Hey everyone I wanted to know is the Canon EOS 70D would be good to use for sports and action for now? I'm looking forward to be a sports photographer in the future and I want to start to shooting high school games once I get the lenses that's right for the sports I want to shoot with. I really wanted to know because I hear a lot good and bad stuff about the 70D when it comes to sports and action and at this point i'm just really confused. What do you guys think? Do ya think its a good body to start for like high school games at least?
If you are new to sports photography the best tip I can give you is to study the sport. Learn about how the play develops and how to anticipate peak action. When I first started I used a Pentax K1000 all manual film camera and then stepped up to an Olympus with a auto winder (3 fps).
Now to answer your question. Is the 70D the best camera for sports, probably not. Will you be able to get some outstanding images, assuredly yes. It isn't a speed demon in terms of FPS nor does it have the high iso range of more professional bodies.
Start taking sports photos with what you have. Master that and move onto other bodies as finances allow
Thanks for the advice. I know the 70D its not the best that why I want to use it for now for highschool games and then once I see my self getting better, then I will do a upgrade but thank you so much brandom I appreciate it.
I was shooting Baseball, equine and soccer for years with a 10D. I'd be Plenty happy to use those pics now for samples to apply for work tomorrow.
In fact, a lot of my sample work was taken on that and my 20D.
It's funny how at the time a camera is current we are happy with it but the minute a new or better model comes out, then somehow it becomes questionable if it's " good enough" when the work being shot has not changed one single bit in 20 or 50 years!
I used to do competition pistol shooting. I bought a cheap gun for my first that was designed as nothing more than a "Plinker" for shooting tin cans etc. in the back yard.
I took a round file to the standard sights, put a rubber grip on the thing and put a new ejector in it for reliability and shot that gun for over 10 years in a load of comps I did.
I literally got laughed at during safety inspections a heap of times when better heeled shooters saw what I had and compared it with their high end toys that literally cost 10x more and sometimes beyond that. They even laughed at the ammo I used. Whatever a mate and I could get a good deal on for a couple of carton bulk buys was what I shot.
Generally that was under $2 a box. They were shooting stuff again 10x that.
I can tell you this much, those arseholes were not laughing when I was getting the medal and they weren't and it wasn't a one off either.
In fact they were downright bitchy and pi$$ed off about it. I remember walking past one turd at a presentation and stopping and saying loudly, " How did you go mate? I wanted to ask what was it you were laughing at so much during inspection this morning?, I didn't quite catch it."
I only got 3rd but he sure as hell wasn't 1st or 2nd! Of course the laughter and jibes from the other people there only added to the satisfaction of the moment.
All the time people would look at the little gun and ask me, " Is it accurate?"
I'd say, " It's a hell of lot more accurate than I am so until it becomes the limiting factor and I can shoot less than 1/2" groups every time, the gun isn't the weak link in the chain I have to worry about is it?"
After a few years of shooting with it, I knew the thing so well I didn't want to use anything else. I'll fully admit, the notoriety and ego factor was a huge part of that. It made my day to get laughed at with my little cheapo gun because I knew what I was capable of and the smartarses had a really good chance of looking like idiots.
I bought more expensive guns for fun and other disciplines but the one I shot in that competition was always that first one which was the cheapest one I owned.
Same with camera's.
Give your 70D to a top sports shooter and you take his whatever.
Go to a game, shoot side by side, compare pictures at the end.
Who do you think is going to have the more impressive results and a better chance of going on the cover of sports Illustrated?
( Apart from the guy in the front row with the Iphone that sends his picture to them and allows them to use it for free because he just wants to see his pic published )
It's not the camera you have to worry about then is it? :0)
Something more upmarket may make the job a bit easier but it won't make the pics BETTER. Theres a big difference.
I was talking to my wife at lunch today after I went and shot my daughters soccer team. I said I wouldn't mind getting a new camera as the present one is 6 yo and I was surprised it hasn't fallen over already.
She said do you want to get, is it a 1D? I said no, don't really need one. She said aren't they the top of the line one? I said yes but they are about 7 grand and I don't think they are worth it for what I do. It's sure as hell not going to make me any more money!
She said but wouldn't they make better pictures? I said no, not for what I do. She said well if you got one of them, you could do anything. I said I can do anything I want to do now! I rather buy another 7D and maybe a 6D to see what they are like and I want a 300 2.8 because THAT will make for better pics of our daughter. Not that I have much use for it with anything else but who cares?
So I got the approval for those.
The best gear isn't going to make your photography skills better, it will just allow you to do some things you couldn't do before.
I could still go shoot sports on my 10D, I could still produce decent images with it and at the end of the day, I'd sell just as many pics shot on a 10D as I would a 1D.
And that for me is the real point. :0)
But there is one other thing.....
If you hone your skills on the 70, when you upgrade you'll take those skills with them and be better able to utilise the capabilities of the camera rather than rely on them as a crutch.
Lenses are more important, Bodies, Meh, not so much.
Kameron2194 wrote:
Hey everyone I wanted to know is the Canon EOS 70D would be good to use for sports and action for now? I'm looking forward to be a sports photographer in the future and I want to start to shooting high school games once I get the lenses that's right for the sports I want to shoot with. I really wanted to know because I hear a lot good and bad stuff about the 70D when it comes to sports and action and at this point i'm just really confused. What do you guys think? Do ya think its a good body to start for like high school games at least?...Show more →
the 70D should be good enough for most sports
might be a struggle for night time sports if you don't have an f/2.8 telephoto lens
But I use an old 60D and old old 100-400 so what do I know
CW100 wrote:
But I use an old 60D and old old 100-400 so what do I know
I'd suggest a lot more than most who think gear is the most important thing.
Talent will never be out trumped by technology in this game. I'd rather be blessed with real talent and ability than just have the most expensive toys and struggle with my own capabilities.
Owning a 70D and have tried sports, I would say it's a great camera but it does require a bit more thought into lenses and position. I found that it's not super great at head-on, fast approaching/running, focus but does quite well at everything else. I also find myself do more prediction shots than I do with, say, a 1D series.
Yes, the 70D is excellent, and yes there are 'better cameras' but that doesn't mean you can pick one up and take advantage of it without the skills. And some skills come with a ton of practice.
The one key to the 70D is to make sure you properly expose the sensor.. it does NOT like to be under exposed, the details and color will go to mush. Properly exposed you should be able to use 6400 iso very well. The other key is to have an f2.8 lens, if you can, so you can achieve the faster shutter speeds needed to freeze action indoors. ( I pair my 7D2 with a 70-200 f2.8 non is.)
All that said, you may want to save up for the 80D or 7D2 if you can swing it, because both those bodies have anti-flicker, and I can say that is worth the upgrade if you plan to shoot indoors a ton with sports. In my case, I shoot outside at a dirt track, with about 3 or 4 different types flood lights around the track.. and the anti flicker makes it sooo much better than having different colored frames, or half frames of one color, then another.
If the 70D is all you can swing, then go for it, and shoot the crapton out of it, and learn all you can and save up for the body you will know you want next.
My wife shoots with our 70D and works on subjects that are closer. I do that because of the noise we have to deal with.. I moved to the 7D2 for the increase frame rate and most of all the antifliker. I shoot at what I consider one of the worse lit fields in the area. The anti flicker has been absolutely awesome and a huge time saver. If you shoot day time sports the 70d with a good lens will be fine.
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