Pentax K-5 Weatherproof Digital SLR Digital Camera Body w/ 1080p HD Video $699.99 + FS eBay (via BuyDig)

Quote from Cracktower : With a lot of pros here, can someone give me a begginner action dslr comment? I am an absolute noob and I want to take shots of my kids football games/cheer (daughter) competition. I am overwhelmed with the amount of information out there. Please help!!!

go get a refurbished d5100.

Quote from fyu : go get a refurbished d5100.

What kind of lens should be used for this? Thanks for the input btw...

Quote from cipher20 : Thank you for the information shnitz. It is very helpful. Can you please elaborate on some of the points which make you favor Sony and Pentax? btw what equipment do you use currently? I repped you too.

It's common for new photographers to become paralyzed with indecision, when faced with the dizzying number of choices out there. You just need to take a deep breath, realize that there is no wrong decision, and just take the plunge. My gear is Nikon, but that is a historic relic; I bought into it because it was what my dad used, so I got to share lenses, flashes, etc. With the quick technological advancements of cameras and lenses due to computer design and new technologies, all of that gear is obsolete, and when put together today wouldn't even cover the cost of a camera body.

Quote from Philosoraptor : Am I the only one thinking 700 slaps for a camera is a lot? Maybe I just dont know enough about cameras.

Yeah, you don't know enough about cameras. Google is your friend, go enjoy your research.

Quote from Cracktower : With a lot of pros here, can someone give me a begginner action dslr comment? I am an absolute noob and I want to take shots of my kids football games/cheer (daughter) competition. I am overwhelmed with the amount of information out there. Please help!!!

Well, any DSLR will do well enough for tracking focus. What's REALLY dependent here is the lens, although the body does factor in. The D5100 mentioned is a good option, or the K-30. The K-5 here is good, but the K-30 has a better autofocus system anyway, and it has a much better viewfinder and autofocus system than the D5100.

With any of the cameras, for daylight football games, the Pentax 55-300mm lens or Nikon 70-300mm VR lens will be enough. But for night games and indoor cheer competitions, you'll want a lens that is at least f/2.8. The obvious zoom lens choice would be the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 OS for either the Nikon or Pentax cameras, or you may even have to get a faster lens, like the Pentax 77mm or Nikon 85mm f/1.8.

So the 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses that come with the bundle I am looking at aren't good to use?

Quote from Cracktower : With a lot of pros here, can someone give me a begginner action dslr comment? I am an absolute noob and I want to take shots of my kids football games/cheer (daughter) competition. I am overwhelmed with the amount of information out there. Please help!!!

As shnitz pointed , there is no wrong answer. Any DSLR you choose will get you dramatically better shots than any P&S. There will be minor differences in image quality and bells and whistles, but you can ignore most of it.

What do you want to pay? Are you looking for the cheapest, the best value, or do you have a dollar amount in mind?

Keep in mind, the kit lenses that come with most entry level DSLR's don't have enough zoom for sports photography- you'll need to get a telephoto lens. Sony and Pentax have in body stabilization, which means you snap on an ancient tele lens (for cheap) and still get it stabilized.

There are a few choices that hit a sweet spot in terms of price/value. If it were me, and I'll assume you are on a budget, I'd recommend looking at the Sony offerings. You can get an a37 with a kit lens and a 55-300mm lens for $700, and wouldn't need to add a thing. You'll also get great frame per second performance, which will help you catch that big shot. If you can spend another $100, switch the kit lens to a 18-135mm, or if you want to save a bit, you also have options.

http://www.adorama.com/searchsite...o=sony+a37

Was looking at the former until I saw his post, then I started looking at this....

http://www.primotronix.com/tron/p...4Aod0yMAkQ

I just bought a canon elph 110hs for basic photos and for portability issues. I just need a dlsr for action pics, not looking for the cheapest, not looking for bragging rights either

Quote from Cracktower : So the 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses that come with the bundle I am looking at aren't good to use?

Depends on what you want to do, those two lenses worked for me in all my cases. I have a k10D, which is a 6 year old one, and still works well, other than without video mode.

Quote from shnitz : It's common for new photographers to become paralyzed with indecision, when faced with the dizzying number of choices out there. You just need to take a deep breath, realize that there is no wrong decision, and just take the plunge. My gear is Nikon, but that is a historic relic; I bought into it because it was what my dad used, so I got to share lenses, flashes, etc. With the quick technological advancements of cameras and lenses due to computer design and new technologies, all of that gear is obsolete, and when put together today wouldn't even cover the cost of a camera body.

thank you once again