cwmoss Loc: Geneva, Fl

I'm new at this and need lots of good advice. I have a number of opportunities to take good pictures of our horses, wild life and a grandson who is a professional bull rider, so having the ability to get good photos from a considerable distance in many cases is important. I'm talking about good close ups from a couple football fields away to a hundred feet or so across a rodeo arena. I don't want to lug a lot of heavy camera equipment around or have to fumble for a different lense to get the prefect shot. I have not purchased a camera yet, so tell me folks what do I need to buy?

traveler90712 Loc: Lake Worth, Fl.

Newsbob Loc: SF Bay Area

A Canon SX50 is cheap when bought refurbished directly from Canon, and it has a long telephoto lens built in. Could be as cheap as $179 depending on how much stock they have.

Use the link in the message above this one, which appeared while I was typing this.

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

I prefer Nikon, but other cameras are just as good. the dx format will work fine, I prefer the d7200 as it has a larger buffer and you will be taking some continuous shots, the larger buffer will help greatly. get a good zoom lens such as a ??/200 or ??/300. the ?? being the lower end and should be as small as possible for when you need close ups and do not want to change the lens. make sure you purchase a lens that is compatible to a teleconveter, Nikon has a chart on their website to let you know what is compatible. a 1.4 or 1.7 will so nicely for a closer photo when you may not be sitting as closely as you wish.
please remember to purchase fx lenses as opposed to dx lenses. the fx lenses will work great on a dx camera, but if you ever decide to upgrade to a full frame camera, the dx lenses will not work well with that format. most of your expense will be in lenses, so always choose wisely when purchasing a lens. you may wish to visit Nikon, b&h photo, or adorama camera for used or refurbished equipment. you will be able to purchase quality gear for a discounted price. enjoy

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

The SX50, already mentioned, as lots of fans and would be a good choice on the low end of the budget.

What you are looking for is commonly called "super zoom", "bridge" or "super zoom bridge" camera.

The king of telephoto zoom right now seems to be the Nikon P900.

Other cameras that are worth looking at are the Sony RX10ii, Panasonic FZ1000 and Panasonic FZ300. Canon has replaced the SX50 with the SX60, which is easier to find.

Elliern Loc: Myrtle Beach, SC

The longest zoom bridge camera right now is the Nikon P900, at 2000 mm equiv. zoom. Cannot say how it will do for action shots like you will be taking. But you can check it out on the Nikon web site.

The Canon sx50 and the Nikon P610 are also ones to consider, but not the reach of the P900.
The sx50 is 1200 mm eqiv zoom and the P610 is 1440 mm equiv. Zoom.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Please don't take this as a snarky response, but the best thing to buy is knowledge and experience, and to understand what investment in time and knowledge goes into getting a good photograph. We could suggest a $500 camera, or $30,000 worth of equipment and you still may not be able to get good results. You need to know how to use what you have.

Take a course, then probably a good enough bridge camera for $300 to $1000 should meet your initial objectives.

Think of photography like riding horses or bulls. It takes a little work and experience to get good at it!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

People have offered good suggestions for equipment, but you have to realize that the more you zoom in on a fast-moving subject, the more difficult it's going to be to get a steady shot. You'll nee a tripod at the distances you mentioned.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Nikon D500 with the following, Nikon 18-300, Nikon 200-500. Nikon SB 910 flash, a better beamer for the flash. A tripod with gimbel head, and a monopod. And years of experience using this equipment, or hire someone who can show you how it all works. The hiring part is a good idea no matter what system you end up with. A couple hours from a pro can be the best investment you make. Good luck.

Jim Bob

You will be limited to a point and shoot or "bridge" camera. Consider Sony, Samsung and Canon offerings.

RKL349 Loc: Connecticut

:thumbup: Peterff's advice is well said. To do something well always involves a learning curve. I guess it all depends on the expectations of the OP.

Addyrose

Love my sx50!

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

:thumbup: :thumbup:

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

Here is a thought among the other great responses shown above. Take a look at starting with the Panasonic DMC-FZ70. It is priced under $300 now. Not a lot invested. It has a 60x zoom, does RAW, shoots good vids, etc. Undoubtedly in the future as you become more knowledgable and experienced you will drift to a DSLR and the Panasonic will be come a good backup camera for you.

The other good starting camera, as mentioned above, would be the Nikon P900. But it is still priced in the near $600 range. I happen to own both and am very please with them. Here are a couple of reviews to give you a better overview:

http://www.dpreview.com/products/Panasonic/compacts/panasonic_dmcfz70

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/2417488569/a-closer-look-at-the-nikon-coolpix-p900-megazoom

Good luck.

Marionsho Loc: Kansas

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