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Need camera suggestion for field hockey
Sep 5, 2017 11:43:31   #
Jwillislaw
 
Hi Mates: I finally decided to get a DSLR. Primarily to keep myself occupied while watching my high school daughter's field hockey games. Any suggestions for an entry level or midrange Nikon and more importantly the lens I will need? I can get not much closer than 50 feet from the action. Also, I have big mitts so I need a camera that is easy to grip. That's why I am avoiding the mirror less. Many thanks.

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Sep 5, 2017 11:57:52   #
AK Grandpa Loc: Anchorage, AK
 
Well, it depends on how much you have to spend . . . I think a D7200 or the new D7500 with a mid to long zoom lense would be perfect. The 7200/7500 feels more substantial than the 3000 or 5000 cameras which feel a little small to me. recommend the Tamron 18-270 as a reasonably priced zoom which gives you lots of capability for wide to telephoto shots. If money is no object, then the D500 is one of the best cameras existent for action . . . I personally would still go with a wide to telephoto zoom lens like the Tamron 18-270 or 18-400 . . .

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Sep 5, 2017 11:59:04   #
rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA
 
See B&H article:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/10-recommended-cameras-sports-wildlife-and-action-photography

If you can afford a D5, go for it. If not, a D500

For lenses, I would look at the new Tamron 18-400 f/3.5-6.3 http://www.tamron-usa.com/product/lenses/b028.html with

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Sep 5, 2017 16:07:03   #
PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago
 
Jwillislaw wrote:
Hi Mates: I finally decided to get a DSLR. Primarily to keep myself occupied while watching my high school daughter's field hockey games. Any suggestions for an entry level or midrange Nikon and more importantly the lens I will need? I can get not much closer than 50 feet from the action. Also, I have big mitts so I need a camera that is easy to grip. That's why I am avoiding the mirror less. Many thanks.


Nikon D500 with Nikon Nikor 200-500 lens

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Sep 6, 2017 06:02:39   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
Jwillislaw wrote:
Hi Mates: I finally decided to get a DSLR. Primarily to keep myself occupied while watching my high school daughter's field hockey games. Any suggestions for an entry level or midrange Nikon and more importantly the lens I will need? I can get not much closer than 50 feet from the action. Also, I have big mitts so I need a camera that is easy to grip. That's why I am avoiding the mirror less. Many thanks.


I have used this type of Nikon lens and have been very pleased with the results, and if it does not work out, you can resale them for almost what you paid for them, I would match it up with the Nikon D500. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-ED-AF-S-Nikkor-80-200mm-f-2-8-D-Lens-/292219975786?epid=99758858&hash=item4409aaf86a:g:oXoAAOSw1dlZl9XM

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Sep 6, 2017 06:15:17   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
Jwillislaw wrote:
Hi Mates: I finally decided to get a DSLR. Primarily to keep myself occupied while watching my high school daughter's field hockey games. Any suggestions for an entry level or midrange Nikon and more importantly the lens I will need? I can get not much closer than 50 feet from the action. Also, I have big mitts so I need a camera that is easy to grip. That's why I am avoiding the mirror less. Many thanks.


Lots of choices. Try some reviews and comparisons before you buy.

(Reviews) https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCameraStoreTV/videos
http://www.cameradecision.com/
http://cameras.reviewed.com/
http://camerasize.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
http://snapsort.com/compare
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/cameras?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu

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Sep 6, 2017 09:06:34   #
Roytheboy Loc: San Diego, CA
 
I have shot hundreds of field hockey games. I currently do it with a D7100 camera and a Nikon 70-300 lens set on speed 800 to 1000. I get excellent results. Both the camera and lens are not very expensive now. The Nikon 70-300 lens' automatic focus is quite fast, which you need for sports. You need the 70-300 range to cover action from close range to the far side of the field. By the way, I process the photos in Windows Live Photo Gallery, which does a very good job for most adjustments I need to make. Good Luck.

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Sep 6, 2017 09:27:25   #
Roytheboy Loc: San Diego, CA
 
Also, shoot on a monopod.

