"It's not the fiddle. It's the fiddler." While this is mostly true when it comes to capturing good sports shots. It's not completely true. Your camera equipment can really help you get more of those very interesting sports photos that I know you crave. These are my top four equipment capability criteria that help capture cool sports images.
- Auto focus speed - Sports like soccer require a camera / lens set up that can quickly focus on a subject AND continue to focus on a moving subject.
- High frames per second rate - More is better; 8 fps is better than 5 which is better than 3. I'm sure there's a speed that gets ridiculous. If it exists, I haven't used it yet.
- Good low light performance - Not all the action occurs in optimal lighting. Having a camera that can take photos in the ISO 3200 - 6400 range with well controlled noise levels is key. But don't forget about big aperture lenses as well. If the budget can handle it, f/2.8 lenses are better than f/4.0, which is better than f/5.6. The bigger apertures let you shoot at higher shutter speeds in low light situations.
- Sharp, in-focus subject with nice blurry background - See number 3 above. The f/2.8 lenses with long lengths (ie. 300mm) can really help with this.


