A d5000 for sports? HA! (no offense to those who suggested it) The D90 is much more useful because it has the many of features a pro camera has in easier places, such as the overlooked subcommand dial, and in body autofocus which is handy for older lenses. It also can shoot HD video too. Also (for a budget) get a lens like the 80-200mm F/2.8 off ebay which will serve better than a kit lens. The D5000 is still a good camera if you don't need the extra speed and control...

Well the 18-55 is for a DX camera where the 28-80 you can use on both a DX (1.5crop sensor) and FX (full frame 35mm sensor) camera. If you multiple 18-55 by 1.5 you get the 27-82.5mm equivalent to full frame.

If you buy a used FX 28-80 lens it will not auto focus on the D3000, D5000, D40, or D60 since they don't have in-body focus motors.

Is there a difference between a 18-55mm lens and a 28-80mm lens?

Let us know what you end up getting and how you like it zenyatta fan :^)

Thanks for all the suggestions :] I may be back for more advice

For all it is worth D5000 is your only and very good choice in lower price models.
And to explain you will need higher ISO for sports and D5000 is very much better then D3000 in it.
Movable LCD is also very usable if you want to shoot with camera above your head for example also usable for sports.
If you are on a tight budget you could consider very affordable Nikon VR 55-200, it is not as fast and lacks manual override as VR 70-300 but has pretty decent IQ for the money.

AaronFoto said:
How about the D3000. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't it have a similar sensor to the D90? And does it have the 11 or 3 point focus system? But as far as "sports lenses", maybe a 70-300?... I don't know much about it but the focal length would be nice. For an awesome sports lens a 70-200 is hard to beat.

No, it's a different, older sensor, although it'll probably do a better job at sports shooting than the D40 because it has a slightly more advanced autofocus system.

zenya - there was a deal recently on adorama website for refurbished d5000 for less than $500, which I think is a great deal for this camera, as for lenses go for 70-300/vr at the beginning, it should be fast enough for You (at least at the beginning).

Thanks to everyone who helped me out. :] I still have some thinking to do, but it's much easier to try and figure out what I'm doing now. Thanks.

Sandisk cards IMO are the best cards you can get. You can get a 15M/Bs card or a 30Mb/s Card would be even better for sequencing for 25-40 frames on a d5000. Thats about 6 seconds of straight shooting. A few 4gb cards would be good or you could jsut get a 8gb or 16gb if your willing to have all your eggs in one basket

It uses SD memory cards

I think I've mostly made up my mind for the D5000. I just have other question, what kind of memory card can go with the D5000?

zenyattafan said:
It's outdoor shooting, and most of the time its good lighting lol :] The D3000 actually looks more in my budget for right now. The 70-300mm actually looks like a lens I could afford eventually.

When shooting sports you really do need that extra distance that gets you to 300mm. The 70-300mm VR is perfect for this when shooting in the daylight, as you stated. If you can't afford the VR, besure and use a mono-pod.

As far as the D3000, I brought up a similar question this week with the D90 vs D300. When shooting sports you really need a fast AF. I'm not sure if the D3000 could offer you the speed you'd like but it will work nicely (meaning, not pro level but good).

Here's an example I shot with a D40 before getting my D60 last year. No VR and I'm using a Mono-pod. Most of these were shot at 300mm:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=15524&id=1647615973&l=3f35e63a5f

its a pretty common feature amongst newer cameras. I would be hard-pressed to find one without. Lenses maybe..the D5000 also has a setting that will walk you through how to take the shot you want. Its a great introduction into DSLR at a good price.

Does the D5000 have auto focus? Is auto focus often included in most cameras?

I say go with the D5000 Zenyattafan. It has a similar sensor, 12mp, as the D90. It can also shoot HD video. The D3000 is "only" 10 megapixels and lacks video. The swivel screen on the D5000 will come in handy at the horse track to shoot over people's heads in crowds. As for the budget lens there's the 55-200mm. That will give you the most coverage along with the 18-55mm kit lens that comes with the camera. That's a decent combination for outdoor shooting at the track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7DHuC6oLw4&feature=channel

Wicked, I'm glad you are really nailing down the camera that is right for you. Always go and handle / test it out first at the store, check for some sales enjoy your new camera!

It's outdoor shooting, and most of the time its good lighting lol :] The D3000 actually looks more in my budget for right now. The 70-300mm actually looks like a lens I could afford eventually.

Here is an important question actually, are you shooting indoor sports or outdoor daytime sports. Because if you are shooting in good daylight a fast aperture is probably not as important as a longer range so maybe the 70-300 would be a good inexpensive lens choice. As for a sports camera body just check the frame rates, go into a store and ask them to put the so it shoots multiple frames and try it out. If shooting sports you will need a higher fps but you just have to decide what you can live with for now and what will meet your needs...when on a budget you have to make certain compromises so just make sure you make the right ones. Like if you are going to be shooting outdoors in the middle of the day you dont need a $2500 70-200 but maybe a $600 70-300

70-300mm is good for sports? That looks more like something that could be in my price range. Thanks. :]

How about the D3000. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't it have a similar sensor to the D90? And does it have the 11 or 3 point focus system? But as far as "sports lenses", maybe a 70-300?... I don't know much about it but the focal length would be nice. For an awesome sports lens a 70-200 is hard to beat.

Are there any decent inexpensive sports lens? I'm pretty sure I won't be able to afford any expensive lens right now. I might look into the cheaper cameras and go from there. The D40 or D5000 are also good cameras for sports?

I Hear something like the D40 or D5000 The D5000 is something like 600-700 CAD, the D90 is 900 CAD, and you can usually get a good deal with a kit lens. You wouldnt be sorry with a D90 at your lowest point and also if they are upgrading it you might get wicked deals around that time but Im not sure if and when that will happen. definitely spend your money on a good lens to capture sports and anything in lower light or fast movement. Spending that money on a lens is much better then on the body. Those 70-200 lenses dont come cheap by any means but they would do you better on a cheap body then the other way around. Like a D40 with 70-200 F2.8 would be way better then a D300 with an 18-200 F3.5-5.6

I do like the looks of the D90, but I am on a budget. Is there a lower cost camera that would do the same for me or is it drastically different in variations of models?

Well if it is your first DSLR then go for the D90 or its replacement that should be out sometime. Its a great camera and it gives you enough to use for long time and decide if you need more...while also still being happy that you have it.

I really like mine and though I want to upgrade to a D700 or D3s / or the equivalent in a year or so Im happy with my D90 and will probably keep it around after I upgrade. Its good to have the DX camera for more reach and to use inexpensive dx lenses.

As for sports i would say get one of the 70-200mm and just shoot in jpg to get the most fps that you can out of the camera.