Sports Photos...Nikon D7200 or D7500?

disneyfan551

Focusing on the FIGHT and not the FRIGHT! 🟠🙏
Joined
Jan 17, 2002
Hi all! I'm looking to upgrade my Nikon D5100 that has (I think) an 18-200 lens. I am typically an P&S person, but do use Sport mode for Softball games. I'm really wanting something for sharp photos, as I typically take 500+ photos per game, and am tired of them not being good enough quality.

I have been researching these two cameras and would love to know if any of you have any advice about them. Would like to order something in the next day or so (budget less than $1,500), since my lens should fit these.

Also, would love to hear of any reputable places to order from! I wish Costco had the 7200, as they have a GREAT 90 day return policy.

Thanks for any advice!!!
 
What is the quality problem you are having? You're expecting the new camera to solve that, right? All things considered, your issues most likely lay in two areas, the lens and your technique. While I'm not totally versed in Nikon minutiae, a typical 18-200 is a whole lot of compromise. If you've got soft, less contrasty shots, a different lens might be a possibility as PART of a solution. For sports, I might suggest a 70-200 - either an f2.8 of f4. Decent choices would be Tokina, Tamron, Sigma, or Nikon. New, used, or refurb would all work. Most of these would be one or two steps up from the 18-200. Try B&H, Adorama, or KEH. All have good return policies.

Now, the other part of this is HOW you're taking your shots. Auto? Grab shots? Sport shooting is demanding in it's own way. Handholding the camera steady if the first step. You may want to practice technique here. Next is to change shutter priority. You need to experiment a little here and do some test shots to find, for your given light conditions, just how fast you have to go. This may involve upping your ISO. Third step is HUGE - turn off your autofocus. You need to learn to anticipate WHERE the action is going to occur. Point your camera there. Manually focus (or use focus lock) on that spot. Wait for it. In conjunction, you'll want to change your drive mode to multi-shot. You're not looking to make every shot a keeper - you want to get THE shot. Then move on to the next spot. Baseball is easy since action on the field tends to repeat in many locations.
 
I'm not versed on the Nikon lineup of cameras, but I'd lay money that isn't the issue.

Super zooms are not known for their image quality. A better lens is likely to make a huge difference. I would consider renting a lens to try it out and see if it helps.

Additionally, if you're shooting in the auto settings, learning to improve your technique is going to net a much larger difference than buying a new camera will.
 
1 -- The D7500 is a far better sports camera than the D7200 because of its deep buffer and fast burst rate. Basically, you can just rattle off 8 frames per second, non-stop. Very useful for sports BUT
2 -- The camera probably isn't your problem.
2a -- You are using a poor slow lens.
2b -- The biggest issue, you probably aren't setting and using your camera correctly. To shoot sports, you really need to master your focus modes and shutter speeds. The quick "sports mode" on camera dials is typically a pretty poor substitute. Are your images blurry because the motion is too fast? Then you aren't using a fast enough shutter speed. Changing cameras won't fix it -- It's a matter of changing the settings. If the wrong part of the frame in focus? Then you haven't mastered your focus settings.
 


I should also update my comments to say you don't have to turn off autofocus. BUT. What you would then have to do is go through the menu system to change the settings on the camera to enable AF-Lock on one of the back buttons. This should stop the camera from attempting to refocus as you press the release. BUT<G>. In some systems, this may also lock exposure and you may not want to do that. This would be in the custom settings on the camera menu.
 
Thank you all for the replies! I decided to order the D7500 (since dh is being generous... :love:) and am going to study to learn about shooting in manual. It's just so scary to me! I'm so afraid of missing good photos and not setting things correctly! Any recommendations on sites or people to watch youtube videos of?
 
Thank you all for the replies! I decided to order the D7500 (since dh is being generous... :love:) and am going to study to learn about shooting in manual. It's just so scary to me! I'm so afraid of missing good photos and not setting things correctly! Any recommendations on sites or people to watch youtube videos of?

Any feedback on the d7500? How are you liking it??
Considering upgrading to this model as well.
 



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