jerryc41 wrote:
For fast sports, you want a fast camera.
If you are a professional and getting paid big bucks then yes, 12fps is an advantage...a bit silly at a little league game...
A machine gun at a shooting gallery vs a pistol at a war front... well rounded camera is always a better choice.
DavidPine wrote:
Frames per second, focus speed and focus tracking.
Very succinct. Bur you didn't mention that those are things to look for in a sports and wildlife body.
catchlight.. wrote:
If you are a professional and getting paid big bucks then yes, 12fps is an advantage...a bit silly at a little league game...
A machine gun at a shooting gallery vs a pistol at a war front... well rounded camera is always a better choice.
Not necessarily silly if it's your kid up at bat and you want to get a shot of the ball coming off the bat when he or she hits it.
mwsilvers wrote:
Not necessarily silly if it's your kid up at bat and you want to get a shot of the ball coming off the bat when he or she hits it.
even then, 12 fps might not capture it...
To illustrate your point I recently shot a snowmobile race with the D800 and a 70-300 VR AF-S 3.5-5.6. The first image is out of the camera and the second is the image cropped in post. The third is a tighter crop on the driver's themselves. Note: No sharpening was applied.
What the D800 lacks in high frame rates and buffering it more than makes up in resolution. It is my all around workhorse. It just depends on whether you need an AR-15 or a select fire M-16 to do the job. The D500 is phenomenal from all accounts though.
The other thing is that modern still cameras are approaching the frame rate of video. So you might as well shoot in video and then grab a frame that works. Slower frame rates force you to be a little more judicious in your shooting discipline. I shoot primarily in Single mode and I decide when to hit the shutter release.
droszel wrote:
So, it seems (logically) that speed works for sports. But speed isn't a deterrent for landscape, is it?
The fact is that sports cameras work just fine for everything, but there are higher pixel count and density full frame cameras with better sensors which give better results for portaits and landscapes. But, people have been taking great landscape shots for years with older cameras that are technically not even on the same level with today's sports oriented bodies, much less the best landscape bodies. As always, it comes down more to talent and skills than the equipment you use. I like to put it this way. A sports and wildlife body gives you the POTENTIAL to capture fast moving subjects exactly at the moment you want to capture them. Landscape cameras give you the POTENTIAL for capturing highly detailed images with a wider dynamic range, great DoF, great color rendition, and a high retention of shadow detail. Note the emphasis on the word potential.
droszel wrote:
I've noted that some photographers seem to distinguish camera models based upon how suitable a particular model is for, say, landscapes vs sporting events. What features make a particular model better for one over the other?
A camera should be determined by not only what you primarily shoot, but also what you may want to shoot in the future. A fast camera, such as the d500 or d5, will shoot great landscape and portrait shots as well as any action shots. The d810 will shoot excellent landscape shots as well as portraits, but will fail on getting great action shots. It will shoot action well, but will lose shots due to a lower frames per second. The best option would be, in my opinion, to strive to own both a d500 for the action shots, and a d810 for the landscape and portrait shots. It would not be cheap, but if money is the concern, maybe we are in the wrong hobby.
I'm certainly not the ultimate Guru in photography, but I believe that any of the newer DSLR cameras have all the necessary features for almost any type of photography, from landscape to sport. The difference, in my opinion, is mainly in the lenses and their quality you're using. A set of good lenses will do almost any job!
I keep a 50-130mm on my Canon T6s for "every day" shooting. In my bag I have a wide angle for landscape and real estate photos, plus a portrait lens for pictures that focus on a certain part and leave the surroundings slighty blurres, plus a Canon 430 EX flash, just to be complete. I also carry a few filters with me, although my camera has some built in as well. All in all, I've shot some pretty good photos this way. See: viewbug.com/member/flwolf
As consumers I think we have been over-sold on this notion of not missing that magic shot at a sporting event. Which maybe a valid concern if we all were professional sports or celebrity photographers whose livelihoods depend on every shot; be that a one-handed Hail Mary pass reception in the end zone or a wardrobe malfunction on the red carpet. But for the most part we are not part of that world. We do not have the resources to spend 5 to 6 large for an insanely high frame-rate camera and another 8 to 10 thousand for a piece of back-breaking glass to catch that type of action. We also are not credentialed and do not have a spot staked out on the side line. We are in the stands and hoping for a shot that looks good so we can post it to Facebook.
Every camera is a compromise. Figure out what you want to do and work toward that goal. Forget the hype. Where is your happy place?
As a few of the more experienced here mentioned... the most important feature is the tenure of the craftsperson behind the lens... differences in platform vanish quickly... Many sports magazine covers were shot without motor drive or let alone a high frames per second...
Dynamic range is a function of post processing skill set.... even a consumer grade camera can shoot multiple frames to be rendered in HDR (high dynamic range software) which make the D810 look bad, very bad... with it's plugged shadows... Unless you're adept with high end software solutions like Photomatix Pro you are rather clueless as to the potential latent within... albeit there is a steep learning curve...
How would high frame rate help here?
cjc2
Loc: Hellertown PA
Cdouthitt wrote:
even then, 12 fps might not capture it...
Would agree. Technique and experience are important in capturing "THE" sports action shot, the "MONEY" shot, the shot that YOU want. Equipment will only help you get there. As someone who has been shooting sports action since 13 (just about 50 years now) with everything from a Mamiya/Sekor 1000DTL to a Nikon D5, I certainly appreciate the advantage my gear provides, but I still have to work at getting better at every game! My preference for sports action, and the reason for the purchase, is the D5. My second camera is the D500, because I'm too cheap to buy two D5s! My D810 is used for everything but sports action and I consider it an exceptional camera in every way. Best of luck to all!
I shoot ballet... and frame rate isn't of primary importance to me... However knowing your sport is...
Hope this helps...
I wish you well on your journey droszel
BlackRipleyDog wrote:
As consumers I think we have been over-sold on this notion of not missing that magic shot at a sporting event. Which maybe a valid concern if we all were professional sports or celebrity photographers whose livelihoods depend on every shot; be that a one-handed Hail Mary pass reception in the end zone or a wardrobe malfunction on the red carpet. But for the most part we are not part of that world. We do not have the resources to spend 5 to 6 large for an insanely high frame-rate camera and another 8 to 10 thousand for a piece of back-breaking glass to catch that type of action. We also are not credentialed and do not have a spot staked out on the side line. We are in the stands and hoping for a shot that looks good so we can post it to Facebook.
Every camera is a compromise. Figure out what you want to do and work toward that goal. Forget the hype. Where is your happy place?
As consumers I think we have been over-sold on thi... (
show quote)
Well said...
Too many with big dollar sports cameras defend the picture quality as equal or better than camera's like the 810, 5D4 or 5DSR.
There are compromises to speed so if you need to burst at 12fps go for it but don't try to compare quality like you have an advantage over other more well rounded bodies.
Buffer and burst have a price.
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