn/horse.png
In nice sunny conditions, I would agree with following the horse, but in the trickier lighting conditions, the cameras donāt always perform the way we would wish :no:ā¦we need to become inventive thinkers LOL. Good luck and I hope it works for you!!
The light was really difficult this weekend, moving from cloudy to sunny and back again really fast.
I feel your pain :yes:ā¦
I have this camera also and am happy with it for taking photos of the horses and the kids. Does pretty well for action shots for my level of (non-professional) use.
[QUOTE=Ainsley688;4896825]
I absolutely LOVE my Nikon D5000, takes super great photos, and came with an 18-35mm lens and a 55-200mm lens. Great package deal for under $1000.[/QUOTE]
I have this camera too & love it. I just signed up for a class āHow to take awesome pictures with your digital cameraā. It can do so much more than I know how. I also bought āNikon D5000 For Dummiesā which translates the owners manual in a manner that someone other than an engineer can understand. Next on my list is the 70-300.
What is anyoneās experience with the off brands - Tamron & Sigma? Iām hesitant to buy one, especially since they donāt have VR.
Non SLR, but Iām happy with my Nikon Coolpix S8000. Hereās a picture taken inside, on continuous sport mode. The camera only gets 3 fps but Iām pretty happy with it. It is small, and was cheap enough that if the worst happens to it, I wonāt die on the spot.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skerik/4518149168/in/photostream/
ETA I had no trouble getting nice āactionā shots with my old digital camera if the pictures were taken outside. It didnāt have continuous shooting mode, but picture quality was always good. Inside, however, was a different story. The pictures were always blurry - no longer a problem with the S8000.
Iāve had a Rebel XT for a few years now. Iām really nothing more than an amateur photographer, but I like to take pictures at the racetrack, on nature hikes and whale watching trips and the like. I like to use it for horse events like when I took it to the LAEC for the Fiesta of the Spanish Horse a few weeks ago. My glass is decent enough glass, although Iām hoping to upgrade eventually, Iām drooling over some of the L-series lenses, and plan to get one of the 70-200mm ones.
Iād like to get a new body eventually. I like the XT a lot, but Iāve started really playing more out of the box with it, and pushing it to do things that a more sophisticated body would probably be better equipped to handle. Itās a toss up right now whether Iād want to get a 40D (which would be used, since they discontinued it) or a 50D, and whether Iād want to wait until the 60D came out so the 50Dās price might drop. Itās so hard to choose at the moment. My head tells me that I should get the 40D body and upgrade my glass, and my wallet agrees with that since the 40D body is pretty cheap these days.
Just wait until the end of the year. Plenty of new toys coming soon.
[QUOTE=LexInVA;4900650]
Just wait until the end of the year. Plenty of new toys coming soon.[/QUOTE]
Iām thinking I might do that. In the meantime, definitely considering upgrading my glass because what I have is decent enough, but not totally awesome and excellent quality. Iād think that with some better glass, I could probably get a little more out of my Rebel XT for the time being.
