Camera Labs

Hi
I wonder if you guys can help... Am thinking of buying my 1st DSLR. I have looked into a few and have come up with a few options but wld like some advice on which ones are best buys.
I am mainly looking at using it for sports photography (mainly cricket and some motorsports) but will also use it for normal photography too.
The models I have seen so far are:
Sony Alpha A580Y
Cannon Eos 60D or 7D
Nikkon D7000
Pentax K-5

Many thanks
Nils63

What is your budget (for camera and lenses)?

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Body: Canon Rebel XS, Canon EOS 7D
Lenses: Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4.0 OS HSM DC Macro, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II, Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II, Canon EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 USM, Canon EF 85mm f1.8 II USM

Welcome aboard.

As most people here will advise you, the "best buy" is very subjective so it's a case of the best buy for you.

The best way for you to decide is the visit a photography/CE store and hold and try the camera for yourself - no self-respecting store would refuse such a demonstration if they wanted to secure a sale.

All of the bodies you mentioned would be adequate, provided you've got the right lens in front of them. The A580 and the 7D do have advantages, however have higher continuous shooting rates, which makes capturing fast moving subjects i.e. racing cars, easier.

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Bodies: Canon EOS 550D w/ Magic Lantern
Lenses: Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX f/2.8, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Accessories: YongNuo Speedlite YN-468 Flash, Neewer Macro LED Ring Light, Meike Battery Grip, YongNuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger & Receiver YongNuo WR-128 Wireless Remote Control

A DSLR is not cheap, even the entry level models are around £500 so it is important to do your research thoroughly and as a previous poster has said, handle as many different brands and models as you can. Once you have invested in a camera it is likely that over time you will want more lenses, a flash and other accessories so switching brands then becomes very expensive. Make sure you get it right first time as most people then remain loyal to that brand having invested heavily in gear.
Do any of your friends/family have a DSLR? If so try to handle or better still borrow one for a day or two and see how you like it. Read as many reviews as possible but take owner reviews with a pinch of salt as once we have committed to a make we often try to justify it!
As far as DSLRs are concerned there are no poor cameras, just some are better than others at certain tasks. Is build quality really important? Are you likely to be out in all weathers taking photos? Then a weathersealed model with a magnesium alloy body should be considered. The entry level/mid-range models usually have a polycarbonate body and although this is adequate for most people and they are robust enough they may not stand up to rough treatment. bear in mind they are considerably lighter though and more convenient for prolonged use. Some cameras have a multitude of buttons and dials on the body. This is to facilitate easy and fast changes in various settings. Some entry level cameras require you to go into the menu system to make these changes which is slower. Decide which you prefer.
If you are likely to use your camera in poor lighting conditions then you may need one with good high ISO capability. Reviews will point this out. Again some are better than others at noise suppression.
One last point. Some good deals are to be had on camera bodies complete with a lens or double lens kit. Don't turn your nose up at kit lenses. Most are decent quality but obviously not as good as upscale (and usually expensive) optics. If they have any distortion or other issues most can be corrected in software and you will need to invest in an image manipulation programme at some stage, especially if you shoot in RAW format.
Whatever you purchase I wish you well with it and many happy years of use.

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Nikon D300 D80 D40 18-55mm 18-70mm 18-135mm 55-200mm 18-200mm 28mm 2.8f 50mm 1.8f 85mm 1.8f
Panasonic DMCFZ28 Slik Pro 700DX

I know a little about a lot, a lot about little and everything about nothing.

BY almost anyone's account, those cameras you are listing are as near as equals in image quality at low and high ISO as you could pick - they are all excellent and comparable. All are fairly quick focus and tracking systems with good continuous frame rates. So really I would think in a case of near-equals like this, it should come down to how each feels in your hand to see if one stands out, whether any of them has that one key feature the others don't, or one slightly better spec the others don't, that is very valuable to you, or if one has a particular lens you crave that the others do not offer or have in the same quality. If all else fails, see which one hits your budget mark the best.

I hate to be so neutral, but honestly you've listed excellent and very comparable cameras, 3 of which share the identical sensor and the other two a quite comparable one.

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Justin Miller
Sony DSLR-A580 / Sony 18-250mm / Minolta 50mm F1.7 / Sigma 30mm F1.4 / Tamron 10-24mm / Tamron 200-500mm / Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro / Minolta 300mm F4 APO
Sony NEX5N / 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 / 55-210mm F4-6.3 / Pentax K adapter / Konica K/AR adapter / bunches o' Konica & Pentax lenses!

Galleries:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg