While the SX40 and P500 would be fine for outdoor travel photography, neither will be good for indoor sports. While they may have the optical zoom range you want, the lenses have small apertures, especially when you zoom in. Small apertures mean less light getting to the sensor, which in turn means the camera has to compensate with a slower shutter speed and a higher ISO. What you would end up with is noisy and blurry pictures.
The solution is a camera with better high ISO and a wider aperture lens. If you can get court-side you might get away with something like the Olympus XZ-1 or Samsung TL500. You would be very limited in optical zoom.
A DSLR and a wide aperture prime or zoom lens would be the best choice, but much more expensive.
which one is best? i will be taking indoor volleyball shots as well as outdoor vacation and general holiday photos. i'm concerned the Canon will not take the good action shots. I am not expecting professional photos but i would like good quality pics.

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