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Best DSLR for Action Photography

by Gary Stankaitis
(Gowanda, NY, USA)

With a budget of $2000 what would be the best dSLR when it comes to freezing action shots? And having asked that question does a higher shutter speed always mean a better picture?

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Best DSLR for Action Photography

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Jul 24, 2009
 Fast Continuous Speed, Low ISO Noise
by: Digital SLR Guide

The top shutter speed of a camera is actually less important when it comes to action photography than three other features.

The first feature to pay attention to is the continuous shot speed of the camera. Action photography is all about capturing a definitive moment, and sometimes that means blazing through 6 photos during that one second where the action is at its peak.

Cameras with higher continuous speeds are more capable of snapping hundreds of frames in rapid succession without slowing down.

The second feature that's important is how well the camera handles noise at high ISO settings.

The reason for this is that if you are taking action shots in low light, the ONLY way you can increase your shutter speed to freeze the action is to increase the ISO.

Some cameras produce virtually no noise at ISO 1600 while with others the noise is quite evident even at ISO 800.

The last feature to pay attention to is the autofocus system. Some autofocus systems are simply faster than others and are able to lock on to moving targets within fractions of seconds.

Taking all this into account, one of the best digital SLRs that you can get for action photography is the Nikon D300.

Before you run out and get one, just be aware that Nikon is likely to replace this camera in 2009 with the Nikon D300x. If you don't need a camera tomorrow, it might be worth the wait to see what the D300x has to offer.

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