Whats the best camera for rapid fire snowmobile use for around $1000 with lens?

I have had good luck with canon dslrs. We just bought a new T3i a month or so ago. The drawback is they are a pain to carry with you - especially if you have a zoom lens on it.

They are by far the best option for capturing great action shots so I try to take it with me as often as possible.

I'm in the same boat as you... looking for the same things... Been looking for a while.:face-icon-small-sho:face-icon-small-sho

10 FPS (frames per second) for less than $1000 is difficult... the only one I've found under $1000 ($699 for the body) is the Sony DSLR

The Sony DSLR's will go toe-to-toe with the best.:boxing:

I've read great things about the Sony Alpha 55... One of the recent Photo mags rated the Alpha 55 as the best fast action camera under $2000
They also rated the A-55 as the Pro - Level camera that is the most user friendly for the novice photographer!

If you are using a long lens... and shooting Burst mode... Image stabilization will come in handy... the A-55 has this.

For a bit more.. you will get into a camera that can do the work you want.

But it is like sled..you need accessories... A pelican case mounted to the tunnel to carry the camera, some extra batteries, memory, and some other items.

The Sony Alpha55 with an excellent 18-250mm lens.CLICK HERE
10 FPS, 16mp, image stabilization built into the camera $1050.00 (heck... It has a $600 lens on it!!)

The Cannon 60D with a good lens at B&H 18-200mm... a good buy...18mp... but only 5 fps $1350.00
CLICK HERE

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I would be afraid to put camera equipment on my tunnel...even in a pelican case. There is too much shaking/slamming and up down going on back there for my liking.

I read that same review on the Sony...

This criticism is coming from a site that also evaluates premium performance $7000.00+ cameras in the hands of truly professional photographers.

...it is not the ideal tool for shooting fast action.

Click to expand...

Yes... but in their opinion, the "Ideal tool" would be a large body Cannon 1DX which is ridiculously expensive.

I would say that what they mention is far from a "significant problem"

The other key phrase that, for me, makes this irrelevant to us non-pro people is

no live view updates, no aperture control...if you want AF during the burst

Click to expand...

My feelings on this is.... Who can adjust aperture or look at an update in an event window of .10 seconds???

Also, unless you are using a fixed lens with a small F rating... how much control do you have over the aperture ? The lens also plays a major role here.

I talked to Cannon Customer service (factory)...They said that in this new age of 10-14 (or more soon) FPS, these considerations (live update and focus control in .1 seconds or less) becomes a moot point for a human being using the camera. At that rate of burst, there is simply no time for the shooter to adjust this and although their Pro Level cameras do have this feature... they could not think of any photographer that would be able to use this feature in a way that would allow them to adjust their camera during the burst. Essentially, this feature is something that has become irrelevant in this new age of high FPS action Digital photography. The new 14 FPX 1DX has auto aperture/Auto focus available that is seamless... and in these cameras, the Pro Photographers are shooting in this mode (not manual)... simply because it is not humanly possible at that rate. The auto update is something that, if activated, becomes a blur across the screen/viewfinder at those speeds.... and is effectively not a useful tool when trying to manually adjust for this in these "small event windows"

... Now, if you were talking about adjusting this at the much slower rate of 3.7fps... yes, that is something that might factor in if you are lightning quick and prefer to have manual control in this situation.... IMO, that would be something that the best Professional photographers might need.. but then again, they are not using this kind of camera budget.

When I talked with the Tech support at B&H (they don't work on commission)... They simply said that in terms of burst image production... for less than $4000, the A-55/77 are in a league of their own. And, without the movable mirror, the durability of the A-55 camera is "rock solid" in comparison to a moving mirror camera.

The T3i has been a strong consideration for me..but with the movable mirror and the slow 3.7 FPS performance... It did not rank as high for me in my intended use... It has a max burst of 3.7 FPS and only 9 step AF....A-55 with 10FPS and 17 step AF... The EOS 1D-X with 14 FPS and 61 point AF

The only thing that I see that the A-55 does not greatly overshadow the T3i, for the non professional action-sports photographer, is that the T3i has progressive 1080i video where the Sony is interlaced 1080i. Unless you are showing on a huge projector, this is not really a concern for me in terms of perceivable video quality. For the best 55" HD flat panel... the average person would not notice the difference.

