New EOS Rebel T5-help!

[dawndell74]

Hi there!

I got this camera as a bundle for Christmas and have not opened it yet because I want to make sure it is right for my needs.  I am by far an amateur, but I take a lot of photos.  Hoping someone can give me some insight…

I currently have a Sony CyberShot DSC-HX1 and have always been a CyberShot user.  This camera takes great photos overall, but really fails in low light and struggles with consistent quick action shots (some are amazing and some are indiscernible)-which is understandable, being a point and shoot.  I added some good and bad shots from my current camera below-to show the types of sports shots I take.

I have wanted a DSLR for years but was nervous it would be too overwhelming.  Since I am taking even more sports shots and also sports pictures for other people and for my kids yearbook, websites etc.-I decided it was finally time to jump in!  

With a lot of research I had narrowed down to this Canon and a Nikon and left it up to my husband.  I am happy with the choice-but now in reading up on it-I am overwhelmed with the prospect of using this camera and all my shots coming out crappy 😕  

Here are my concerns:

Football/Basketball/Wrestling: I zoom in and out a lot.  I like to zoom in for candid up close player shots but also zoom out for field/team shots-all within seconds of a play.  Will I have to change lenses to do this??  I am usually seated in the bleachers I'm guessing 30-40 feet away.

For Basketball/wrestling/school plays (gymnasium lighting) what are the best settings to use to compensate for poor lighting?

For sports high action shots-what is the best (affordable) lense and best settings that will eliminate blur.  After reading tons of sites-I'm thinking this is the way to go as from web surfing looks like I can get this around 150-200:  Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

My bundle came with 18-55mm and 75-300mm Lenses-so I’m thinking of returning it and getting the camera with just the 18-55mm lense and using the extra $100 toward the better lense. 

I'm also curious as to what image resolution I should use to keep images around 1MB

I’m usually a very impulsive purchaser so I’m trying hard to understand this camera and how to use it best so I don’t end up with horrible shots…so THANK YOU for any help/insight you can give!!

Dawn

p.s I am not opposed to returning this for a different camera if anyone thinks due tomy needs above there is a better option but can't spend more-this bundle was $550!  thanks 🙂

 

[cicopo]

In my opinion you're budget just isn't going to get the job done. Indoor sportss are tough to do well & require fast (large aperture) lenses. A 70-200 f2.8 would be my recommendation (Sigma & Tamron both sell decent ones but Canon sells top of the line versions). Nikon also has a 70-200 f2.8 which is highly regarded by the Nikon crowd, but all of them are above your total budget just by themselves. A cheaper option might be the Canon 85 f1.8 lens but you might be short on reach at some events.

As for the body I haven't owned any of the Rebel series & have very little experience shooting them but again I'd recommend a more expensive 7D to anyone thinking about indoor sports as the best value way to do it. I'm not suggesting the new 7D mark 2, just the original 7D. It has a very good AF system & higher frame rate than any Rebel body. 

[dawndell74]

Thanks cicopo!   So do you think getting the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lense would not help?   It seems to be a better lense from what I have read but don't want to waste money if it won't deliver better results.  Maybe I will rent one to see...it's only like $20 a week 😕

thanks, Dawn

[cicopo]

That's a good lens for it's price but again not the right tool for the job. When zoomed out it's f5.6 which will force you to use very high ISO's or too slow of a shutter speed to freeze the action. This may enforce what I'm saying.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1356723

[ebiggs1]

"... do you think getting the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lense would not help?"

No, it will not help.  It isn't which lens you decide on getting if the f number is f5.6.  You need faster glass like f2.8, if it doesn't have that, don't get it.

[ebiggs1]

The EF-S 75-300mm is really an outdoor , in good light, lens. 

[dawndell74]

Yes the reviews I have read on the EF-S 75-300mm say it's pretty much useless which is why I was thinking of returning the bundle and looking at the basic camera/lense and purchasing a better zoom lense instead.  

So taking the "action" part out of it....when it comes to shooting indoors-gymnasiums, etc is it all about settings or is it really all about the lense choice no matter what?  

thanks again for all your help!!  I really appreciate it  🙂

[ebiggs1]

"... is it all about settings or is it really all about the lense ..."

If you have to pick just one aspect about photography, it is "all about the lens".  Given the choice I would take the best lens in the world over the best camera in the world.  Now of course, it is not just the lens that makes a good photo but it has a lot of influence on it.

