Thriller said:

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I'm planning on diving into some nicer equipment to shoot outdoor sports, landscape, and wildlife. After reading through much of this thread, my plan is currently:

Camera body: Nikon D500, body only
1st lens - Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8

I want to use this to shoot video as well (hitting and pitching) to upload photos and video for our juniors and seniors that are going through the baseball recruiting process. Will this setup work to get good photos and decent-to-good video at the plate and on the mound?

My 4rd son plays lacrosse and I'm assuming I will want something to reach a bit further (think soccer/football sized fields). Is a 200-500mm the next step here?

Also, if I'm just buying the body and lens, what else should I be looking to get in terms of must-have (and would be nice) accessories?

Last question - any suggestions on online courses that will broaden my knowledge base? Udemy, a good YT series, etc?

:Thanks for this thread - I'm learning a ton.

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I have a D500, Nikon 24-70mm 2.8, Tamron 70-200mm 2.8, and Nikon 200-500mm 5.6.

The 200-500mm is awesome for outdoor football and soccer during the day, and (depending on the lighting) very serviceable for night games. With a monopod/tripod, it works wonders even in lowlight.

The 70-200mm is my everything lens. Landscapes, wild animals, sporting events, indoors or outdoors. I could not function without this lens.

The 24-70mm lens is more for my team or close up shots. It does the job time and time again.

The D500 (which replaced my D5600) is quite the workhorse. 10 FPS and it will only get "hung up" if the memory card is slow or if I hold down the button for more than 20 seconds. (Only did this twice during post game celebrations and one bench clearing brawl).

I shoot youth, middle, and high school sports, as well as Semi-Pro basketball and special events. I keep the D5600 in my bag as a backup, but I'm hoping to get another D500 body or a D850 soon.

Had a shoot in Galveston on Saturday when it was super windy. Made the mistake of setting my secondary camera down on a jacket while the wind was blowing sand everywhere. Needless to say, my 24-70 Sony GM Lens got a lot of sand on it. Best tips for cleaning it or where do y'all take your cameras in for cleaning in Houston?

k20dub said:

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Had a shoot in Galveston on Saturday when it was super windy. Made the mistake of setting my secondary camera down on a jacket while the wind was blowing sand everywhere. Needless to say, my 24-70 Sony GM Lens got a lot of sand on it. Best tips for cleaning it or where do y'all take your cameras in for cleaning in Houston?

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The OP of this thread recommended a place on Richmond in Houston that is called Professional Camera Repair. They did a great job for me on my Sony a9 body. 7136213627

Wasn't expecting a stacked CMOS sensor for the latest micro4/3 camera from the company formerly known as Olympus.

https://m.dpreview.com/reviews/om-system-om-1-initial-review

tk for tu juan said:

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Wasn't expecting a stacked CMOS sensor for the latest micro4/3 camera from the company formerly known as Olympus.

https://m.dpreview.com/reviews/om-system-om-1-initial-review

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Interesting. I didn't realize Olympus has sold the camera business. I shot Olympus film and then digital when I started shooting that.

I have a Sony a7R3, 42-megapixel camera body for sale. If anyone is interested, let me know and I will give you the details. I'm not listing it in the Classifieds this time.

Beautiful eagle photos!

dubi said:

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Beautiful eagle photos!

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Thank you. You likely saw them on FB too.

The lens does a good job.

I love my A1!

bthotugigem05 said:

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I love my A1!

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I prefer Heinz 57.

bthotugigem05 said:

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I love my A1!

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Really looking forward to using it.

labmansid said:

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bthotugigem05 said:

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I love my A1!

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I prefer Heinz 57.

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LOL, Sid. Hope y'all are getting settled.

Taking it to the annual RV trek at Brazos Bend very soon. Was hoping to have it before going. Take care.

Thanks, Bill. We're getting there. Had our stuff unloaded last night, now just need to put it all away. I'm gonna miss camping out at Brazos Bend.

bthotugigem05 said:

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I love my A1!

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The camera is a game-changer and I have really only used it one day. Sold two other bodies but kept my original a9. Now I wonder if I will use it at all. Maybe should have kept the a7R3 instead.

Don't know if this has been asked but I have some old rolls of film that have never been developed from 1995 - is there anyone who still does this commercially?

Edit I am in the Houston area.

