Camera body & lens for good badminton photos

Discussion in 'Badminton Photography' started by FAST!, Nov 27, 2008.

  1. FAST!

    FAST! Regular Member

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    Hi,

    I'm new in D-SLR world. I'm try to find some reasonable price of camera body (lens is different story - I know I may have to get some good lens) for taking badminton shot.

    Are the following camera body good enough?

    canon XS or XSi
    canon 40D or 50D

    I noticed many dicussed about 1D Mark III and 5D Mark II here. But it's just out of my budget.

    Regarding lens, i think canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS is good. Is there any other one else to consider?

    Please advise.

    Thanks alot.
     
  2. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    ^^Just my 3 sens...^^

    What’s your budget?..(are you doing a bit of Thanksgiving Day shopping?:);))

    Just to let you know, one very key factor to consider in taking badminton photography is lighting. IMO, this is arguably the most important factor in taking badminton pics, as it’ll affect the type of lenses & settings you‘ll be using.

    Now, as to your question, it’s hard to gauge how pleased you’ll be with the performance of an XS or XSi camera. The XSi, for one, has most of the important current Canon features that have been recently added.
    But some would say, one of the main drawbacks with the XSi would be the frame rate (which is probably not crucial in taking badminton photos), let alone the AF accuracy (which is more important). In general, even though it doesn't track like a 40D or 50D, it is certainly capable in "good" lighting.

    On the other hand, the 40D and 50D (or the middle tiered camera bodies) offer a bit better in terms of performance. Mainly with the AF tracking system in certain lighting situations. And in general, since badminton is usually played indoors, the lighting could present a few challenges. Some would say, it’s better to just hop-skip to a 40D or 50D class, as the XS or XSi would probably be a “waste”. As one would say, the motor in the camera body is a factor. So a cheaper camera body will be slower than a more expensive one. Price will be a factor.

    As for the type of lenses go, since you’ll be taking indoor shots, it’s preferable to use fast lenses (e.g. f1.0 to f2.8 is ideal). The faster the lens is, the better. And the 70-200mm f2.8 IS is not bad. In general, what I’ve found out is those specialized optics such as L zooms or a fleet of prime lenses are much better in terms of quality and performance. Of course, price will be a factor.;)

    In short, if you were to ask, I would say the pro/more experienced photog masters in here would prefer to choose a 40D or 50D over the XS or XSi. And they love to use the 50mm lens.:);)

    Some good threads in here to read:
    http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41195(highly recommended)
    http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2991
    http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53337

    Good luck in finding your camera/lens(es) & have fun taking pics!:cool:
    *hope other photog masters will chime in, too!:)
     
    #2 ctjcad, Nov 27, 2008
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2008
  3. FAST!

    FAST! Regular Member

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    Hi Ctjcad,

    Thanks for your advise. I really want to buy 40D/50D, but it's little over my budget as for the camera body only. I really disappointed for this black friday as I didn't find any good deal for these SLR cameras. Maybe I should wait for the Christmas sales..

    As for lens, all the good one are over 1k each. So, maybe I will buy one of them per year. :p

    Anyone had use the 50mm 1.8 II for badminton photo taking? This len is so cheap and over f1.8 quality. I'm suprise:eek:

    Happy Holiday.

    Ricky
     
  4. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    ^^Either..^^

    ..wait for the upcoming Christmas sales or..................you can try looking into the Used camera section (can try craiglist.org)..;)

    As for the advise, well, all have been stolen from the invaluable guidance of the photog masters here..so, thank them!:cool:
     
  5. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    get a 40D at the minimum. they can be had for less than $1k. good used one are $750 or so. forget about XTi/XSi/XS. you will come back disappointed.

    also you didn't mention where u planning to shoot, local gym? major tournaments?

    the lenses of recommendation are:

    local gyms: 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.8

    very very bright professional stadium: anything f/2.8 or faster

    don't get f/2.8 for local gyms. they simply are not fast enough.
     
  6. FAST!

    FAST! Regular Member

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    Ctjcad and Kwun, Thanks again for the advise and recommandations. I'm mostly taking badminton photo in local gym for now. So I will consider the lens you mentioned above. :p
     
  7. Sealman

    Sealman Regular Member

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    I do agree with you this lens is value for money :)
     
  8. FAST!

    FAST! Regular Member

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    Kwun,

    I just spoke to my friend about the different between XS/XSi and 40D/50D. Looks like XS and 40D using the same type of sensor (we checked it in dpreview.com).

    But I do find out some good points from 40D:

    1) 6.5 fps compare with XS
    2) Autofocus point is 9 cross points compare with XS
    3) Shutterlag shorter than XS (but my friend said XS isn't too bad)

    Could you please let me know other good points that I missed for 40D?

