Is the sony a7 II good for xc and mx photos?

I have the a7iii and it’s awesome. Super fast focus

did not realize there were XC and MX cameras?

Pay the extra few bucks for the a7iii.  The auto focus had a significant improvement from the ii series to the iii. Also, buying *used* for a camera you’ll be bringing to a MX track is fine because 1 day at a track is the equivalent to a lifetime of someone who shoots weddings or something like that.  

Are you getting this camera strictly for moto?  I know you want mirrorless, but your budget will go much farther with buying used DSLR gear.  Are you set only on Sony/Nikon and not open to Canon?  There's a lot of good cameras out there, but I would be focused more on the glass.  The glass makes all the difference.

 My camera.  Live it, but I don’t know how to use it yet.  LOL

I'd echo what Black Diesel Bomber is saying here then. Mirrorless is great, but you can go a lot further right now for your money with used DSLR equipment. Tons of pros are still using DSLRs, and the time to buy has never been better. As the industry moves towards mirrorless, DSLRs are hitting the used market for really great prices.

Sony, Nikon, and Canon, none of it really matters. It's all just a tool that's as good as you are. Put most of your money towards good lenses as that's where the quality of your photos will be most notable. They say you marry the lens and date the camera body, because lenses tend to stick with you for as long as you shoot, where you might go through multiple bodies.

Good luck and have fun with it man. Shooting dirt bikes is a great time.

Almost any rig can get you great moto pics.  Tech helps (I shot in no auto focus days), but sometimes tech heavy emphasis distracts that the biggest contributor to getting great shots is you learning composition and your rig (RTFM) enough that you work it, not have it work you.  It's the chef that makes the meal, not the stove.  Pursuing that in moto is wonderful and awesomely fun if you're committed to learning and it hooks you.

Keep in mind that the best autofocus system in a body, however new or dated, still needs a fast lens (both AF motor and aperture) to function optimally.

This. I'm not sure about other brands, but don't get the A7II for moto. The III is muuuch better.

Like everyone else said any brand can capture great images but it depends on your personality and how serious you want to get for moto photography.  If you are just a casual user, will use your camera for a lot more than moto, and you simply want the ability to capture some decent motocross photos then anything present day should work.  But if you are somewhat of a gear head, you want to get serious about moto photography, and your gear will be used primarily to shoot moto, then gear choice is much more critical.  You can buy DSLR gear that the pros have been using for years at dirt cheap prices right now.  These used setups will be much better for moto photography and produce more professional looking images compared to a 1k'ish brand new mirrorless body with a cheap kit lens.  That A7II you are looking at is only 5fps, not what you want for shooting moto.

I kind of explain it to people like becoming a pilot.  If you are the type who wants to learn how to fly and master everything about it, learn on analog gear, be in control of everything manually and know how it affects the aircraft, then buy a DSLR and learn photography before thinking about mirrorless.  Or, if you're the type that wants everything done for you by pushing an autopilot button, and you don't care about learning key fundamentals like how the exposure triangle and AF points works, then buy a mirrorless and you'll probably use it just like your cell phone camera.  Not to say you can't learn everything on an ML camera, but they are so complex it's just easier to navigate a DSLR in my opinion without all the millions of AF modes/distractions.

Of all brands, I think Canon has the best moto setup available for limited budgets.  Canon was ahead of the game back in the day until the other brands caught up.  You could buy a used 1DX and 70-200 2.8L for a little over a grand and I can't think of another gear combo that would compare in this budget range for strictly moto use.  This is not your lightweight compact mirrorless gear.  It's big, heavy, built like a tank, and will be very relevant for many years.  They are very easy to shoot with and I think it will teach you photography the correct way if that's what your goal is.   

 When I was first starting to take photos at races, Paul Buckley  ( A local Moto photo legend ) Told me to get that lens. a 70-200  2.8. Nice and sealed up. I have a couple lenses that I've had for 15 years.  The lens can make or break the photos . I've gotten some really good images with the cheap lens that came with my first DSLR a canon 20D. But I got many many more really good images after getting a better lens. I went from the spray and pray following through a corner and taking 1500+ images in a day on a National weekend. To following a rider through a corner and grabbing just the right moment in time. And instead of filling up multiple cards I don't even fill a single card now, well when I was going last.   The faster lens made it easier to do. I have not been out to races using my camera in years, I'm using a little newer body now a 70D . But its on its way to being a classic.  Some good advice on here 

I love my A7iii.  Great camera for photos and decent for video, as well.  What you really need to put your money in is the lenses, as anyone will tell you.  This is coming from a very non-pro camera person.
 

