Nikon D5500 Shooter’s Report Part II: The best indoor sports camera for under $1000

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posted Friday, May 29, 2015 at 12:43 PM EST

 
 

For anyone reading this who's ever tried to capture quality sports images in a typical indoor gym, you already know it's a tricky proposition. You need fast shutter speeds to capture the action, and in lower light environments this often means you need to let the ISO climb fairly high for many shooting situations.

You also need good continuous autofocus performance and reasonably good burst rates, as well as a viewfinder that can follow the action with some accuracy. The big deal sports photographers shoot with big deal full frame rigs attached to specialty lenses, and that adds up quickly in both price and heft. What about the rest of us... those who want quality images but either can't afford the high cost of the premium professional rigs, or don't want the huge bulk involved in lugging them around?

In my second Shooter's Report for the Nikon D5500, I'll make a case that this camera should be in the short list of your considerations if your budget tops out around $1000 for a capable body to carry into your next indoor basketball gym or hockey rink. No camera is perfect at any price, but after shooting sports with many cameras in this general price range, the D5500 sits atop the pack for overall performance and image quality from what I've found.

 
1/1000s / f/2.2 / ISO 1800 / +.3 EV / 30mm eq. / Nikkor 20mm f/1.8 lens

 
 
1/250s / f/1.8 / ISO 800 / +.3 EV / 127mm eq. / Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 lens

 
 
1/250s / f/2.0 / ISO 1000 / +.3 EV / 127mm eq. / Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 lens

Nikon D5500 Shooter's Report Part II

Check out our D5500 Shooter's Report Part II to get all the details, and for anyone who's yet to read the first report, which delves into both camera ergonomics and high ISO performance, please click here!

Nikon D5500Shooter's Report Part I | Part II • Gallery