    Thanks alot.

    Ricky
     
  9. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    see paragraph 4 by ctjcad. That is a very important detail.

    I've also tried the 50/1.8 for badminton. The focus motor of the lens is quite slow and a bit inaccurate. What is meant by Inaccurate ? The focus motor twist the lens in steps - these steps are bigger in the 50/1.8 so there is a higher risk of the subject being out of the plane of focus under conditions of large apeture (i.e. typically indoor badminton shots). I also found the lens is quite soft at f2.2 or wider. The good points is the cheap price - very good for when you first start out.
     
  10. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    Pretty much it..

    Ricky,
    your post #8 pretty much described the differences (the fps option will probably be the least important feature in taking badminton pics).
    Just want to add a couple more things:
    1. In case you want to crank up the ISO to 3200, the 40D or even the 30D will give that option to you; whilst the XTi, XS & XSi don't.
    Higher ISO setting could be an advantage esp. for taking pics in low light conditions or in this case, for badminton(indoor) photography. The higher the ISO options you have in your camera, the better it will be for you to compromise for the type of lens(es) you are using (aperture-wise). However, need also to take into consideration that the higher the ISO number is, the grainier your image will be.

    2. Not that you will necessarily need it, but you can set the shutter speed up to 1/8000 with a 40D. In comparison, the other 3 can only go up to 1/4000.

    Here is a comparison on the XSi, XS, XTi with a 40D:
    http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/com...n_eos400d,canon_eos450d,canon_eos40d&show=all

    Good luck!:)
     
    #10 ctjcad, Dec 1, 2008
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2008
  11. FAST!

    FAST! Regular Member

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    Cheung,

    Thanks for your advise and explanation. I will just get the 50mm 1.4 instead.

    Ricky
     
  12. FAST!

    FAST! Regular Member

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    ctjcad,

    Thanks a million!!!!! I didn't find out the comparison chart in dpreview.com. Although I always think the fps will play important role in badminton photo taking. You guys are great!!! Thanks again.

    Ricky
     
  13. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Ricky. I think 50/1.4 is a good choice. Many of us have that lens.

    Also consider very strongly the 85/1.8

    I would hold off buying the 70-200 2.8 IS for the time being unless you can find one 2nd hand at a good price. Why? Because you have to learn about the gyms and their level of light in your locality. As Kwun said, the light level may be so poor that you cannot even use a f2.8 lens for indoor action shots.
     
  14. FAST!

    FAST! Regular Member

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    Cheung,

    Understood. Agree totally. Thanks again.
     
  15. ae86trueno

    ae86trueno Regular Member

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    Hi FAST!,
    I think FPS is good to have but not critical.
    I did give badminton photo a go on last NZ KLRC (the court is very bright, in fact kinda blinding bright)
    One thing I realise (might be just me) I prefer 1 shoot rather than burst mode since it give more accurate photo of what I want (I think knowing badminton game really help me since I can predict when the 'action' going to happen)
     
  16. FAST!

    FAST! Regular Member

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    Hi ae86trueno,

    Thanks for your advise. I do agree that one shoot make a better pic and knowledge of badminton really does help to produce a better pic too. Thanks again.
     
  17. Gladius

    Gladius Regular Member

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    As the guys rightly recommend, the 85 f/1.8 and the 50 f/1.4 would make for great badminton action lenses on a budget. If you're using the 40D or 50D and generally do not print anything larger than an A4 size poster, ISO 1600 on these cameras will work well. The 50D being better in part due to the higher pixel count.

    These lenses however are useful for only the local gym kind of situations where you have close access to the players. In bigger indoor stadiums you'll have to look at the Canon 135mm f/2 or the 200mm f/2 IS L lenses instead. Or in the worst scenarios, you'll probably have to rely on a 300mm f/2.8 prime if your distance handicapped.

    But at international tournaments, the f/2.8 zooms will still come out alright because of the good lighting available. I shot at the Singapore Aviva Open with the 70-200 f/2.8 IS L zoom with some success because of the excellent lighting and cranking the ISO up to about 1000-1250.
     
  18. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Gladius, long time no here. Do you have any photos you'd like to share with us?
     
  19. Gladius

    Gladius Regular Member

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    Hi Cheung,

    its been indeed a long, long time. Think perhaps 3-4 years since I logged in! :eek::p

    Well, I do have a few, but they are in my other computer now, will link them up for posting perhaps over the weekend.

    I've stayed away from badminton for a while too, mainly because of persistent injuries and also venturing into other hobbies and sports that do not give me so many issues.
     
  20. FAST!

    FAST! Regular Member

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    Thanks Gladius. I just ordered 50 f/1.4 from Dell. It has $100 instant saving. It's even cheaper than amazon.com. So happy. :)
     

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