10 Cameras for Sports Events Shooting to Buy in 2023

Is it difficult to choose a camera for sports that is good for shooting athletes movements?

You need the best camera for sports capable of capturing athletes’ emotions, energy and movement during the competition or training if you’re a photographer who wants to shoot sporting events. What characteristics should such a camera have?

Most importantly, it should come with a super-fast telephoto lens that can capture all the action without a loss of quality. I’ve prepared this article to help you find the best camera for sports that will help you enjoy every moment of taking photos during sport or action events.

Some photographers give preference to universal cameras that have interchangeable lenses and large image sensors, while others don’t want to deal with such bulky and heavy equipment. Thankfully, the recent advances in technology allow you to find a relatively compact camera that has an impressive sensor and is compatible with different lenses. If you need a reliable and waterproof sports shot camera that will satisfy all of your needs, browse through this list.

This is the best camera for sports that has a continuous shooting mode with up to 10fps with absolutely automatic focusing and exposure. There’s minimal noise when shooting within standard ISO range, but you can increase the sensitivity for poor lighting conditions when you don’t have to view or print photos at a large size. If you’re taking images at JPEG at ISO 51,200, they’ll have quite a bit of noise and can have green or magenta tones.

If you reduce sensitivity to 25,600, you’ll get noticeably better results. There will still be quite a bit of noise, but the colors will be more accurate. If you set the ISO to its max standard setting of 16,000, the images will be of really high quality without any significant flaws.

Overall, I can recommend the 90D as the best DSLR for sports photographers who know how important it is to capture every moment. Photos are taken with minimal delays, so you never risk missing a single second of the competition.

The Nikon Z9 is a 45.7MP full-frame sports camera for professional photographers. It supports high shooting speed and allows you to take photos in 8K, which makes it one of the best options on the market.

Until Nikon released this model, only two brands managed to create professional mirrorless cameras featuring a stacked CMOS sensor supporting fast readout. This camera can easily beat its competitors. These days, experienced photographers prefer using mirrorless models, which makes this camera an excellent option to consider.

The Z9 is the first model of this type that comes without a mechanical shutter. Besides, it’s the best Nikon camera for shooting videos released so far.

If you are looking for a top-notch sports camera for amateurs, have a closer look at this device. Being user-friendly, it provides all the needed features for documenting sports events. Photographers specializing in this genre often opt for this camera because of its fantastic autofocusing mechanism. There is a 9-point focusing system that includes one cross-type center AF point.

Thanks to such a number of AF focusing points, tracking a fast-moving object is a breeze. This is a huge advantage as sports photography is a subtype of high-speed photography. Though you need to capture motion, the camera perfectly copes with the task, providing you with detailed and sharp images.

If you frequently photograph in challenging weather conditions and need a camera that can withstand them, make sure to try Nikon D7500. This Nikon camera for video and photo has a durable case, which reliably protects the mechanism from moisture.

As it is a waterproof camera, you can use it for underwater photography. Another argument in favor of this camera is long battery life, so you can forget about constant recharging.

4K footage looks fantastic and can be output uncompressed over HDMI similar to the way it is done in other cameras in this price range. So, Nikon D7500 can become a good GoPro alternative.

The menu is rather flexible allowing for manual adjustments. Moreover, all buttons are conveniently located and there is a large ergonomic handle, so even if you work on gloves, controlling the device will be easy. All in all, this is one of the reliable video cameras for sports you can find this year.

I consider this Sony camera to be the best one for sports action shots due to the picture quality it offers. The available sensitivity range of 50 to 102,400 is very impressive. If you’ll look at the RAW files produced by the a7R, you can see the amount of photo processing it performs by default. However, RAWs tend to have more noise at all ISO settings compared to JPEGs.

If you use the default settings, the 42 MP photos will look a bit too soft. That’s why I recommend adding sharpness using the camera’s settings and Photoshop or Lightroom. Photographs taken in dark conditions look amazing when using max shutter speed (30sec.) and the Bulb mode opens up a lot of space for night images. This camera for sports has a Dynamic Range Optimizer feature that allows you to capture more details from shadowed and highlighted areas without creating artifacts or noise.

It puts together two pictures taken at different exposures and creates a single photo with a broader dynamic range. Sadly, it works only with JPEG images and static objects, so that you can embody any creative fitness photoshoot poses. Besides, Sony’s improved and tested Sweep Panorama is also a fantastic feature that you can try.

The Alpha 9 II is one of the recent sports cameras released by Sony that is sold in a higher price bracket. It allows you to take 24MP pictures at up to 20 frames per second in a soundless mode. The previous camera in this lineup had similar capabilities, however, this model has more advanced features. Besides, it is not bulky, which makes it perfect for experienced photographers who take sports and action shots.

Another thing that makes the Alpha 9 II different from the previous model is that it is fitted with an upgraded mechanical shutter which allows taking photos in burst mode at 10 fps. This will come in handy to those who often need to take photos without using the electronic shutter. The previous version supported burst shooting at up to 5 fps, which is insufficient for a camera used by professional sports and action photographers.

Using this camera, you can count on a decent burst rate in different settings, while the previous model was more suitable for brightly-lit outdoor locations.

