For low light action photography, having the right equipment is very important—but what is the ‘right’ equipment? Some years ago, my recommendation was that a DSLR and prime lens be the minimum level of equipment used for this kind of shooting. Mirrorless camera technology has advanced significantly since then, but practical functionality (particularly viewfinder and autofocus) and image quality (due to smaller sensors in most mirrorless cameras) still don’t match what we can get with a DSLR.
Let’s also bear in mind that DSLR prices have come down significantly, too. An entry-level DSLR and 50 mm f/1.8 prime lens today will cost $800 at most. This is equivalent in price to a high-end compact camera such as the Canon PowerShot G7 X, but the DSLR will be a much more capable choice, and give us greater flexibility for future photographic work.
Selection criteria
Currently, I’d consider the following two criteria to be key factors in choosing a suitable DSLR body for capturing low light action:
- Affordability. There’s no point dreaming about buying cameras or lenses that we can’t afford. Set your budget as a starting point. As mentioned above, the minimum would be around $800. If you’re serious about low light action photography and can’t afford this amount, save money until you can afford it. Regardless of your budget, at least the two main DSLR manufacturers (Canon and Nikon) should have a product to match. From that point of view, the second criterion would then become the key differentiator you’ll need to consider.
- Ergonomics. Cameras and lenses are tools, and we need to be able to use tools comfortably if they’re to be of help to us. While most DSLRs look fairly similar to each other, there are differences in the way they feel ‘in hand,’ and the way their control systems work. You should find the DSLR system that works best for you. Do some research beforehand—for example, DSLR manuals are usually available as free downloads from manufacturers’ websites, and there are independent on-line reviews for most mainstream DSLRs. This should lead to actually going into a shop and handling the short-listed DSLRs in person. (When shopping for my first DSLR, I walked into the shop expecting to come out of it with a Canon EOS 20D, but instead came out with a Nikon D70S. I’d studied the manuals and read several reviews, and the Canon seemed to fit the bill better—but in actual handling, the Nikon control system suited me better.)
Testing DSLR ergonomics
It’s all well and good to recommend that you ‘test’ a camera in hand, but if you’re completely new to this, you might be wondering how exactly to go about this. This is what I’d do if I were shopping for a new DSLR today, and had already done the preliminary research:
- Hold the camera. With the camera fully loaded (charged battery loaded, memory card loaded, and at least a lens mounted), grip the camera as if shooting with it. Try it both one-handed and two-handed (with the other hand supporting the camera from below). How does the camera’s mass feel to you—too heavy, too light, or just right? How does the hand grip’s size feel—too big, too small, or just right? How does the hand grip surface feel—secure or not? (Incidentally, this was another reason I chose the D70S over the 20D; the D70S’s grip felt much more secure, while the plastic of the 20D’s grip felt slightly slippery.)
- Switch the camera on. Does the camera’s power control feel comfortable for you to use? Does it switch on and off easily for you? Is it easy to accidentally switch the camera off (or on)? Canon used to place its DSLRs’ power switches near the bottom rear of the body, but now seems to have moved to a rotating switch around the mode dial on the top of the camera body (which makes it much less easily switched on or off by accident). Nikon DSLRs have always used a rotating switch around the shutter release button. Not everyone will like the same control placement; see which works best for you.
- Look through the viewfinder. Does the size and brightness of the viewfinder suit you? If you wear spectacles, can you see the entire viewfinder comfortably, or are the outermost parts of the viewfinder obscured because of the distance between your eye and the viewfinder? Most early DSLRs had viewfinder images that were notoriously small—as some have said, like looking at a postage stamp at the end of a railway tunnel. Things are much better these days. In any case, while you’re looking through the viewfinder, is the information displayed in a way that you like? Take particular note of the autofocus points and the gridlines (if available). Some cameras highlight the active autofocus point in red, while others show it in black. Most cameras today will allow you to customise the display to some extent (e.g., showing or not showing the gridlines), so ask the salesperson for help in tweaking the display until you get it set to what’s most comfortable for you. (If it still doesn’t suit you, then perhaps consider looking at a different DSLR.)
- Shoot some frames. How does the shutter release control feel? Mushy or well balanced? You’ll want to squeeze the shutter release rather than ‘stabbing’ at it with your finger; this will help ensure that the camera stays as stable as possible. Does the camera still feel stable overall while shooting (minimal recoil, as it were), or do you find yourself having to grip more tightly while shooting? In general, the larger and heavier bodies will feel noticeably more stable. How does the shutter sound? Is it too loud for your purpose? (Do you, at some point, want to be able to shoot in a quiet environment, such as at a wedding or a funeral, without drawing too much attention to yourself?) One thing to bear in mind is that, in general, the faster a camera can shoot (in frames per second), the louder it tends to be.
