What are some of the top nikon cameras for sports photography under $ 1,500?

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Elias W

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My mom says that she is going to get me a new camera. So I have looked at the nikon D300 (which is why I said under $ 1,500, the nikon D300 is $ 1,469, and by the looks of it, her getting the D300 is a maybe). I want to know if there are any other nikon cameras as good or almost as good as this camera, at a lower price.
I have heard people mention the D70, D80, and D90.
Please go into detail as much as possible.
 
Sure, the Nikon D300 is 1,469 dollars, but it doesn't include the lens. That is where the money really goes. A good lens for sports could cost you just as much as the D300 body. A good sports lens is the 70-300mm VR lens:

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-70-300mm-4-5-5-6G-Digital-Cameras/dp/B000HJPK2C/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1230086529&sr=8-1

That's another $450, and that's a ' cheap ' lens for sports. The D70, d80, and D90 are good cameras too, but the D300 is best. It shoots fastest, is weather-sealed, and has other ' more important ' features.

You need a long lens for sports, the 70-300mm VR is the best lens ( on a budget of course ). This is a very good combination. This will work well for you. You have exceeding your budget by quite a bit, however. I don't know if your mom will bend her budget that much, but hope she does.

They do have other cameras that come close, like the Nikon D200. it doesn't have as much features, but it's still a good camera for shooting sports. It's around eight hundred dollars for the body:

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D200-10-2MP-Digital-Camera/dp/B000BY52NK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1230087022&sr=1-1

You could then afford the 70-300mm VR lens, and have some left over for other things. Would the D300 be better in the long-run? Yes. If you think your mom will bend, By all means get it. If she's not going to, There would not be any shame in getting the D200.

EDIT: If you are in dim light, you would NEED the f/2.8, but with most cases, the 70-300mm with Build in Vibration Reduction is fine. The 70-200mm lens is much heavier, which may be a dis-convenience to you, also much more expensive.
 
For around $300 more you could get a D90 and a used AF 80-200 f2.8 .

http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductList.aspx?Mode=searchproducts&item=0&ActivateTOC2=false&ID=&Size=&BC=DN&BCC=3&CC=2&CCC=1&BCL=&GBC=&GCC=&KW=d90

http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductDetail.aspx?groupsku=NA07999029183K&brandcategoryname=35MM&Mode=searchproducts&item=0&ActivateTOC2=false&ID=&BC=NA&BCC=1&CC=7&CCC=2&BCL=&GBC=&GCC=&KW=80-200

You might be able to find a cheaper D90 then this one.
 
For that money, I would opt for the D90 with its standard 18-105mm VR lens (that is equivalent to a 180mm telephoto lens on a film camera... That is a lot of lens, and the "kit" comes in at about 1200 or so. That leaves money for the UV Filter (to protect the lens) and a camera bag. If you are not used to using telephoto lenses, you are going to have real trouble shooting decent pics...camera movement is a biotch with telephotos! The lens is standard at about f4.5 in telephoto setting. The D90 has a focal plane shutter, shoots 4.5 pics per second in action mode (will also do movies)...and has the option of Live View for shooting! This one is really good where you have to shoot fast and easy...this camera is extremely fast on autofocusing, and has full manual over rides on all functions, including white balance, ISO, focus, aperature, and shutter...it also has shutter priority autofocus, aperature priority autofocus, etc. This is one hell of a lot of camera, and the price cannot be beat...you can force the ISO to 3200 !!!!! Normal shooting ISO ranges between 100 and 1600...very very fast! You no longer need the huge, heavy lenses for shooting. In sports shooting, you will rarely be afforded the luxury of a tripod for stability, so you need a very fast camera to offset camera movement. VR lenses are good for up to 3 shutter speeds once you learn how to use them!
The camera can grow with you, for there is a full range of lenses (all Nikon lenses fit this unit). Coming in at 12 megapixels, it is one fine camera, terrific at fast autofocus, and 11 differnet methods of autofocus you can set. It has a sports simple setting on the shutter/focus knob...how easy can it get? I seriously doubt you could outgrow this camera. Happy Holidays.
 
Do you have extra money for the lens? As you will quickly find, the only aperture acceptable for sports is f/2.8 or larger. Buying a 70-300 f/4-5.6 lens or any variation there of is pretty much a waste of money. If you can raise an extra $400-500 I would get the D200 and 70-200 f/2.8.
 
For that money, I would opt for the D90 with its standard 18-105mm VR lens (that is equivalent to a 180mm telephoto lens on a film camera... That is a lot of lens, and the "kit" comes in at about 1200 or so. That leaves money for the UV Filter (to protect the lens) and a camera bag. If you are not used to using telephoto lenses, you are going to have real trouble shooting decent pics...camera movement is a biotch with telephotos! The lens is standard at about f4.5 in telephoto setting. The D90 has a focal plane shutter, shoots 4.5 pics per second in action mode (will also do movies)...and has the option of Live View for shooting! This one is really good where you have to shoot fast and easy...this camera is extremely fast on autofocusing, and has full manual over rides on all functions, including white balance, ISO, focus, aperature, and shutter...it also has shutter priority autofocus, aperature priority autofocus, etc. This is one hell of a lot of camera, and the price cannot be beat...you can force the ISO to 3200 !!!!! Normal shooting ISO ranges between 100 and 1600...very very fast! You no longer need the huge, heavy lenses for shooting. In sports shooting, you will rarely be afforded the luxury of a tripod for stability, so you need a very fast camera to offset camera movement. VR lenses are good for up to 3 shutter speeds once you learn how to use them!
The camera can grow with you, for there is a full range of lenses (all Nikon lenses fit this unit). Coming in at 12 megapixels, it is one fine camera, terrific at fast autofocus, and 11 differnet methods of autofocus you can set. It has a sports simple setting on the shutter/focus knob...how easy can it get? I seriously doubt you could outgrow this camera. Happy Holidays.
 
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