Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Camera for sports shots

Jan 10, 2012 9:40AM PST

I have girls in sports (volleyball, rowing & barrel racing), and would like to get some decent action shots. Budget $500 or less.

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
Jan 10, 2012 10:08AM PST

Have a look at the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS.

- Collapse -
SX40 may not do well for indoor volleyball...
Jan 10, 2012 11:08AM PST

...but should be fine for beach volleyball, as well as rowing and barrel racing.

Just FYI - Mark

- Collapse -
Indoor events
Jan 11, 2012 4:14AM PST

Thanks, I was wondering about the SX40. I have the Nikon Coolpix S9100, and it does okay if there is not a lot of fast movement.

The volleyball is indoor. The barrel racing is both in & outdoor. The exposure could probably be adjusted for the indoor events.

Thoughts are appreciated.

- Collapse -
No Better
Jan 11, 2012 5:42AM PST

The SX40 is not going to do any better than your S9100, because both camera's share a similar sized sensor and lens apertures. If you adjust the exposure to compensate for low light, you will get noisy and/or blurry photos. Only a camera with a larger sensor and brighter lens can hope to get good quality indoor sports photos. For $500 the best you can get would be a budget DSLR (perhaps used or refurbished) and a 50mm prime lens. That won't get you close to the action; a bright telephoto prime or zoom lens would cost as much as or more than your entire budget.

- Collapse -
indoor events
Jan 11, 2012 7:16AM PST

That helps a lot! I'll stick with what I have for a while & look for an upgrade when my budget increases.