 I admittedly don't know much about the D100, even as a Nikon guy. It's a little older, coming out in 2002. You can learn more about your camera here. But, the basics remain the same:

1. Google and the internet is your friend. There are a TON of really awesome how-to videos out there, as well as support groups for people who are new to shooting. Learn how to change settings on your camera, learn about the exposure triangle, and shoot a lot. If a photo doesn't turn out the way you want it to, do what you can to find out why and understand why. Varieties of DSLR cameras have different features and tricks, but they all rely on aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to work.

2. Practice a lot. Shoot pictures of your cat, random birds, landscapes, whatever you can. Learn how to work your camera and make it work for you. Take it to the track and shoot some pictures of bikes to see what that's like. Just have fun with a camera in your hand and find out if it's something you like enough to invest more time and money in.

3. Find photographers that take pictures that you like. Follow their work and let it inspire you to create something you might not have thought of otherwise. You may discover a new style of shooting that you want to get into and learn. It'll push you to learn more about how to work your camera and what you can create.

In all honesty, I'd say learn the basics of photography with the D100 then spend that $1k you have on something much better. BDB had a great recommendation of an older pro body with a 70-200 2.8. If you learn the basics now, you'll be blown away with what you can accomplish with your upgrade.

Download the manual and digest it.  It will be a good rig to practice on, and then you can step up if you're having fun with it.

Paul Buckley, one of the MX Photography greats, ran a thread worth looking at back when the Vital had a photo/video forum.  https://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Photo-and-Video,23/Anyone-got-any-photo-question,15932

On composition, learn the rule thirds.  Watch your backgrounds.  MX tracks tend to be very busy places, and you will want to move around to eliminate as much crap in the background as possible.  Nothing like a bright porta-potty scuzzing up an otherwise good capture.  Lean into shallower depth of field on your apertures, which will help blur out busyness in the background.  Strive to move away from autoexposure settings, but if you do more often than not an aperture priority setting that keep your aperture the same and varies shutter speeds may be optimal (others will disagree, personally I almost always shoot full manual across exposure and white balance).

Everything has pretty much been covered but I'll say it again - Youtube is your friend.  I know nothing about Nikon gear so maybe someone else can chime in but since you got a camera for free you should definitley spend some money on a decent lens.  As mentioned above, you can keep the lens for many years as you swap out bodies.  Not sure if this Nikon was a great performer but if it was you can get them in the $450 range.  If photography doesn't work out for you, you can sell it for very close to what you bought it for. This will be a huge benefit to you over a cheap (slow) kit lens with a small aperture, especially on that old D100 body.  If you get hooked, you'll be upgrading that D100 body sooner than later. Good luck and have fun learning.

Just wanted to chime in and say that the lens he listed here still REALLY holds up well. A close friend of mine shoots on one while I shoot on the newer VRII and you can't tell a bit of difference in the quality. Incredibly solid lens and definitely a worthwhile purchase.

Nice to hear. In Canon land we've had four versions of the EF 70-200 2.8 lens and now an RF version.  I've owned them all and rate them like this:

EF 2.8 Non IS - Very good bang for the buck, very sharp 
EF 2.8 IS - a step back, the worst of the bunch
EF 2.8 IS II - a leap forward, very sharp, great contrast
EF 2.8 IS III - not worth the upgrade from vII. Only difference is a new coating to improve flare. Save money and get vII 

Now for mirrorless:
RF 2.8 IS - Very sharp and great contrast, very compact due to it's telescoping front element, hard to beat and very expensive

All of these lenses are great for shooting moto but if on a budget the original non IS is the best bang for the buck. 

Right on, that's good info to know. I have some friends who shoot Canon and I know absolutely nothing about those systems, but I've always been curious.

