WHAT CAMERA SHOULD I GET?!

[toweltrick]

Ahhh, back to beating that dead horse with such a question. But I'm so unsure on what DSLR to get! I just need some secondary opinions because maybe someone else will point something out that I'm overlooking. 

Currently I have a Olympus OM-D E-M10 mark II and a film camera, the Olympus OM2n. Recently I tried using my E-M10 to photograph a sports event (thankfully I was just doing it for fun and not professionally) and it failed MISERABLY! The camera's auto focus cannot find anything fast enough and when it does.... its the background and not the player you are trying to focus on. There is no manual override on the lenses I have so I couldn't intervene and fix this myself. I was looking at lenses to get that I could focus manually with but micro four thirds (or Olympus lens mount) lenses are so expensive I came to the decision to just get a different camera.

Right now I am pretty set on the Canon EOS Rebel T7i. Is there anything I'm overlooking? Any other camera someone would recommend near that price range? The T7i looks to be a pretty amazing camera.

Thanks for any help.

[kvbarkley]

Sounds like it would be a good fit for you, a good all-around camera. For sporting events you might want a telephoto, too like the EF-S 55-250.

[RobertTheFat]

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@toweltrick wrote:

Ahhh, back to beating that dead horse with such a question. But I'm so unsure on what DSLR to get! I just need some secondary opinions because maybe someone else will point something out that I'm overlooking. 

Currently I have a Olympus OM-D E-M10 mark II and a film camera, the Olympus OM2n. Recently I tried using my E-M10 to photograph a sports event (thankfully I was just doing it for fun and not professionally) and it failed MISERABLY! The camera's auto focus cannot find anything fast enough and when it does.... its the background and not the player you are trying to focus on. There is no manual override on the lenses I have so I couldn't intervene and fix this myself. I was looking at lenses to get that I could focus manually with but micro four thirds (or Olympus lens mount) lenses are so expensive I came to the decision to just get a different camera.

Right now I am pretty set on the Canon EOS Rebel T7i. Is there anything I'm overlooking? Any other camera someone would recommend near that price range? The T7i looks to be a pretty amazing camera.

Thanks for any help.

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It's a bit hard to parse your requirements, especially in view of your comment about being thankful that you weren't doing it professionally. If you're looking for professional results, you probably want at least a 7D Mark II. But that's a pretty expensive camera, compared to a T7i. The 7D2 is popular with birders and other wildlife photographers, and their requirements are at least superficially similar to those of sports photography. I think professional sports photographers are themselves partial to the much more expensive 1DX.

It might be helpful if you could tell us more about your Olympus. I, at least, am totally unfamiliar with Olympus's current product line. Since the Olympus let you down, it wouldn't do for us to inadvertently recommend a Canon camera whose capabilities are similar.

[TTMartin]

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@toweltrick wrote:

Ahhh, back to beating that dead horse with such a question. But I'm so unsure on what DSLR to get! I just need some secondary opinions because maybe someone else will point something out that I'm overlooking. 

Currently I have a Olympus OM-D E-M10 mark II and a film camera, the Olympus OM2n. Recently I tried using my E-M10 to photograph a sports event (thankfully I was just doing it for fun and not professionally) and it failed MISERABLY! The camera's auto focus cannot find anything fast enough and when it does.... its the background and not the player you are trying to focus on. There is no manual override on the lenses I have so I couldn't intervene and fix this myself. I was looking at lenses to get that I could focus manually with but micro four thirds (or Olympus lens mount) lenses are so expensive I came to the decision to just get a different camera.

Right now I am pretty set on the Canon EOS Rebel T7i. Is there anything I'm overlooking? Any other camera someone would recommend near that price range? The T7i looks to be a pretty amazing camera.

Thanks for any help.

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The 7D Mk II is the best sports camera. It can be purchased with the EF-S 18-135 IS STM lens refurbished direct from Canon with a one year warranty for $1500. About $500 more than the T7i new with the same lens, but, in my opinion it is worth it. 

[ScottyP]

Don't get the 7d2 unless you are pretty serious about sports AND you would still have cash left over after buying it to get 2 good lenses.   When money isn't unlimited it is best to invest it in lenses. 

The T7i is a very good camera, light years beyond the T5i era rebel cameras.  The AF should more than handle sports shot for fun.  

[TTMartin]

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@ScottyP wrote:

Don't get the 7d2 unless you are pretty serious about sports AND you would still have cash left over after buying it to get 2 good lenses.   When money isn't unlimited it is best to invest it in lenses. 