In the $1000 ballpark (w/lens) I really don't see anything in the A-55's league for shooting action sequences and giving amazing performance for all but the true professional photographer.


Some Eye-Candy..

The $7000+ Cannon EOS 1D-X... one word... WOW!!:face-icon-small-ton








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One last one that I considered when reading that review...

when shooting fast action the A55's 15-point AF system cannot deliver on the promise of its 10fps shooting rate, and the lack of live view refreshes except at its lowest 3fps setting makes panning very hard to judge.

Click to expand...

If you are standing in the snow, with your tripod and the sled (or other object/person) is moving right next to you... then the AF system at the higher FPS settings might not give you ideal focus, but would still give you decent images and no other camera in this category can even come close to that performance.

If you are standing at any distance, and shooting a sequence, this "panning argument" also becomes moot.

If you are standing next to the moving object as it goes by... the slowest setting on the A-55 is still at the max settings of other cameras in this price range... I have not read any criticisms of the 15 point AF of the A-55 at even 7fps at close range....

I have not read any criticisms of the Sony 10 FPS at mid/long ranges using tele lens as the focus/aperture does not effectively change over the swing of the shot.

All of the above reasons lead me, after reading all the reviews (like the excellent review that Christopher posted above) is that the A-55, as a sledders camera, at price around the $1000 mark (which is also my "max comfort range") ... Is in a league of its own for action and durability.

For me, use in my non pro hands will have me relying on many of the automatic features of a decent DSLR camera.

OH... and get the extended warranty on Whatever camera you get. Make sure it covers moisture damage and accidental damage.








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Scott.. I looked long & hard at the 60D.. That thing is one SWEET camera!!

In the end, with its super flexible lens (10-250) and that I'm shooting in daylight... plus wanting to have fast "burst" speeds.. the price of the Sony A-55 and the features for what I needed were much better.

The 2mp difference for me did not make too much of a diff as I really don't blow up wall sized posters.

The other item that I liked on the Sony is the 3D panorama.

dizzle... I hear ya...The backpacks are nice... but heavy and I like to have only my emergency gear on my back.

A small Pelican case, tucked up close to the seat would seem to get the least abuse... Since I would not cary more than a couple of extra batteries with me and some filters.. A small one would do me fine... plus I'd like to put a grip heater in the box to chase off the chill and keep condensation down to a minimum. Keeping snow out of the case (or backpack) when getting the camera in/out is also important to me... Quick draw, water-tight and durable were for me.. big considerations for me.

Something like the Pelican iM2075 or the iM2100

iM2075


iM2100














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I have a Pelican 1400 case that I use to haul around my Canon T1i and 55-250mm lens. I would bungee cord it to the rear of the tunnel on my Summit. It worked awesome last year and I would definitely say that a Pelican case is a must for carrying a DSLR on a sled. I've never had a problem with my setup, however now I DO have a problem...

I sold my 05 Summit and now have an 09 Dragon 155", any ideas on how to mount my case to the rear of the tunnel?? On my Summit it was easy to just bungee cord it to the stock hooks, but my Dragon has no such hooks, any advice?

Just get some 1/4-20 inch female rings, some carriage bolts, fender washers and some nylon washers... you can the use the track system as your lashing points. Or you can make some straps, rivet them to the case and use some sealant on the rivits... then bolt that to the tunnel. If you do a neat job, it will look pretty nice.

Take BOTH cameras on those special days!

