I've already got my sports camera (my new Canon t4i). But, I found this interesting article on HubPages about choosing a digital camera for photographing sports. Thought I'd share the article with a few tips here in case anyone else is in the process of shopping...
Click through and read the original article for details, but here's the quick version.
High ISO. You need a high ISO setting if you're going to shoot indoor or night sports; no two ways about it. You need to be able to jack up the shutter speed with limited light, and that means 6400 or 12800 ISO. Anything less and you'll be disappointed.
Continuous Shooting Frame Rate. When you're trying to catch the peak moment of action in a quick moving sports environment, you'll need to shoot in continuous mode. Taking a few frames in quick succession gives you a better chance at picking the perfect moment. And being able to shoot more frames in a second means you get more choices. 3.5 FPS or so is eh. 5.0 fps is pretty good. 7 to 8 FPS is awesome.
Autofocus Performance. Finally, you need to be able to autofocus quickly. This means better autofocus points, and a better ability for the camera to determine when the image is in focus. If the action is moving quickly, you'll need to quickly refocus as the players move. If you've got to wait all day for that to happen, then you'll miss the action.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
My Favorite New Feature of the Canon t4i
Now that I've got my new camera... what's my favorite upgrade compared to my old Canon t1i?
I like having the extra range of the ISO for sure. But, the 12800 setting is fairly noisy. I don't use it all the time, and I still like to stick with 6400. This is an improvement over the Canon t1i, but you could do that with a Canon t2i or Canon t3i.
By far, my favorite is the continuous shooting frame rate. The 5.0 fps is surprisingly faster than the old framerate of the Canon t1i. When you consider a percent, it's about 40-50% faster - so it is a lot faster. It just doesn't seem like a lot when you compare 3.8.
This has been an awesome extra when shooting high speed sports - like baseball swings or sprint hurdles at a track meet.
Maybe someday I'll get into video and appreciate the autofocus in video. But for now, that doesn't matter to me. I'm just into still photography.
I like having the extra range of the ISO for sure. But, the 12800 setting is fairly noisy. I don't use it all the time, and I still like to stick with 6400. This is an improvement over the Canon t1i, but you could do that with a Canon t2i or Canon t3i.
By far, my favorite is the continuous shooting frame rate. The 5.0 fps is surprisingly faster than the old framerate of the Canon t1i. When you consider a percent, it's about 40-50% faster - so it is a lot faster. It just doesn't seem like a lot when you compare 3.8.
This has been an awesome extra when shooting high speed sports - like baseball swings or sprint hurdles at a track meet.
Maybe someday I'll get into video and appreciate the autofocus in video. But for now, that doesn't matter to me. I'm just into still photography.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Three Things to Take Pictures of in the Spring
It's spring time. That means the weather is turning, it's going to be warm out, and the landscape is gonna look a whole lot different.
It also means new things to take pictures of! So, in case you're tired of being stuck inside, here are a few ideas that you can take pictures of to take advantage of the change in climate.
Portraits in the Park. Portraits inside are nice, and studio portraits can be great in a certain way. But going outside and taking portraits in the park is so much more fun. You get a greater variety of surroundings - a lake, a tree, flowers, benches, grassy fields, whatever. I know I like doing portrait sessions outdoors better than indoors.
Pictures of flowers. Ok, so maybe they're over done. But taking pictures of nature - flowers, trees, whatever - can be a refreshing change. They're beautiful, they sit still while you experiment, and they give you a chance to test out some ideas with composition, exposure, and such.
Outdoor sports. It's baseball season, softball season, outdoor track season. Go watch some kids play sports, and take pictures! The outdoors are a lot more forgiving in terms of lighting conditions, so you may be able to do a lot better in the spring than if you were trying to take pictures of sports indoors.
What do you like taking pictures of in the spring...? Leave a comment below and let me know.
It also means new things to take pictures of! So, in case you're tired of being stuck inside, here are a few ideas that you can take pictures of to take advantage of the change in climate.