This is one of the best cameras for sports that allows for taking sharp photos with well-saturated but still cool colors. Shooters can take noise-free pictures through the whole ISO range. You can also rely on this model while practicing football photography, soccer photography, and the like.

Personally, I’ve never used the highest point of ISO settings, but if you do, then don’t expect to get blurred photos. Even while shooting in all-purpose metering mode, exposures, which are weighted to the active AF point, are quite good.

Moreover, taking photos in very high-contrast conditions is not a problem for this Canon camera for sports. Tracking focus is also acceptable. You can only choose the given model for shooting moving subjects at 7fps, but it is still a good selection for such photography.

This camera brand representative can be used for sports action shots and it will impress you with good RAW detail capture and brilliant speed for sports. The 24 MP sensor allows taking photos with plenty of color stitching on the white-on-black texts. You can expect very clean and noiseless pictures even at basic ISO. As for JPEG colors, prepare to capture the scene in warm tones, including greens when switching to auto white balance and low light. You can make these tones even warmer if you use the additional automatic white balance setting.

Context-sensitive noise reduction from the Sony A7 III is impressive and makes the camera the best on the market, especially in terms of RAW photo quality. This full frame camera allows taking photos without any indications of haloing on edges due to large-radius sharpening. The parts with small details are accentuated well.

This Canon camera stands out for its lightning speed, outstanding performance, and incredibly durable body. Its exterior design is similar to the EOS-1D series made 20 years ago. On the other hand, the internal components have been significantly upgraded. Although this double-grip camera is rather bulky, it acts as a powerful mirrorless camera in Live View mode. However, keep in mind that you will need strong hands to hold it for hours on end.

The EOS-1D X Mark III delivers output images beyond 8-bit JPEGs. The camera also includes an AF subject recognition feature. This option is based on machine learning in both live view shooting and OVF mode. Moreover, it has an internal RAW video option and some other handy video capabilities.

This Fujifilm camera has lots of impressive features that allow for taking detailed shots. Personally, I choose this camera for action shots for running competitions or something like tennis photography. Its great autofocus and an updated option for face detection play into my hands when I need to shoot speeding cars or running people in between taking portraits.

You also shouldn’t worry about noise as it is controlled well and remains acceptable at higher settings. Of course, a professional shooter will notice a small amount of texture at low ISO, but it is not very visible, so that it is a decent camera for beginners. RAW files are also well detailed at ISO 12,800 but have little noise.

Do you know that DSLRs are the best cameras for action and sports photography? It is due to continuous and tracking autofocus modes, which are very reliable. Of course, you can take photos of sport using any camera. But if you want to get a perfect shot, then pay attention to some important features the best camera for sports should have.

Sensor. Take the sensor into consideration when choosing a good sports camera. The smaller sizes of the APS and Micro Four Thirds sensors are significant points when considering sports photography. Keep in mind that an APS sensor is smaller than a full-frame sensor. So, an APS camera with full-frame lenses presents a crop factor that results in a field of view that is like a longer lens. That’s why most sports shooters will take photos with a Micro Four Thirds or APS body infrequently even if they are full-frame.

High Shutter Speed. Most cameras have a pleasant shutter speed of 1/1000 per second. It is quite enough for taking a photo of a moving subject. However, it can be too little to catch a necessary moment. So, shooters should pay attention to the best camera for sports in order to freeze the action perfectly, as it is required for sports photography. A fast model, for instance, the Canon EOS 7D Mark II, has a max shutter speed of 1/8000 sec that is more than ordinary digital models offer.

Focal Length. A good camera for sports must have a suitable focal length. Shooters may take into consideration a 70-200mm lens with an aperture of ƒ/2.8 and start working without hesitation. It presents a soft background defocus. However, the 24-70mm focal length is definitely a better choice. As for 24 mm, it’s wide enough to get a good field of view but long enough to decrease distortion. Finally, choose a 70mm lens if you want to capture athletes far away.

Fast Autofocus System. The best DSLR camera for sports may have either contrast detection or phase detection autofocus. Let’s look at them closer:

• Phase detection AF. An SLR viewfinder that features phase detection. Its task is to analyze the difference between different wavelengths of light. It also immediately indicates the direction to move the lens and the distance to place the optics to get the sharpest focus. As my practice shows, Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF uses phase detection in Live View and it means you will be able to enjoy high quality, fast focusing.
• Contrast detection AF. Contrast detection AF is another method. It analyzes pixels on the device’s sensor and follows the rule that the subject is in focus when contrast is the highest. AF needs to push the focusing point of the lens back and forth to discover that point. This AF is slower than phase detection AF. But keep in mind that it has a more precise focus on still subjects.
• Large Apertures. If you want to get brilliant shots with a great subject and background, then a minimum aperture of ƒ/5.6 won’t suit you. It is quite enough for simple sports pictures but won’t let you take fantastic photos. I’d better give you an example. Imagine a stadium with lots of fans. They will be noticeable on the pictures because of your position “down on the field.” As a result, they will distract viewers’ attention from the action. That’s why it is better to choose the best DSLR for sports with a wide-open aperture in order to blur the background nicely.