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I am looking to purchase a new camera to take pictures of my kids cross country and track and field events. I started taking photos this past year and making slide shows for their banquets. Someone suggested the Nikon D60 Any ideas or advice? Thanks!!!
Nikon - 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera - Body Only - D200 - Body Only (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7633313&st=7633313&lp=1&type=pro duct&cp=1&id=1130987191339 - broken link)
Best Buy is selling the Nikon D200 for $600 right now, about the same price as the D60. The D200 will auto-focus with any current lens offerings. The D60 will not. If you get the 80-200/2.8, with the D60 you'll have to buy the AF-S version, which is about $600 more.
Location: Splitting time between Dayton, NJ and Needmore, PA
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According to NikonRumors, the D40, the real entry-level body is gone. Whatever is in stock is being liquidated. By the end of the summer, the D60 will be going the same way. In looking at the Nikon site, it looks like the D200 is already "retired" as well. So whatever bodies are in the pipeline, I'd look to go for one, especially with that price from Best Buy.
As for lenses, I agree the 80-200 f/2.8 is a great option although it does not have Vibration Reduction (VR) which can be an issue if you are shooting sports. Another option for lenses is the 70-200 f/2.8 VR. The difference between prices, though, may affect choice.
Some other needs that you'll have will be a monopod for balance and support. My suggestion would be to get the camera and bring it with you to a local camera store and then try out monopods. A couple companies to look at would be Manfrotto and Giottos.
If you go the route of the D200, you'll also need at least two CompactFlash Cards (8GB) that have high write speeds. That is, you want a card that will write upwards of 45 MB/s. This way you can fire off six frames a second for events which will capture the motion of the athlete throughout an event like shotput, long jump, javelin, and hurdle sequence.
The Canon 40D is a nice one for sports photography (very fast burst mode), paired to a Canon 70-700 f/2.8L. But for taking photos when there is more light, then the EF 70-200 f/4L is an outstanding lens, and half the price of the f/2.8 one.
What is your budget? It's difficult to recommend something without knowing what you're looking to spend.
But as mentioned, the 40D has a great burst mode which is important in sports photography. In fact, with one exception I think all of Canon's entry to mid level cameras have a better burst mode than the Nikon in it's price range.
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