The Rebel T5 will produce better photos with the EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS than it will with your EF-S 75-300mm.  And a 7D or 7D Mk II will give better results with the EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS attached than your T5 will.

If you can return the kit you bought, do so.  Just buy the camera body and select a lens of your choice.  It is going to cost more but you will wind up with a superior combo.  Plus you don't need to get it all at once.  You can get it a piece at a time.  Another great thing about a DSLR.

Both Tamron and SIgma make a cheaper version of the real deal Canon lenses.  They are both very good.  They are so close to the Canon versions, Canon should be worried because SIgma and Tamron are bout 1/2 the price.  I have all of these and have used all of them and can testify to there quality and performance. (24-70mm f2.8 and 70-200mm f2.8)

Even though, we established the value of great lenses and cameras, a picture is actually made in post processing.  If you are skipping this part, you are missing out on maybe the most significant element of all.  Which brings to mind Photoshop Elements is a best buy in photo editors.  99.5% of all the great photos you admire by the "pros" have gone through post editing software.

[ScottyP]

I agree with Ebiggs. Either get a body-only and select lenses, or get the body and only the general purpose walk around 18-55mm lens.

One good lens for indoor basketball on a 1.6x magnifying sensor like yours would be the 85mm f/1.8. It is a wider aperture than even the 70-200 f/2.8 family, and much cheaper at about $399 or less if you hunt a bit. You really don't want to have to shoot your camera above ISO 800 under any circumstances and if you can keep it at ISO 400 or less you are better off. Your camera's crop sensor magnifies the 85mm lens up to 136mm which can work for basketball but which will be a bit short for baseball/football. You cannot expect to sit way up in the stands at any of these things and get great shots, you will want to get there a little early and sit as close as you can.
The 85mm will also do portraits for you.
Keep using your little super-zoom for the large daytime sports if you need to and if it is working. Cheaper than buying a good quality telephoto for a DSLR.
Maybe also pick up a wider lens for general purpose use on the DSLR. Either go ahead and get the kit 18-55 lens if you have good light, or maybe something like the EF 40mm f/2.8 for only $150.00 which is lightweight and has a nice wide aperture for when the light is not so great.

The trade off here for the bigger sensor and better quality and brighter lenses is that you will have to change lenses. No all-purpose lens with a super large zoom range gets there without making major compromises in their design. To get the lens to cover that broad a range of focal lengths, compromises are made in several areas, including lower image quality and narrower aperture.

[cicopo]

I wrote this for another thread on night sports & it may help you understand the main challenge that low or poor light throws at you.

Lens f stops relate to the amount of light the lens CAN let in and will dictate what shutter speed is needed for the selected ISO to produce an acceptable exposure. Because freezing action demands faster shutter speeds we'll talk about the need to use 1/500 sec as the slowest acceptable speed for your night time football. NOW we talk about the DIRECT relationship between the shutter speed & aperture. These settings produce the same exposure

at f 2.8 the shutter speed needs to be 1/500 but if the lens can only open up to f4.0

at f 4.0 (one full stop "slower" than f 2.8) you MUST lower the shutter speed to 1/250 second, but YOUR lens is an f 5.6 lens (2 stops "slower" than the f 2.8 lens)

at f 5.6 you need to slow the shutter speed down to 1/125 second for the same amount of light to make a correct exposure.

BECAUSE 1/125 won't freeze action your ONLY option is to raise the ISO, which introduces noise once it passes a certain point (which varies by camera age & original price point in a manufacturers offerings.

Again there is a DIRECT relationship with ISO settings so we'll start with the FULL STOP numbers using ISO 100 as the base. The numbering system is 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800 etc.

IF you had to use your f 5.6 lens & the above setting set where the f 2.8 @ 1/500 worked at say ISO 800 shooting a game at night you need to bump the ISO up to 1600 to shoot the f 4.0 lens at 1/500 or all the way up to 3200 to shoot your f5.6 lens at 1/500

All of that is FACT but there is another potential problem. Raising the ISO doesn't help the AF in any way. The AF will struggle at f 5.6 in poor light compared to how well an f 2.8 lens will let it work. Another factor is a combination of how well the AF works in the lens. More expensive cameras have more money devoted to better AF components & so do more expensive lenses.