I captured a solid sports image on a Nikon D3500 to prove that camera gear should never stand in your way

In my mind, the Nikon D3500 sits firmly within the pantheon of legendary cameras because it arguably introduced more people to the world of digital photography than any other camera (Canon EOS Rebel T7 (EOS 2000D) aside). But far from being one of the best cameras for beginners, it’s also an extremely versatile little camera that’s perhaps capable of far more than you might think.

To prove just how capable this little camera really is, I took it to a local race circuit to photograph a superbike race and captured the image (above) with the Nikon AF-S DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6G. I do the occasional motorsport photography talk, and this image sits within my presentation as an example of how you should never let gear (or lack of it) stand in the way of your photography.

Sure, I had to crop into this image a bit, and if I’d been using a high-resolution camera, more detail would have been present. A longer lens would have reduced the need to crop altogether, and if it was a good-quality optic, the subject might have been sharper. Maybe a more advanced image-stabilization system would have helped me capture a sharper subject, too. And with more frames per second, perhaps I could have selected a more dynamic moment. But all that aside, this is still a solid motorsport photography image.

I’ve no doubt that a beginner with an interest in sports photography could put together a formidable portfolio with just a Nikon D3500 and a healthy dose of determination. Don’t get me wrong, gear does matter when it comes to photography – however much I hate to admit it – but it’s certainly a law of diminishing returns.

If you can’t capture a decent photo on a Nikon D3500, you’re not going to suddenly capture a decent photo on the best Nikon camera money can buy. Whatever photography gear you have, don’t let it get you down. Look upon it positively and you might just capture your best images ever.

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