p.1 #1 · Need camera rec - under 1k, mostly sideline cheer night games
Our high school cheer coach asked me for a camera recommendation today as I will no longer be photographing the team after my daughter graduates. I haven't followed anything on the all-in-one side since moving to dSLRs years ago...
She will mostly capture sideline cheer on Friday night under decent lighting. I shoot a mix of the Sony 20-70/4 on the a7r3 and the 70-200/2.8 on an a1 as I'm also capturing football. The 70-200 is used during the home halftime show and for nicer sideline portraits; the 20-70 for stunts done on the sideline.
I think she would benefit from 20-24mm on the wide end and a 200 on the zoom would be nice for the halftime show. Needs good autofocus for tumble passes during the halftime show and ideally is very newbie friendly with simple dials for action, portrait etc.
She put a budget of ideally under $800. I tried checking DPreview but their top picks seem to be the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII and the Canon G7X III (which both may be discontinued). Also both are 24mm on the wide end which may be as good as it gets in this format.
Really appreciate your thoughts. Cross posted to Canon and Sony.
p.1 #2 · Need camera rec - under 1k, mostly sideline cheer night games
I would look at the last-generation 24MP DSLRs. The Nikon D750 with the Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f2.8 G ED looks like a good combo. $800 won't do, but a $1K should be doable if she shops here at FM.
p.1 #5 · Need camera rec - under 1k, mostly sideline cheer night games
eyal wrote:
I think so. She doesn't strike me as someone who would buy used gear. Wants it as a present from husband, etc.
The Canon R50 kit is right at $799 (on sale), but the kit lens sucks. She'd be much better off with the Sigma 18-50/2.8, but there's no way to work that in budget.
The Panasonic G97 kit is another in budget pick, and you get a bit better kit lens with the 12-60, but the camera only does 6fps in continuous.
The decent bridge cameras, like the Sony RX10iv and Panasonic FZ2500, were out of budget even before they were discontinued. The FZ2500 can still be found new from places like Ace, but they want a grand for it.
That's the best I could do. Hopefully, someone has more brilliant suggestions for you. If she is willing to go used, that opens up a lot more options.
p.1 #6 · Need camera rec - under 1k, mostly sideline cheer night games
That budget is not feasible. My suggestion is to explain how much it costs to do it rigth and then she can decide what to do. Maybe somebody else can volunteer in the future.
p.1 #7 · Need camera rec - under 1k, mostly sideline cheer night games
If 95% of her photos are going to be used for social media online/web pages and yearbook she is OK using her phone camera. No processing, good photos, handy and overall quite efficient with no learning curve. Now, I am talking about the current generation of phone cameras. My wife's 16 Max Pro takes great photos edited with the phone software. She can upload photos to the social media pages instantly along with video which is great for cheer.
I know many are gonna hate this idea, but this is the future when talking about social media.
If she is going to take photos to be blown up poster size, you might talk me out of the phone camera, but there is software for that too!
p.1 #8 · Need camera rec - under 1k, mostly sideline cheer night games
Several years ago I bought a Tamron 18-400 lens mostly for shooting sports events and weddings, but found that it made a perfect single lens to use for just about any photography outside my studio. It was bought to use with either my two Canon 77D or my 90D DSLR cameras and I have no idea if they are available for mirrorless yet, but an adapter could solve this. With it I can take wide angle close-ups, or shots at the far corner of the court or field very quickly and without the need for several lenses of different ranges and multiple cameras. It works well, even at it's extreme settings, so has become the only lens that I take with me to use outdoors, but because of it's low 18 mm capability, I have used it a few times in my studio too.
p.1 #9 · Need camera rec - under 1k, mostly sideline cheer night games
Thanks and I agree a newer iPhone may just be the best option. She really should just post videos which would do well with the much slower 'shutter' speed than what is needed for photos under high school lights.
I thought of going the all in one 24-200 route but it seems those have passed their peak usefulness.
Oct 12, 2025 at 09:10 AM
AmbientMike Offline • • • • • • [X]
p.1 #10 · Need camera rec - under 1k, mostly sideline cheer night games
How are her high iso and raw pp skills?
There is skill involved in shooting action in low light
p.1 #11 · Need camera rec - under 1k, mostly sideline cheer night games
AmbientMike wrote:
How are her high iso and raw pp skills?
There is skill involved in shooting action in low light
Nonexistent. This is a high school cheer coach who has not picked up a camera.
Just looking to answer her sideline question of a camera to buy but I guess this is the reverse of when folks see my photos and ask about my gear not realizing there is a ton of skill born of practice that led to the shots.
I think the answer really is to keep it simple and have her just upgrade her phone
p.1 #13 · Need camera rec - under 1k, mostly sideline cheer night games
It is funny and sad that people don't blink at spending $1,000 for a "phone" that will be obsolete in a year. Then they want professional quality photography gear for $800. If someone is serious about learning photography, I'd encourage them on that path using a dedicated camera. If the budget can be pushed to $2,000, a multitude of possibilities open up in the used market. A low mileage Sony a7 III, Tamron 28-200mm and a Godox flash would make a super starting kit.
p.1 #14 · Need camera rec - under 1k, mostly sideline cheer night games
You can't really blame people for not knowing how expensive photography is. People are used to the pricing of phones because they keep up with the releases.
It took me a while to wrap my head around what a camera and then what lenses actually cost.
Same thing with getting into audio. If you've never looked into it you wouldn't expect it to be as much as it is. Now I've been told by those in the industry "dont" even look at what video cost! Lol
