i used to own the D70, now own a D200, and have A/B compared the D200 and 20D. D70 is pretty useless as you have found out. i have used D70 with a 70-200VR, one of the fastest AF lenses, but it was still underpar. D200 / 20D / 30D is miles ahead of the D70s when it comes to autofocus. however, if the lighting is really bad, nothing really work. last time we were at a really dark gym where we had to resort to ISO3200 to get some decent exposure, neither the D200 nor the 20D focused properly. when it comes to D200 vs. 20D/30D, the AF speed is comparable. however, the advantage of the 20D/30D doesn't come from the AF speed, but the low noise as well as availability of fast AF lenses (lenses with USM). in many badminton gym, you may have to eventually resort to fast primes, 50/1.4, 85/1.4, etc. all of the canon version are USM, while the ones for Nikon are not. i have used the nikon 50/1.8, 85/1.8, they are really slow focusing.
with poor indoor light, the D70 really sucks. i suggest shooting RAW, use fix white balance (just find something close and adjust it in the computer). for exposure, use manual exposure, find the average exposure setting, and fix it there (learned that from red). you will find that it frees up the D70 and AF will marginally improve also.
thx taneepak for the indepth explanation. in fact, i've got a question that i should have raised it long ago. but since i never have a chance to get one of that lens. i've just left it behind. it's also related to aperture. how can lens manufactures make some lenses with the maximum aperture bigger than F/1.0??? if i can remember it correctly. either leica or canon had made one of that lens in the past. sounds like a bit crazy huh.... but that's real!
Thanks for your reply. Kwun, will you consider to change your equip to Cannon? Which len do you use most in the courtside?
Yes, Canon came out with a rangefider camera in 1961, called the Canon 7, with a series of new lenses, including their massive 50mm f/0.95 lens, which were still available in the 1970s. It was more of a p.a. thing as the lens, although useable, was not too good. However, a different story is Leica's 50mm NOCTILUX-M f/1 for the M rangefinder camera, which is really superlative. These exremely fast standard lenses extend the scope to poor lighting conditions and for work with available light. You should not use these lenses unless you must work at the max. aperture of f/0.95 or f/1.0 most of the time because they are a very expensive luxury. But once in your possession they open up greater possibilities of photographic adventure. Don't think of them as poor-light lenses. Their narrow depth of field at maximum aperture has great creative possibilities. I tried to buy a second hand Noctilux some years back but had to back off when I was called into a legal firm to submit a sealed bid in a tender for the lens! I got three of the next best ones instead, two SUMMILUX-M 50mm f/1.4 and one SUMMILUX-M 35mm f/1.4. I sold them to a Japanese collector at twice the prices I paid for sometime back. I wish I had not, for they were truly superlative lenses.
Wow, what a great idea & opportunity... ..ah, that's a very nice proposal, Raphy, esp. for all the badminton-photo enthusiasts..Personally, I would consider this as the "best/closest" opportunity to work "directly" with the new BWF. . I'm sure a couple or so dear BC members(wink,wink) are giddy abt this opportunity..It's also a good way to "delegate" as well as "consolidate" the task at hand-excellent!
me asking noobie question, what goods are those big lens if they can't be adapted into today's camera?
they can. Lecia M series lenses are still used today. in fact, Leica just announced a M8 digital rangefinder body which will take all Leica M series lenses dating back all the way to 1954. my father has been drooling over that $5000 manual focus digital body. the Canon, however, is another story...
unfortunately, my feet are too deep in the Nikon waters to change system at this point. i have used Nikon since i was 17yrs old and have accumulated a few lenses which will be a heart break to separate from. the only chance is if i have some nice relative and they will either give me their Canon or buy me new ones... then i willl have two seperate systems... as for court side lenses, i have a combination of 30/1.4, 50/1.4, and 70-200/2.8. sometimes if the lighting is really really bad, i will borrow the 85/1.8 from my friend to cover the tele range. imho, in general, f/2.8 is probably the minimum for badminton. i need to go down to f/1.4 lenses as some of the gyms here are ridiculously dark.