Nikon only has 3 iterations of the 70-200 2.8 since they moved on from the 80-200 2.8:

1. The original VR, which is the one you sent. Really solid. (Came out in 2003, still a rockstar lens)

2. VRII, builds off the original VR. A little bit smaller, generally the same quality as the first. (Came out in 2009)

3. The ED FL, the newest for DSLRs. I've not used one, but most reviews say this is the best one, yet very pricy. (Came out in 2016)

And of course the mirrorless series Z mount 70-200 2.8. I've not looked into it too much but I imagine it's very solid.

Note to the OP, make sure you get the f/2.8 version and not the 70-200 f/4. It's a good lens, but not for sports and motorsports. Everything I've seen on it says that the focus is incredibly slow compared to it's f/2.8 counterpart. Any of the three I listed would be a solid tool in your camera bag.

"Note to the OP, make sure you get the f/2.8 version and not the 70-200 f/4. It's a good lens, but not for sports and motorsports. Everything I've seen on it says that the focus is incredibly slow compared to it's f/2.8 counterpart. "

This will be true for older bodies, and is generally true as you go to slower lenses, and the combo of slow lens older body on less than pro rigs can challenge things.  

What happens, at least in the Canon world, is that regardless the aperture you are shooting with, when autofocus engages it opens the lens wide to maximize the light available for fixing focus before stopping down again for shutter release (the computers in these cameras are pretty amazing).  Not a math guy, but at being a full stop faster the 2.8 should have twice the light to work with for autofocus purposes than a 4.0 lens all other things being equal.  My 2.8's focus noticeably slower if I add a teleconverter that renders that lens a 4.0 (1.3x TC) or 5.6 (2.0x TC).

There's can be a lot of variation between lenses of the same model, at least with Canon.  My original 2.8IS from 2004 was stellar and I still shoot with it five bodies later, but I have heard of people returning/swapping lenses until they get a copy they are satisfied with.

That is a great lens of course, but it's definitely the worst of the bunch, even if splitting hairs.  Between my brother and I we've owned multiple copies and you would see an improvement if you upgrade to vII.  I live a few miles from Canon and if I feel a lens is off I take it to them for calibration so it's not like I had a bad copy.  

Is that a D90 or D100?  Does the camera power up?  

It is a variable aperture zoom lens, common among lower priced zoom lenses because of the cost of the optics to fix the aperture through all focal lengths of the zoom.

It is 4.0 at 75mm zoom and 5.6 at 300.

It likely will have a fairly slow AF motor.  I don't know if it would have the speed to track a bike. 

Just get a good used DSLR camera, don’t get caught up to much in spec and jargon. Every year you will see an upgrade with some new tech or some small difference that doesn’t really affect the image, it’s really for the most part marketing. Also, quality is affected much more by post processing skill, or how good you are in Photoshop, Lightroom…etc. One of the best set ups I have owned for quality and diversity, including action shots was a with a Pentax Kii s and kii with Tamron 70-200. One thing to keep in mind is how the camera focuses and how the lens motor focuses. You can have significant cost savings going with a Tamron, Sigma or similar glass and not suffer focus speed depending on the methods of focus. With all this being said, if I were just getting into photography I would buy a used Cannon due to the amount of glass available new and used. Remember the glass is just as, if not more important than the body. No point in buying a $2500 body and putting a packaged lens or cheap lens on. Also, a $5000 dollar paint brush isn’t going to make your shitty paintings any better, if you know what I’m saying.

It looks like a D90 to me which is better than the D100 you mentioned earlier.   After a quick look it should give you about 4.5 frames per second.  It's a 1.5x crop sensor (not full frame) which means your focal length will be multiplied by 1.5x.  So if your lens says 100mm you are actually shooting at 150mm.  

You need to get the camera into AI servo mode (AF-C in Nikon?) and use the center focus point cluster for starters.  Learn how to adjust/move the focus points with the joystick or wheels for composition.  JB can probably walk you through how to set this up for moto being a Nikon guy.  I would set it up for max aperture in AV mode, and start there to learn how to adjust ISO and obtain a minimum shutter speed that will freeze the action.  There are other ways to do this like TV mode but I feel it's important to learn what the aperture does to depth of field and shutter speeds.