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Sep 6, 2017 09:29:48   #
Boris Ekner Loc: From Sweden, living in Guatemala
 
Jwillislaw wrote:
Hi Mates: I finally decided to get a DSLR. Primarily to keep myself occupied while watching my high school daughter's field hockey games. Any suggestions for an entry level or midrange Nikon and more importantly the lens I will need? I can get not much closer than 50 feet from the action. Also, I have big mitts so I need a camera that is easy to grip. That's why I am avoiding the mirror less. Many thanks.


If I was in your situation I would go for a crop sensor camera with a shutter speed of 30 seconds to 1/4000 of a second. Plus a battery grip for the large hands.
Zoom lens: up to 300 to 500 mm's depending on the budget. Remember that a crop sensor camera multiply the focal length with 1.5 for Nikon and 1.6 for Canon.

---

Here's my answer to a similar question in another thread.

Here's what I did:
-Budget: no more than $500. (This was the most important criteria I had.)
-Searched for $500 DSLR's on eBay & Amazon in order to understand what I might get.
-Found some favorite models that I compared side by side at cameradecision.com. I refused to have any brand preferences.
-I read plenty of reviews on the cameras I found interesting.

My priorities were; very good professional reviews, the highest pixel count possible, RAW format option, wifi, built in GPS, fair prices & f/values on future lenses.

Nikon D5300 turned out to be the final option. With my personal preferences, and budget, it was by far the best option. Price paid: $449 on eBay, including an 18-55mm lens, plus some other (now useless)-stuff in the bundle.

I've had the camera since January 2017, and I have no regrets on my purchase. On the contrary, I'm very happy with what I got for the money spent.

Later I've bought a 55-200mm(used) and a 35mm(used) lenses. A better speed light/flash, a good tripod, petal lens hoods, third party battery grip, extra batteries, twin charger, better/faster memory card, and some other stuff. All from eBay who time after time confirms to have the best prices.

Your best option is probably not my best, and vice versa. It is not about the camera as much as it is about the photographer. Just as a good stove and pan isn't enough to cook you a good dinner, right?

In order to update my knowledge I started off with reading Nikon D5300 For Dummies as well as Stunning Digital Photography by Tony Northrup. The third book was Secrets To The Nikon Autofocus System by Steve Perry, which is my favorite so far. It was all well invested pennies. At the moment I’m reading Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. As knowledge has no weight it is easy to carry...

http://backcountrygallery.com/secrets-nikon-autofocus-system/

Best of luck on your pursuit of your best camera. ...and don't rush it to get one. Take your time, i.e. weeks, to learn about your options and what you favor.

Examples of pictures I've shot are found under my name at 500px.com as well as at Instagram.com. 



500px.com/borisekner/galleries



instagram.com/borisekner

A very informative D5300 Review:
https://sleeklens.com/nikon-d5300-review/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly-blog&substat=blog

PS
I had the same procedure when I looked for, and bought, my sons camera. (He turned 6 at the end of July) The budget was no more than $80, had to be fully automatic, as well as having manual features to grow with as he gets older and if his photo interest persists. Best option: a used Fujifilm Finepix S8600 (it's a bridge camera), for $76 on eBay. 
And there are instructive videos on his camera on YouTube for him to watch later.

PPS
Here’s a different opinion on this issue.
https://petapixel.com/2017/03/24/battle-micro-43-camera-outsold-full-frame-dslr/

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Sep 6, 2017 09:44:11   #
SteveR Loc: Michigan
 
I agree with the D7200 since you asked for midrange. You should be able to pick up a refurbished or used D7200 for a reasonable price if you don't want to go new. The D500 would be the high range. Considering the distance that you are from the action, you may want to go with the Nikon 80-400mm VRII. Do not buy the first model of this lens. The current model is a vast improvement.

If you're interested in taking video, you might want to invest in a tripod with a gimbal head.

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Sep 6, 2017 10:08:39   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
Roytheboy wrote:
Also, shoot on a monopod.


That's fine if they allow it. A friend wanted to shoot with a monopod, but he was told it wasn't allowed. He complained to the event manager, and he was told that he didn't have a leg to stand on. Sorry, but I couldn't resist.

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