- Adjust some settings. Change the aperture or exposure duration using the main control (usually a dial or scrolling control of some kind). Do the main controls fall readily at your fingertips, or do you have to change your grip to be able to adjust a setting? Everyone’s hands are different, so what feels right for one person might not feel right for someone else. If you’re going to adjust some settings, it will be very useful for you to have studied the camera’s manual before you go into the shop. If you don’t have the time or inclination to do that, though, you can still try adjusting the controls (just see whether they fit your hand well or not).
- Look at some pictures. Now it’s time to test the camera’s rear Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). Review some of the images you’ve shot (which is another reason you should have a memory card loaded while testing the camera). How does the LCD’s brightness and colour look to you? Are there annoying reflections? If you’ll be shooting in daylight, how does the LCD look under strong light (e.g., sunlight)? How do the camera’s controls for scrolling between images and deleting images feel to you? Do you consider it important for the camera to have a protective cover on the LCD? (Canon has always relied on the protective coatings it applies directly to the LCD, while Nikon has historically used a removable clear plastic cover.)
You should now have some sense of how the camera will actually feel in use for you. I can’t emphasise the importance of the ergonomic factors enough. If all goes well, you’ll be shooting with this camera for years to come, in a range of situations. You want an instrument that feels comfortable and reliable, and has a viewfinder that you’ll enjoy looking through to compose your images.
Technical factors
You’ll notice that I’ve avoided mentioning the technical factors so far. The technical aspects of a DSLR are important, but when I look at the current range of DSLRs from Canon and Nikon, I think that any one of them is probably sufficient for most people. That said, there are some factors that I’d investigate if I were shopping for a new DSLR, and I’ll be including this information in my subsequent posts (later this month) about some current Canon and Nikon DSLRs:
- Viewfinder. The viewfinder’s coverage and magnification are two specifications we’re interested in here. Viewfinder coverage refers to how much of the final captured image you’re able to see through the viewfinder at the moment of shooting. Historically, consumer DSLR viewfinders have been around the 90% mark, meaning that there’s about 10% more to the captured image than what you saw through the viewfinder. Professional DSLR viewfinders have always been closer to (or at) 100%, but the higher-end consumer DSLRs are now catching up in that respect. Nowadays, you should look for a minimum of 95%. Viewfinder magnification refers to how large the image in the viewfinder appears, relative to some given standard. The figures I’ll use are relative to the 35 mm ‘full frame’ that you’d see using a film SLR. The larger the magnification (e.g., 0.8x or 0.9x), the better. Currently, I’d recommend choosing a body with at least 0.6x.
- Autofocus (AF) points. While the number of AF points isn’t too important in itself, it can give you an idea of the AF frame coverage (i.e., the proportion of the image frame that is covered by AF points). If you have only one AF point, it will be in the centre of the frame—as with the first AF-capable film SLRs. If you have 30 or more AF points, they’ll probably cover a fair amount of the frame. In general, cropped frame (EF-S or DX) bodies will have greater AF frame coverage—since there is physically less space to be covered, it is relatively easy for manufacturers to reuse their full frame AF units in their cropped frame bodies. Nikon, in particular, follows this practice. The greater the AF frame coverage, the more flexibility you’ll have in composing your images without having to ‘focus and reframe.’ The other specification I’ll mention is how many of the AF points are ‘cross type’ points. Cross type points detect focus accuracy in two dimensions rather than just one, and so give better AF accuracy.
- Base sensitivity range. This refers to the base ISO range for the camera, as specified by the manufacturer. Most DSLRs will let you set ISO even higher than this range (in ‘extended’ ISO modes), but you’ll find that image quality is noticeably worse when using those settings. A base ISO range that extends low (e.g., to ISO 100 or below) suggests that the camera should be good for landscapes and other types of photography that don’t need short exposure durations (i.e., ‘fast shutter speeds’). A base ISO range that extends high (e.g., to ISO 12800 or above) suggests that the camera will be capable of good image quality even under low light conditions.
- Maximum frame rate. To capture sequences of fast action, you’ll need a camera body that can shoot many frames per second (fps). Most DSLRs are capable of at least 3 fps. To capture most types of action, you’ll want 5 fps or more. Historically, 8 fps marks the minimum requirement for professional sports photography. Nowadays, you can get quite affordable DSLR bodies that can shoot at 8 fps or faster. Note that a high fps rating is usually associated with a loud shutter sound.