Looking for mirrorless camera recommendations. Photos will be mostly of the baby and birds. TIA

clobby said:

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Looking for mirrorless camera recommendations. Photos will be mostly of the baby and birds. TIA

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Birds as in...you want a camera to occasionally take some pics of birds in the backyard? Or birds as in...you want to buy something specifically to take bird photos as a hobby (and plan to invest in the glass to do so - which may be more than the camera)?

Regardless, there is nothing so far in your requirement that screams "I need full frame" to me. You get more focal length for your money with a crop sensor camera - which could make birding more affordable if that is a concern for you. Crop sensor lenses are also generally smaller/lighter - might be a help when carrying around a bunch of stuff with baby.

I converted to Fuji APS-C from Canon full frame several years ago and don't regret it. I love how their cameras operate and love their lenses. I like the smaller and lighter size of everything as well.

I can't personally make a recommendation for you though as I think there are too many questions any given person should ask (and find answers for) before committing to any system.

Well just went to Best Buy to look at a few models. Bird photos might be a bit ambitious. The cameras main purpose is for baby/family, I just wanted the option to get some ok bird pictures. Budget is ~2k with a lens included. The full size mirror less might be a bit big for lugging around.

clobby said:

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Well just went to Best Buy to look at a few models. Bird photos might be a bit ambitious. The cameras main purpose is for baby/family, I just wanted the option to get some ok bird pictures. Budget is ~2k with a lens included. The full size mirror less might be a bit big for lugging around.

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As mentioned already, your budget will be a major factor in this decision. For babies, I would imagine most basic cameras would do pretty good for that along with a decent kit lens, at least starting out.

For birds, and I can speak from experience here, that will require more specialized, and hence, expensive gear for really good photos. 2k isn't much to work with unless you go for an ultrazoom point and shoot type camera. I know lots of people that do pretty well with one of those.

Thoughts on the Sony Alpha 7c vs Fujifilm XT-4

I use both a Canon m6 mark II and a Fuji xe4. Both would be good small/light choices for you although between the two, I'd go m6 for family pics as I find it has better autofocus and eye tracking than the Fuji. Skip the kit lens and get the 22mm pancake for a near pocketable camera and the 32mm for portraits.

The 18-55 kit lens on the Fuji x-t4 is actually pretty good for a starter lens. I'd suggest that, then when you have the funds expand your lens kit with a longer zoom and a faster prime. On the zoom front the 50-140 is probably the best all around tele-zoom. I'd suggest that then a tele converter to reach out a little extra for some birds/wildlife photos. On the faster prime front...so many good Fuji options. Just figure out what focal length you like best then go for the best/fastest glass you can afford. Fuji has multiple versions in the most popular focal lengths - some faster than others, some lighter than others. Fast glass makes kid photos a joy.

If funds are really tight - don't discount the x-t3 either. Can save you $600 over the t4. Biggest difference is no built in stabilization. But that isn't the end of the world...I still use the x-t3 (plan on skipping the t4 for the next gen).

Wow those are some great photos! I ended up going with the Fujifilm because the Sony 6600 and A7c were both cut from production and I wasn't able to find them new.

I would've suggested the a6100 as well, still being produced and is very budget-friendly.

clobby said:

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Wow those are some great photos! I ended up going with the Fujifilm because the Sony 6600 and A7c were both cut from production and I wasn't able to find them new.

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Thanks. The a6600 is still in production. Maybe you're thinking of the a6500 which was cut. Enjoy the Fujifilm.

[url] https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dpreview.com/news/9058168882/sony-no-longer-taking-orders-for-a7c-a6600-confirms-a7-ii-and-a6100-have-reached-end-of-life.amp[/url] citing the chip shortage

That's interesting. The article leads one to believe it is temporary. B&H is still stocking them. Thanks for the update as an FYI. Not looking to buy one but will leave it out of discussions going forth.

Anyone here been to Iceland in summer? If so, what lenses do you recommend? (Let's say you could only take three)

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thephoblographer.com/2014/08/25/packed-shoot-landscapes-iceland/amp/

The cameras are a little out dates, but I really wish I had a 14-24 with a great filter set with NDs and all that fancy stuff.

Thanks for the reply. Sorry for just now getting back to this. So you found the 70-200 handy?

Not sure if this is a question for this thread or the Aggie Network Google Drive one, but what cloud backup service do y'all recommend? Seems like Backblaze is the cheapest at $7/month, but it seems like you have to plug in your hard drives every 30 days...no thanks. Dropbox unlimited storage is $60/month. A little steeper compared to what I'm currently paying with free storage on Google Drive. Thoughts? I have probably 10 TB of footage and photos that I need backed up.