AChan, one more point. if you have a D70, i would not suggest taking picture right from the court side. sometimes i like to sit just a couple of feet from the sideline to take closeup pic of the players. even with a D200 and HSM lens, it is not always guarantee to AF correctly. i have tried that with a D70 and it was dismal. i suggest sit further back from the court and use a tele lens, that will put less demand on the AF system and i have had good results with the D70 that way.
Nikon vs. Canon for badminton photography. here is my take on whether one should be using Canon or Nikon for badminton photography: Canon (disclaimer: i am a Nikon user, so no flames please.) Canon is the way to go if you are starting from scratch and have no preference towards either brand. Canon wins in two important categories which are both crucial in badminton: - ISO noise. more specifically, low noise at high ISO settings. badminton is about indoor low light, the less noise the less headache in post-processing the pics - AF system. both in AF accuracy/decisiveness, which has narrowed since the release of D200/D80. i hated the AF system on my D70. Canon also wins in raw AF speed. many amateur shooting will involve really low lit gyms, where there will be need to use fast primes. Nikon's primes are all old style without USM/HSM motors and focus really slowly. for Canon at least fast USM primes are available if you have the $$$. Nikon only win in ergonomics. there is a big difference holding a 20D vs. a D200 i am afraid, and not to say last time it took a friend of mine and I nearly 1/2 hour to figure out how to adjust the shutter speed while in M mode, what is Canon thinking? Nikon's control are much more obvious and natural. but ergonomics don't make good pictures.
i am thinking, with the number of badminton photographers in the forum, we should start a badminton photography sub-forum, where we can discuss techniques and equipment for taking badminton photos.... what do others think? will we have enough traffic?
Kwun, I agree. This is a brilliant idea. Perhap it allows other DSLR users to showcase their work as well not necessarily in major tourneys but local or club tourneys as well. Great thread, this is one thread I follow closely. Although I don't have the high end equipment as some of the members here, I'm eager to try out my D50 with the 50 f/1.8 at my club.
They still sell films, so these ultra fast lenes can still be used on their respective film cameras. Also, besides Leica, Epson has come out with a digital rangefinder camera for Leica M lenese, but the Epson's focusing accuracy is, to me, unacceptable because of its short rangefinder base. BTW some old Canon rangefinder lenses, including the Canon monster 50mm f/0.95, can be used on the Leica M body or even the older screw mount body. As a matter of fact I have a Canon rangefider lens 85mm f/1.8 that I use on my Leica M cameras. With the new Leica M digital, I can use all my Leica screw and M mount lenses, all my Leica SLR lenses which I have many, and even my six Hassablad lenses, the latter with adapters which will slow down picyute taking.
Yes, it's exact what I want. I don't find D70s is useless when I used during HK Open. Welcome to see my pics http://fotop.net/anitachan/anitachan06?page=1 I use 80-200mm f/2.8 no VR ISO 1600. However, I eager to upgrade my gear until I took pics in dark gym.
you mean the D200? i really enjoy using it. if you already have some Nikon lenses, it may be worthwhile sticking to Nikon. that's what i did... you have some really good pics. good timing and angles. i should've been more specific, when i say useless, i mostly refer to when one is right next to the court side, maybe a meter or two from the court, and a couple more from the players. the player movements there are too fast for the D70 to catch. i believe you were sitting on the stands in the HK Open and the D70 is sufficient for that.
I shared similar story as you. I started collecting equip for Nikon since 16yrs ago, besides D70s, I have FM2, F3, F90X; fish eye, 28-70/2.8, 105/2.5, 135/2.8, 80-200/2.8; SB-26, many accessories... It's very hard to make this decision although I've thought many times. The turning point is that I don't have adequate equip to take badminton photo. I hesitate to buy new carmera, new wide lens, tele with VR. I hope to get it prepared as I may go Guangzhou to watch China Open next month. I do not got any press pass, do you think they will allow me to take pics? I suppose you're not always use zoom lens is because of the aperture. I like to use zoom lens as it is much much more flexible. However, post processing is diffiuclt for underexposed photo even if using raw. Beside, I support adding one thread on talking about equipment. Too many things I wanted to learn from your experience.