Portraits in the Park. Portraits inside are nice, and studio portraits can be great in a certain way. But going outside and taking portraits in the park is so much more fun. You get a greater variety of surroundings - a lake, a tree, flowers, benches, grassy fields, whatever. I know I like doing portrait sessions outdoors better than indoors.
Pictures of flowers. Ok, so maybe they're over done. But taking pictures of nature - flowers, trees, whatever - can be a refreshing change. They're beautiful, they sit still while you experiment, and they give you a chance to test out some ideas with composition, exposure, and such.
Outdoor sports. It's baseball season, softball season, outdoor track season. Go watch some kids play sports, and take pictures! The outdoors are a lot more forgiving in terms of lighting conditions, so you may be able to do a lot better in the spring than if you were trying to take pictures of sports indoors.
What do you like taking pictures of in the spring...? Leave a comment below and let me know.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Do I Regret Buying That Canon t4i...?
Nope. Not at all.
A couple months ago, I pondered about whether or not to buy a Canon t4i. I was due for an upgrade, and the Canon t4i offered a improvements over my older Canon t1i - higher ISO, better autofocus system, better continuous shooting, higher resolution.
It was, by all accounts, a better camera. I struggled with whether or not to buy it with the 18-135mm lens, but ultimately I did because I already had an 18-55. The new lens had the new STM autofocus stepper motor and it covered a bigger focal distance. It seemed like a good walking lens - something to keep on the camera when I don't need something more specialized.
But then, only a month or two later, Canon announces that it's going to release the Canon t5i in April.
So am I upset that I upgraded "too soon"? I wouldn't say so. The Canon t5i really doesn't bring much of anything to the table. It definitely doesn't offer the same level of improvement that the Canon t4i brought over the t3i. But it does carry with it a higher price tag. Since it's brand new, it's going to sell at full retail ($800 or $1100, depending on the lens) for a while now. I'd consider buying it in six months when the price drops, but there's no way in hell I'd pay full price for the camera right now.
There are a few minor interface differences. There's a digital zoom that the Canon t4i doesn't have. Otherwise, the biggest difference isn't in the camera but in the lens it came with. I don't really want another 18-55mm lens and I wanted the 18-135mm anyway, so it doesn't much matter to me that the new 18-55mm also has the STM stepper motor.
If you're on the fence, check out this preview comparing the Canon t5i vs t4i. I'm pretty sure you'll agree that it's not worth sweatin' over. Get the cheaper t4i.
A couple months ago, I pondered about whether or not to buy a Canon t4i. I was due for an upgrade, and the Canon t4i offered a improvements over my older Canon t1i - higher ISO, better autofocus system, better continuous shooting, higher resolution.
It was, by all accounts, a better camera. I struggled with whether or not to buy it with the 18-135mm lens, but ultimately I did because I already had an 18-55. The new lens had the new STM autofocus stepper motor and it covered a bigger focal distance. It seemed like a good walking lens - something to keep on the camera when I don't need something more specialized.
But then, only a month or two later, Canon announces that it's going to release the Canon t5i in April.
So am I upset that I upgraded "too soon"? I wouldn't say so. The Canon t5i really doesn't bring much of anything to the table. It definitely doesn't offer the same level of improvement that the Canon t4i brought over the t3i. But it does carry with it a higher price tag. Since it's brand new, it's going to sell at full retail ($800 or $1100, depending on the lens) for a while now. I'd consider buying it in six months when the price drops, but there's no way in hell I'd pay full price for the camera right now.
There are a few minor interface differences. There's a digital zoom that the Canon t4i doesn't have. Otherwise, the biggest difference isn't in the camera but in the lens it came with. I don't really want another 18-55mm lens and I wanted the 18-135mm anyway, so it doesn't much matter to me that the new 18-55mm also has the STM stepper motor.
If you're on the fence, check out this preview comparing the Canon t5i vs t4i. I'm pretty sure you'll agree that it's not worth sweatin' over. Get the cheaper t4i.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Why I Want a Canon t4i
I've been using Canon dSLR cameras for a few years now, and I love my Canon t1i. I even loved the Canon t2i that I bought for use at work. They've served me well, and I don't really have any complaints.