The T7i is a very good camera, light years beyond the T5i era rebel cameras.  The AF should more than handle sports shot for fun.  

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I agree the 7D Mk II is a serious sports camera, and looking at the T7i specs it is more than adequate for casual sports shooting. 

[Waddizzle]

The T7i has specifications that say it has the potential to be a great camera, except for one critial issue, battery power.  That's a deal breaker for me.  If you want to use high horsepower lenses for sports photography,, then you're going to need far more battery muscle than what the T7i offers.  BTW, there is no battery grip option for the T7i, and none forthcoming, AFAIK.

I would recommend the 80D.  It uses the same LP-E6 battery that is found in the 7D2, 5D3, 5D4, 6D, and many other pro-sumer grade cameras.  Having the extra battery capacity allows the camera to control the Af motors more precisely.  This is a fact of physics, not an opinion.

[TTMartin]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

The T7i has specifications that say it has the potential to be a great camera, except for one critial issue, battery power.  That's a deal breaker for me.  If you want to use high horsepower lenses for sports photography,, then you're going to need far more battery muscle than what the T7i offers.  BTW, there is no battery grip option for the T7i, and none forthcoming, AFAIK.

I would recommend the 80D.  It uses the same LP-E6 battery that is found in the 7D2, 5D3, 5D4, 6D, and many other pro-sumer grade cameras.  Having the extra battery capacity allows the camera to control the Af motors more precisely.  This is a fact of physics, not an opinion.

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A valid point, but, I shot sports with the 50D and big lenses like the Sigma 120-300 f/2.8. With a single BP511 battery and never had a issue. I would change batteries at halftime just to be on the safe side. The mAh rating between the LP-E17 and the old BP511 are very similar. Battery tech has progressed too. 

[Waddizzle]

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@TTMartin wrote:

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@Waddizzle wrote:

The T7i has specifications that say it has the potential to be a great camera, except for one critial issue, battery power.  That's a deal breaker for me.  If you want to use high horsepower lenses for sports photography,, then you're going to need far more battery muscle than what the T7i offers.  BTW, there is no battery grip option for the T7i, and none forthcoming, AFAIK.

I would recommend the 80D.  It uses the same LP-E6 battery that is found in the 7D2, 5D3, 5D4, 6D, and many other pro-sumer grade cameras.  Having the extra battery capacity allows the camera to control the Af motors more precisely.  This is a fact of physics, not an opinion.

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A valid point, but, I shot sports with the 50D and big lenses like the Sigma 120-300 f/2.8. With a single BP511 battery and never had a issue. I would change batteries at halftime just to be on the safe side. The mAh rating between the LP-E17 and the old BP511 are very similar. Battery tech has progressed too. 

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Didn't say the smaller batteries woudn't work.  It's just that the higher capacity allows the body to do a better job.  You know, they give 1D Series bodies that big battery for a reason.  And, it's not just for extended battery life.

[RobertTheFat]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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@TTMartin wrote:

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@Waddizzle wrote:

The T7i has specifications that say it has the potential to be a great camera, except for one critial issue, battery power.  That's a deal breaker for me.  If you want to use high horsepower lenses for sports photography,, then you're going to need far more battery muscle than what the T7i offers.  BTW, there is no battery grip option for the T7i, and none forthcoming, AFAIK.

I would recommend the 80D.  It uses the same LP-E6 battery that is found in the 7D2, 5D3, 5D4, 6D, and many other pro-sumer grade cameras.  Having the extra battery capacity allows the camera to control the Af motors more precisely.  This is a fact of physics, not an opinion.

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A valid point, but, I shot sports with the 50D and big lenses like the Sigma 120-300 f/2.8. With a single BP511 battery and never had a issue. I would change batteries at halftime just to be on the safe side. The mAh rating between the LP-E17 and the old BP511 are very similar. Battery tech has progressed too. 

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Didn't say the smaller batteries woudn't work.  It's just that the higher capacity allows the body to do a better job.  You know, they give 1D Series bodies that big battery for a reason.  And, it's not just for extended battery life.

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To put it another way, the number you usually see on a camera battery, expressed in milliampere hours (mAh) is a measure of longevity, not of power. The latter, expressed in watts (volts x amperes), tells you how well the battery does its job at any given instant in time. It's what matters when you're trying to drive the focus motor of a large lens at its rated speed.