Digital camera for sports photography

I think you will be disappointed with the responsiveness of S2 (or Nikon D100 or Canon EOS10D or 300D) for sports. with practice at anticipating the peak action you might be able to overcome the shutter lag however. If you can swing it, go for the Nikon D1H or the new D2H. despite the smaller megapixel count on the sensor , either will easily get you to a very fine 8x10 inkjet print.

Hi, I have an event photography company and I use the Fugi S2 exclusively. We are a little differant in the fact that when we shoot tournaments we not only offer portraits but photograph the sparring as well. Sparring is very fast pace and you have to be quick on the shutter. We shoot existing light using a Nikon 28mm F/1.4 lens so as to get as high of a shutter speed as possable, usually around 1/350 at f/1.4 and ISO 800. We take a few test shots on automatic to get close and then go manual for shutter speed and aperature and stay in AF for focus. Its true that the S2 is slow out of the gate on the first shot but once you get it shooting its fine. I compensate by snapping off the first shot prematurely and then fire away. You just have to keep your mind ahead of the action. We get a lot of good sellable shots. If your shooting outside like baseball you'll have no problem. The good thing about digital is once you have the equipment it does'nt cost anything to snap photos so don't be shy with the shutter. A 1gb microdrive holds about 220 shots in High JPEG mode.

I'd pick the Canon EOS 10D (3 fps) or the just as good, but less expensive Digital Rebel (2.5 fps for up to 4 shot burst) equipped with a high-speed CF card such as a Lexar 40x or SanDisk Ultra II and a good (but expensive), fast lens such as the Canon 70-200 f2.8L-virtually no shutter lag whatsoever and better prints, too than the Fuji. Even with an 70-200 L, you'd still save money over the S2 & 80-200 Zoom-Nikkor.

Also, if you have a Wal-Mart in town, don't get an inkjet printer because you can get good-quality Fuji Frontier prints from your digital camera memory card for 26 cents for a 4x6 or less than $3 for an 8x10. However, I hope you like matte finish-Wal-Mart can't do glossy (at least in my area).

Bill, I can't say anything about the camera as I'm asking the same sorts of questions right now.

As for your printer question, I own an Epson 2200 and it is outstanding. In terms of a < $400 8x10 printer, look at the Epson line. The 960 is only $240 or you can get the 1280 which will do 13x44 (or longer) for only $380. They are both excellent quality printers. The 2200 has an extra color, "light black" which gives it much better B&W capability, and it uses archival inks, so the prints will last longer. If you don't need these two things, you probably don't need the 2200. When I was researching printers, the color output from the 960 and 1280 was excellent. Epson was far ahead of other printer makers.

"I'm looking for a fast digital AF camera ..."

Canon 1D, $2900

"I'm also looking for a very good 8 x 10 max photo printer around $400 or less."

Canon i950, $250.

Bill, I have an S2 and the 80-200 2.8 lens. I can tell you that the camera and lens combination is excellent. You will be very happy with the quality of the prints you get. That being said, if you are going to be using the camera primarily for action sports, and can afford it, I think the Nikon D2H or Canon 1D is a better choice. I was initially frustrated with my S2 when trying to photograph my dogs while playing in our backyard. The AF on the S2 is the modeled after the N80 and its just not the same as what your going to get on the D2H which is based on the F5 (I think) or the 1D. I got quite a few blurry pictures initially. Once I learned the camera better and made adjustments to the custom functions I was able to get a higher percentage of good shots. I am really happy with the camera but action photography is not the bulk of what I do. I haven't used the canon cameras but I know that the 10D will not give you better quality than the S2 as was mentioned above. The quality will be similar, definitely not better and probably not as good on larger pictures due to the S2's 12MB interpolation. The 80-200 is one of Nikon's best lenses and always tack sharp. I'm sure canon's is equally good. My recommendation is that if you're going to be using this to print 8X10's or smaller get the D2H or 1D. They will serve you much better for what you're trying to do (Sports Illustrated uses the Canon 1D exclusively). For printing I would get an Epson 820. Its cheap ($79) and the prints are excellent. Use the extra money to help offset the cost of the better camera. Since you won't be printing above 8x10 you don't need the 2200. Dye based inks are generally more saturated for glossy photos. Anything in the Epson line will be great but some of the more expensive models add features that aren't related to picture quality. If you need to be able to print directly from your compactflash card then look to the more expensive printers that have that feature.

Ellis mentioned a lag time and having to practice to get the peak action. We've had to keep the camera 'awake' since the early/mid '90's and the digitals are no different. I've shot the 10D a bunch, as long as I keep it awake before the action starts, there is no lag. As for having to practice, hell we've ALWAYS had to do that.

By the way, the 2200 is starting to come down a little. I love mine.

Rick H.

I use the D100 for surfing action with great success. Here's my gallery: http://www.pbase.com/atmabini/carmel_beach . I have already sold numerous prints at 16"x24".

While the S2 has incredible color and sharpness, its slower framerate makes it less of a sports camera than a studio camera in my opinion. The Canon 10D, on the other hand, has the same framerate as the D100 with an even larger buffer, however, the 10D's slower startup time turned me off to it when I tested it. The D100 operates as if it doesn't even have batteries. You just pick it up and shoot. Practically, this has no advantage over the 10D, but I have actually found it useful when my batteries got critically low. I could keep the D100 off and then turn it on as soon as I saw action breaking. The D100, in my opinion, is the most responsive of the three cameras I've mentioned, and I've tested all three.

Concerning printers --- Consider the dyesublimation printer, Olympus P440. Stabile prints, no head clogging worries, just keep the printer covered when not in use to keep excessive dust out of the unit. Has matte and gloss stock avaialble. Prints will average around $1.80-$2.00 per 8x10, considering both dyesub film and paper totals.

-Chris