Except for the fact that the Canon t4i is out, it's a sweet upgrade over both cameras... and I don't have the money to spend to get it. I was just reading this comparison of the Canon t3i and t4i, and I'm impressed. But oh well, I'll probably end up waiting until I can afford the real upgrade to the Canon 7D.
However, if I did have the money to get a Canon t4i right now, here are a few reasons why I would.
High ISO. This is the number one reason why I'd love this camera. The new DIGIC 5 image processor boosts the ISO capability of the Canon t4i to 12,800. This is an extra stop over and above the t3i/t2i, and it's two steps past the original Canon t1i.
That's a huge difference for low light photography. I get so frustrated working in high school gyms or at indoor track arenas, because there's so little light. Even with a fast lens that opens up to f/2.8, it can be tough to get a quick shutter and still have sufficient light. With my Canon t1i, especially, I end up boosting a lot of photos in post and that creates a little extra noise.
If I could shoot at a higher ISO, though, that wouldn't be a problem. The 6400 on my Canon t2i is usually good, and that extra little boost from the Canon t4i's 12,800 would be awesome.
Higher Framerate. This is something you don't notice until you need it. 3.7fps (i.e. the Canon t2i/t3i) seems good. But, if you're shooting some really rapid motion like a 55mm hurdle race, a high jump, or a slam dunk, it's easy to miss that critical moment. In continuous mode, you can click through a few frames and end up at all the wrong spots.
The new image sensor also ups the speed a bit in continuous mode, so the Canon t4i captures images at up to 5fps. That's about a 50% increase beyond the Canon t3i's capabilities. Yikes! That's pretty impressive for a minor upgrade, if you ask me. It's still not as awesome at the Canon 7d's motor, but I'll take 5fps over 3.7 fps anyday.
Anyhow, those two features right there have me excited at the moment. The video stuff doesn't really float my boat, but those are some awesome bonuses for doing action photography.
Except for the fact that the Canon t4i is out, it's a sweet upgrade over both cameras... and I don't have the money to spend to get it. I was just reading this comparison of the Canon t3i and t4i, and I'm impressed. But oh well, I'll probably end up waiting until I can afford the real upgrade to the Canon 7D.
However, if I did have the money to get a Canon t4i right now, here are a few reasons why I would.
High ISO. This is the number one reason why I'd love this camera. The new DIGIC 5 image processor boosts the ISO capability of the Canon t4i to 12,800. This is an extra stop over and above the t3i/t2i, and it's two steps past the original Canon t1i.
That's a huge difference for low light photography. I get so frustrated working in high school gyms or at indoor track arenas, because there's so little light. Even with a fast lens that opens up to f/2.8, it can be tough to get a quick shutter and still have sufficient light. With my Canon t1i, especially, I end up boosting a lot of photos in post and that creates a little extra noise.
If I could shoot at a higher ISO, though, that wouldn't be a problem. The 6400 on my Canon t2i is usually good, and that extra little boost from the Canon t4i's 12,800 would be awesome.
Higher Framerate. This is something you don't notice until you need it. 3.7fps (i.e. the Canon t2i/t3i) seems good. But, if you're shooting some really rapid motion like a 55mm hurdle race, a high jump, or a slam dunk, it's easy to miss that critical moment. In continuous mode, you can click through a few frames and end up at all the wrong spots.
The new image sensor also ups the speed a bit in continuous mode, so the Canon t4i captures images at up to 5fps. That's about a 50% increase beyond the Canon t3i's capabilities. Yikes! That's pretty impressive for a minor upgrade, if you ask me. It's still not as awesome at the Canon 7d's motor, but I'll take 5fps over 3.7 fps anyday.
Anyhow, those two features right there have me excited at the moment. The video stuff doesn't really float my boat, but those are some awesome bonuses for doing action photography.
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