Need advice on upgrading from a Nikon D50

[teckert]

Hi there! New to this site, which is great! I currently have a Nikon D50 and am looking to upgrade. I shoot mostly sporting events of my kids. However, the venues are quite diverse from outside soccer to indoor gymnastics (low light, flash not allowed). I get so dissapointed in the shoots I take from the stands (with a 70-300 Nikkor G lens). I purchased my Nikon D50 and lenses (not VR) about 4 years ago. Images taken with the 70-300 lens are blurry and red eye. I am considering another Nikon camera but am open to others. Need a camera body, and suggestions on the two best lenses to get (also that won't break the bank). From what I've read, it seems a lens of 50/1.8 or 85/1.8 would be great for the gymnastics but only if I can position myself close (on the floor). Otherwise, from the stands a 70-200 is must but a good quality one with f/2.8 appears to be expensive. Help! I wish to purchase what I need, preferably under $1800. Thanks! All recommendations and inputs greatly appreciated!

[Nicole]

You might do better upgrading your lens rather than your body. The D50 is a pretty good little camera. I upgraded from that to the D90, but I didn't upgrade and lenses because I'd been slowly building my lens collection. The D90 does great at high ISOs which will give you a bit of extra shutter speed, but you'll still almost certainly want to get a better lens. $1800 would get you a used Nikon 70-200 or a a new Sigma or Tamron plus one of the primes you mentioned. My opinion would be that a new lens will make the most difference. But you could do a D90 + a Tamron 70-200 and that would get you in around your budget.

[inkista]

In the meantime, since you have the non-VR version of the 70-300, have you tried a monopod to help stabilize it?

[Chip]

If you keep the D50, a used Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8 with AF-S might serve you well, too, for a lot less than a new 70-200.

I have a D90. ISO is surprisingly good up to 3200, as long as the photo isn't underexposed. Higher than 3200 can be decent, too, if there aren't too many blacks or dark colors in the frame.

[GadgetRick]

Just went through your same experience. If you plan to stay with Nikon, you can't go wrong with the D90. I had one (borrowed) for a couple of weeks and shot a lot of things with it. Amazing camera for the price. High ISO performance is awesome (I shot a bunch of wrestling indoors). Here's a link to some pics I took with the D90 at higher ISO. You will need a fast lens either way (I shot with the Nikon 50mm f1.8. It's a no-brainer to get that lens as it's around $100).

If, on the other hand, you look to switch. I switched to a Canon 50D but I'm going to be doing some pro work. It's a bit overkill for what you're looking to do, quite frankly, and I'm not sure Canon has anything to compare with the D90 (from a high ISO performance standpoint) anyway. And, quite frankly, I think the D90 is a wee bit better at higher ISOs than the 50D I got but the 50D is no slouch either. Nikon has a reputation of doing better at higher ISOs than Canon.

Good luck!

[teckert]

Nicole, I was actually on the fence about whether to just upgrade to a better lens! However, for sport's action, shouldn't the ISO be high? The D50 only goes up to 1600 (perhaps this is enought if the right lens is used - what do I know!). I have shot the camera in auto mode for the past 4 years and am now determined go beyonhd into auto. Also, is the Nikon 70-200 lens you mentioned f/2.8? Do you know anything about using a 50/1.8 or 85/1.8? Seems I've been reading that those might also be good for indoor gymnastics. Thanks so much! Any additional input is always greatly appreciated.

[teckert]

Inkista,
No, I haven't tried using an Ipod for the gymnastics. I probably should.

[teckert]

Gadget Rick,
OMG, those wrestling pictures were great! I can greatly appreciate them even more since there is also a wrestler in this household! What settings did you use? So, I can get a Nikkon 50 f1.8 for around $100 - I am assuming that is if you are able to position fairly close to the action. Also, what other lenses do you recommend for what I need to shoot?

[teckert]

I was also kind of leaning toward the D90.

[teckert]

Chip,
Ohh, didn't know that there was a 80-200 lens! In your opinion, what two lenses do you consider absolute for what I need? Feel free to throw in a third. Thanks!