Which camera and lenses would be best for a high school senior to do sports photography?

[Scott70810]

My son (a high school senior) takes photos at his school's football and basketball games. He does this is a freelance photographer (i.e. his "side hussle").  He takes lot of photos during the game, then shows them to the players, and the players buy the ones they like.  He uses his aunt's digital camera (I do not know what make and model it is), but he says it is not very good. So, he wants a new camera.  He intends to continue doing this while he is in college. So, for Christmas he wants a camera that will take quality photos for sports photography, but on somewhat of a budget. To give you an idea of the budget, he was looking at the R50 and R10 (crop sensor cameras) with a RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM and RF75-300mm F4-5.6 lenses. I think the price range for that was around $1,200 to $1,400 give or take (don't quote me on the numbers).  After looking at those, someone told us that a full frame camera like the RP may be better than the crop sensor cameras.  

So, for sports photography, around that price range or maybe a little higher:

1.  What would be the best camera to use?  A crop sensor camera or a full frame camera?  If a crop sensor camera, which one, the R50 or R10 or something else?  If a full frame camera, which one, the RP or something else?   

2.  What would be the best lenses to use?  (I read enough posts here to know that the 70-200mm F2.8 is awesome, but that's not within the budget.)  He would be taking photos at football games outdoors at night, sometimes from the sidelines and endzones (he currently has access for the sidelines and endzones, but he may not have that in the future) and indoor basketball games (sometimes from the sidelines and baselines, sometimes from the bleachers).  He may also branch out to baseball and softball (day and night games) and other sports (day and night games).  

Any help would be appreciated. I may not be asking the right questions.  Any additional thoughts or comments about other things I should consider (that I did not ask about) would be appreciated.  

[shadowsports]

Greetings, 

Night time sports photography comes at a cost.  The RF 70-200 f2.8 is probably what I would recommend for enthusiast  level courtside or outdoor night time sports.  The R50, R10 (APS-C) or R8 (full frame) would all do a fairly good job supporting this, with the right lens.  The RP and R8 share some similar external characteristics,  but the R8 is 4 years newer.  So it boasts quite a few performance enhancements comparatively.  

Given the budget, I think the RP or R8  might be the way to go, but the R8 would exceed the budget.

For APS-C,  I would choose the R10

If more resolution is needed the R7

For full frame, the R8 or RP

Lens options.  RF-S 18-150  for APS-C, or the RF 24-105 for either.  The RF 75-300 is an entry level optic.  It's not known for its corner to center image quality or focus speed.  You should be aware that none of these body and lens options will perform ideally at night.  In some instances shots that require faster shutter speeds or where adequate lighting is not present he may not find himself facing some big challenges.  I just want to set this expectation up front.  

Something else that needs to be taken into consideration are accessories.  Two to three memory cards and at least one extra battery.  

One way to save some additional money is to look at Canon refurbished.  These products are like new and come with the same 1 yr warranty as new gear.  Products go in and out of stock frequently.  Used gear also an option.  Sites like B&H, MPB, KEH and Adorama have used departments and are reputable.  I recommend that you stay away from eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Amazon renewed, etc.  

There's more than one way to approach this so let's see what others have to say.

[shadowsports]

Here's a deal on the RP and lens.

https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/p/eos-rp-rf24-105mm-f4-7-1-is-stm-lens-kit

EOS R7 refurbished.  Currently out of stock, syou can select notify me.

https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/p/refurbished-eos-r7-rf-s18-150mm-f3-5-6-3-is-stm-lens-kit

Be sure to check back frequently products go in and out of stock daily this time of year.

[SignifDigits]

Rick is way more experienced that I am, so keep that in mind.  First, I want to say kudos to your son for using and honing his skills, and to you for supporting him.  Consider this an investment into his future of photography and college fund.

Second, Rick's recommendations are spot-on.  Third, I suspect he will likely outgrow any of this gear quickly - hopefully funded by his own work.  That is especially true of the camera.  A great lens will tend to stick with him the longest.  That's because any of the cameras are capable of taking great photos, but only a great lens (and skill, of course) will get that great photo sharp and in focus. 

I had an RP and loved it, but for your situation I would lean toward the APS-C R7 for the following reasons:

1) The cropped sensors will offer 1.6x effective zoom for full-frame lenses that he can get later. 

2) He gets into an IBIS camera and cropped sensor (R7, for instance) to increase low-light performance. 

That R7 kit at $1459 is close to your budget.  That 18-150 lens is going to be marginal for shooting action.  As a kit, though, you're only paying $100 for lens so it's an amazing lens at that price and maybe the best lens deal that you can get.

I'd like to recommend a few other options for you.

First, football season will be over by Christmas for high school.  Like computers, the longer you wait the more technology you get for your dollar.  You might consider giving the gift of a budget for a camera.  This would ensure that whatever he gets he has made that cost-benefit decision and not us.  It might ensure his investment into his gear.  The R7 is rumored to be coming out in a Mark ii version soonish.  The old R7 will likely drop in price new and be more plentiful on the used market.

Second would be to not surprise him but to sit down and go over the options.  That's sort of like the first, but the idea of the second would be to get something by Christmas.  Who knows, he might know of a used kit for sale that he's dying to own.  And if it were me and I would have LOVED shopping with a parent's money for something I really wanted.

Third, buy used from a reputable source.  Many great used sources will give you a year warranty.  If going used I recommend going cheap on the camera and as heavy as you can on the lens.  EOS R5 can be had used for about $400, leaving $1,000 for a lens.  EF lenses have been around longer and can offer you a better bang for your buck in the used market.  EF adapter is $150 ($130 used, not much savings, though I sold mine for $50, so maybe check online).  Third party adapters are available but I you'd be on your own there as I cannot recommend one of those. 

In the $850 range you can the optically superb EF 24-70 USM f2.8 lens.  That would be effectively a 35-112 He would totally giving up image stabilization to buy another couple stops, but gaining stops via a brighter and better lens.  When buying used like this I would buy the most optically excellent and cosmetically ugly but fully lenses.  Another great, and even longer lens would be the Canon EF 100-400 IS f/4.5-5.6 which would be effectively 160mm-640mm on a R100.  Both of these lenses represent top of the line Canon glass.  Having never owned and EF Canon, I'm just making recommendations from searches, not experience, and others will know better than I do.

I'm just saying it's an option for you to consider, and something you might want him to weigh in on. 

Whatever way you go, again, MANY kudos for encouraging your son in his photographic passions.   Those interests and skills will likely be something he enjoys for the rest of his life with your encouragement.