Which Canon to choose from

[Tracie2u]

I have a wonderful point and shoot but need something that will take wonderful pictures in dim lit or flourescent lighting of basketall gyms. I take mostly sport pictures both soccer outdoors and indoors, basketball indoor and outdoors and I have been some portrait work. I have been looking at 3 Canon products, the 40D, Rebel T1i and the XSi. They all seem to have different features that would work great for me.
I would really love some input on this or an alternative. Like I said sports is my biggest deal. I cannot get a good enough shot with my point and shot no matter what I try with settings.

Thank you for any suggestions.

[Jim Bryant]

The Canon 40D is a good camera with the battery grip. But you'll also need to get the 70-200mm f2.8 for shooting indoor sports. No matter what body you decide to purchase, you need that lens.

[Tracie2u]

Thank you Jim,
Of course you couldnt start out with a cheaper lens.

[Doug Pardee]

Originally Posted by Tracie2u

need something that will take wonderful pictures in dim lit or flourescent lighting of basketall gyms

Unless you're taking photos of stationary objects, you're looking at a huge challenge. Indoor sports may be the most technically difficult type of photography that there is.

Besides the obvious conflict of low light and fast action, there's also the conflict of gas-discharge lighting and fast action. Gas-discharge lighting—fluorescent, mercury vapor, sodium, etc.—flickers at twice the power-line rate. In the US, it flickers at 120 Hz. If you try to use a shutter speed faster than 1/125, you'll get weird lighting effects with part of the image darker than other parts, and often with different coloration than other parts.

Even at 1/125, some of your shots won't come out. To get reliable lighting, you need to slow down to 1/60. At that speed, stopping action is not in the cards.

The pros put flash systems into the rafters that are remotely triggered by their cameras. The flash lets them use a faster shutter speed and gives more even lighting. You probably don't have that option.

Focusing is another challenge. You need a good tracking autofocus system and a fast-focusing lens, or else manually focus on a particular spot and wait for the action to get there.

All of this isn't to say that you can't get some good photos. But don't expect more than a small percentage to be even usable. Take lots of shots—the continuous shooting option can be helpful here.

And get a suitable lens. The one that Jim Bryant mentioned is good, but it's a big, heavy one and costs about $2000 US. A less flexible but more affordable option might be the EF 85 f/1.8 USM. It weighs about a quarter of what the 70-200 does, and costs about $400 US. Of course, it doesn't zoom.

[Tracie2u]

Thank you Doug,
Like I said I currently have an Olympus SP550uz with 18 times zoom, I switched to a SP590uz all though the zoom was much better it did not take as good pictures. I always take a minimum of 200 pic per game, but currently spend more time editing them than enjoying.
I spoke to someone who was using a Canon in a poorly lit gym and it was taking really good pictures compared to mine which 9 out of ten were all blurr. I forgot to find out what model, she did not have much of a lens on it either.

[jofrost]

Originally Posted by Tracie2u

Thank you Doug,
Like I said I currently have an Olympus SP550uz with 18 times zoom, I switched to a SP590uz all though the zoom was much better it did not take as good pictures. I always take a minimum of 200 pic per game, but currently spend more time editing them than enjoying.
I spoke to someone who was using a Canon in a poorly lit gym and it was taking really good pictures compared to mine which 9 out of ten were all blurr. I forgot to find out what model, she did not have much of a lens on it either.

Tracie ,

I used to have a similar problem with my P&S Minolta Z6 . Would take great photos , even on continuous setting . But sometimes the shutter lag would make it hard on quicker moving objects if I didn't get the panning just right .
I now have the Rebel XS and it does a great job for the aerial photography of fast moving model aircraft I normally photo . The other models you mention would be even better .
Our group also flies indoors in a poorly lit wharehouse and it still takes great photos even without a better flash using my Tamron 70-300 .

-John