Buy something like a Canon 60D or the new 7D DSLR with video capabilities. I have an old Canon 20D and the camera has been flawless. You could pick one up on line for a song these days. I would stick with an SLR that had a self cleaning digital photo cell or what ever it's called. Otherwise you will be photoshoping little grey ghosts off the pictures from microscopic dust particals from the camera shaking around on the back of the tunnel. It has great BURST speed, 8 frames a second. The newer camera have even faster prosessors in them that are capable up to 10-12 fps. If you are planning to go into areas like Revelstoke BC, and are planning to shoot air time off of jumps and cornises, then you better take a really nice SLR with you. There's two ways to transport a heavy SLR or as I call it.."THE BRICK"! Because that's what it feels like in your backpack. The other way is in a Pelican Box. These are the BEST!! I now take one of the best small point and shoot cameras that is on the market. It's the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS6 with a Leica lens. That right there is the difference! This camera takes such good outdoor photos, that I can't tell the difference between it and my 20D unless I bring up the properties and see which camera I used. So for non burst landscape pictures I shoot with the Lumix. For moving action and jumps, I use the 20D. I have a small Pelican Box for my Lumix that is mounted on the steering post of my sled. Easy to get to and I don't have to take off my pack or my helmet to snap a picture. Two photos are of the small pelican box and the other is one of the BURST photos from the 20D on one of our Revy trips. It's worth carrying 2-3 thousand $ in your backpack if your not going to be doing any air time and fall off your sled on to your back. Just have to be careful!

i just got the sony NEX5 the other day and i believe it will do 7fps for rapid fire and i think the nex 5n will do 10fps. Also the video is 1080 at 60fps which is pretty rad I think. I paid $450 at best buy and the nex5n is around $700. My 5 doesnt have as many pixels as the t3i (14vs18) but its a lot smaller,just as good if not better sensor and about half the price. Im currently looking into a bigger lense. The nex series uses an E mount with limits you to like 8 lenses but they make an adapter that will allow you to use all of cannons lenses too,pretty slick.

Another vote for the a55. I have the a55v that has the gps which is nice for snapping pictures that are location tagged.

Snowpro... that is a wicked-good camera in a compact size.

The image layering is a wicked feature that will cut down on photoshop time when doing sequences!

I found it to be about $100 less than the A-55 too!

I almost bought the 5n, but opted for the A-55 for the added features and through-the-lens viewfinder.

Some good shots from the A55 on YouTube.

The rodeo shots in the 2nd vid and the Panorama shots in the 4th one are pretty cool.

Christopher... you may want to reconsider this camera... the Package with the 18-250mm lens is def worth another look.

I went, with an open mind, to a great camera shop in San Francisco when I was there this week on business.

I compared the different cameras and talked to the owner of the shop about cameras for what I wanted.

Besides the fast burst speed.. the biggest was the abuse resistance of the camera itself...any of the cameras with moving mirrors, even ones like the Nikon D700 with locking lens, will not be as tolerant of accidental damage or G-shock.

Sure, there were better cameras out there in some areas of shooting photos.. but not in the price range that I was looking at or my skill level.
I'm not a pro and I dont need all the pro features.. I'll be shooting in auto mode for 99% of my shots.

He was unfortunately out of the A55's but, kind of like Miracle on 34th St, he actually recommended B&H photo if I wanted it fast... WOW!!
Otherwise, he would meet their price and give me a free memory card if I waited till the 28th.


Here is the most negative review that I found... But I had to qualify it... look at all of this reviewers opinion on all but the $6000+ cameras and she is pretty darn negative regardless of brand.

My comparisons were of the photos that I saw that were shot on the A55 and those that I shot on the demo camera after I left my passport in the shop and went out and shot some pics with it. I am not a photographer like Todd Williams is , nor am I an aspiring photographer like Ryan Harris.. I actually WANT the camera to do most of the work for me!:face-icon-small-win

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By her own admission, she is NOT interested in fast burst rates, video or new features... many of her critics say she is more of a traditional photographer with those kinds of needs (eg wedding photos, nature, macro)

Another review by her for Comparison.
http://youtu.be/Mk9n8CLKc54







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Also... the Camera shop owner said that getting FAST memory (90mb/second or higher) was key in getting longer burst sequences and good video.

There are lots of great deals on these..








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For the last five seasons I have always carried my Canon XH-A1 in a pelican case in a backpack on my back (never on the tunnel) when riding hard. Sometimes on the tunnel when riding smoother trails or terrain getting to filming areas. Tripod on tunnel. More recently...Canon 7D with L-Series 70-200mm IS USM lens or alternate lens attached to steering post/handle bars in a soft case.

Insurance!

dang, snowest, the place to come when you need to spend some money... lol