I think the kit lens is 18-55, which would be okay if you can get within 15-30 feet of your subject.

I take track and cross-country pictures, and I can get pretty close to the athletes, so I sometimes use my 17-35mm tamron zoom.

You could try using your kit lens, but if you're not getting enough reach, consider getting a longer lens for basketball.

Some people use the Canon 85mm F1.8 prime lens for basketball, which does anice job indoors.

Another nice all round sports lens would be the Sigma 70-200 F2.8 lens which you could use indoors as well as a lot of other uses.

You could add a teleextender to get even more reach from the 70-200.

As for flash, I have the Sunpak 383 which is a reasonable flash, especially if used as a "fill flash".

I bought a Stophen Diffuser for it, and then I just use it manual at 1/16th or 1/8th power to throw out some fill flash.

Sometimes I use the built in flash if I'm taking pictures of athletes within 20 feet, and the 20D built in flash does a nice job of fill in flash.

Again, not sure of your price range.

A buddy of mine uses a Canon 70-200 F2.8 IS lens on a monopod. It's a big, heavy, expensive lens, but it's truly a dream lens.

Another cool lens is the Canon 17-85 IS lens, which B&H photo is selling with the 20D for about $1250. That's a great deal.

Better to get the 17-85 IS than the kit lens, in my opinion. You could probably get by with it for basketball.

Although the 17-85 lens is F4, I've used an F4 lens indoors, and if it's a fairly well lit basketball court, you'll get good pictures at ISO3200.


-- Terry

I guess it depends a lot on how important the ergonomics of the camera are to you.

In terms of image quality there is little to choose between the XT and the 20D, but I don't like the way the XT feels in my hands. I would never buy one, instead I would certainly get the KM5D or Nikon D50 in the entry-level class.

The 20D is a great deal at the moment, but you might want to wait for the new model and see if you prefer its features/cost trade-off.

Try to handle both the KM7D and the 20D before making your choice.

In the UK at least you can get KM 7D's for very very low prices. This has a lot to do with why KM went out of business I guess. They just can't sell them, even though they are fine cameras.

@ [email protected]:
I agree, it's not a matter of having an iso 1600 or iso 3200 mode, it's all about having a good iso 1600 or iso 3200 mode. The 20D sensor looks better to me, but the good 6 MP sensor of the KM 5D is enough for me.


@ peripatetic:
Yes the prices for the KM 5D/7D are starting to decline on ebay. Currently the best price of the KM 5D including the kit lense is at around 530€ (including our hefty VAT), but it will certainly fall well below 500 € for this package. KM simply will continue to produce these cameras until the new Sonys are ready for production. Idling their factories would be much more costly.

(from the sub-amateur peanut gallery): Ditto the invaluable advice to go handle the cameras before buying. And Ditto the 'good glass' or at least targeted glass if you know what you are going to be shooting (basketball indoors for instance).

Though KM is out of the dSLR business, a preponderous of reviews I read before going with the D50 seem to say the in-cameraanti-shake really works.

You've gotten lots of great, on-point advice here (as always from the folks on Steve's). They have helped me through a lot of decisions and I have always found their guidance the best.

Good luck,

M

I've just slung work in for good and intend getting a good digital camera/lenses, I've chosen a 20D with Canon 24-75 f2.8L and 70-200 f2.8L, now some might say they are a little over the top for just an enthusiastic amateur like myself, but my budget just about allows a battery grip for a bit of balance. The flash will have to wait a little while ( not too long though ),some might say I could go for the Tamron or the Sigma etc, but that's my choice and I don't think I'll regret it.