- Buffer memory size. I’ll be listing buffer size in terms of frames captured consecutively before the buffer fills and the camera starts slowing down, and I’ll provide separate figures for JPEG frames (smaller image file sizes, but far less post-processing flexibility) and RAW frames (large file sizes, but maximum quality and post-processing flexibility). Note that buffer size relates to other factors, particularly sensor resolution. For the same amount of buffer memory, a higher resolution image will take more space than a lower resolution image. Likewise, a faster frame rate will consume buffer memory more quickly; a camera that shoots at 3 fps with a buffer of 30 frames will enable you to shoot 10 s bursts, while a camera that shoots at 6 fps with a buffer of 30 frames will only give you 5 s bursts. Buffer capacity will also depend on image quality mode (e.g., low, middle, or high quality JPEG; 12-bit or 14-bit RAW) and your memory card’s read/write speed (the faster the card, the faster the buffer will offload data to it, which will effectively make the buffer last longer). You might need to do some arithmetic if this technical factor is important to you, but in general, most DSLRs should give you a few seconds’ worth of burst shooting.
- Sensor resolution. It used to be the case that the main distinction between different digital camera models was their sensor resolution, measured in megapixels (MP). As resolution increases, though, we see diminishing returns on investment. Whatever your photographic purpose—and assuming you’re a reasonably competent photographer—once you go past a certain resolution, adding more resolution probably won’t help much. Even an old 6 MP camera is capable of capturing images suitable for most purposes, including printing. Nowadays, most DSLRs are in the 16–24 MP range; even allowing for significant cropping in post-processing, that’s plenty of visual data to work with for large print sizes. I suppose the one domain where you might still be concerned about sensor resolution is if you’re wanting to reproduce landscape, night sky, or other highly detailed images in large print sizes.
- Battery and battery life. The battery model will be an important consideration if you already have a DSLR, or are planning to buy more than one body in the future. Ideally, you’ll want the same type of battery across your DSLR bodies, so that you can use backup batteries (and the same charger) for any of those bodies. Long battery life is crucial for any kind of event photography, where even 20–30 seconds spent changing a battery might cost you some good images. Ideally, you’ll be wanting something capable of shooting 800–1,000 frames per charge. Bear in mind that heavy LCD usage (e.g., reviewing images on your camera), built-in flash usage, video shooting, Vibration Reduction (or Image Stabilization in Canon terms), and other features can eat into battery life very quickly.
- Memory card slot. Historically, Compact Flash (CF) and Secure Digital (SD) have been the two most popular memory card types for DSLRs. CF is physically larger and more expensive, but also faster at read/write operations (which can be very important when shooting action). SD is physically smaller, cheaper, and has been catching up in terms of read/write speed. As time passes, we’re seeing more DSLRs standardising on SD rather than CF. Just as with batteries, the main practical consideration is that you’ll want your DSLR bodies to use the same type of memory card, as much as possible.
- Introduction date. From a technical perspective, this isn’t particularly important (older DSLR models can still be capable tools), but this could be important from a purchasing perspective. My view is that the ‘best’ time to buy a DSLR is just before it’s due to go out of production. You’ll be able to buy a brand new, current model camera with full manufacturer’s warranty, and will not have to worry about availability of parts for a long time. You’ll also have the benefit of buying something that plenty of other people have already tested, so any technical issues should have been ironed out by now. At the end of the day, the camera is a tool, and you want it to be as reliable as possible.
The iceberg
A DSLR and prime lens can be just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. This might sound a bit off-putting, but the point to remember is that when you choose to buy into a DSLR system, you’re entering an entire system, not just a single body and lens. The whole point of system cameras (such as DSLRs) is that you can expand your set of equipment as needed, to suit the photographic goals you are trying to achieve. Plenty of people will never need to go beyond a single body and one to three lenses, but if you find that you need to expand later on, you’ll be able to do so. With a built-in lens on the camera, there’ll be minimal or no options for future expansion.
There’s more to the iceberg than just other purely photographic equipment, though. Consider the computer monitor you’ll be using to work on your images (or at the least, to view your images). I’ve already written about that topic separately, but in this age of digital imaging, your computer is effectively your darkroom so it’s worth considering its functionality carefully. Depending on your photographic aims, you might need to upgrade your monitor, your storage drives, or other aspects of your computer system … but that’s a topic for another day. With a DSLR and prime lens, you’ll be set for enough photographic exploration to keep you busy for a while.