I am looking for a faster camera, but not too expensive?

Question

I want a new digital camera. I have the Nikon Coolpix right now and it is tooo slow for me. I have two toddlers and although the camera takes great pictures it doesnt do well with action. I am indoors alot so I usually rely on the flash. I cant afford to go overboard but I want to know what everyone reccomends.

Answer 1

Perhaps these tips will get you current camera up to speed - there are a lot of CoolPix cameras and yours model may or may not have the options I describe:
* to take indoor pictures without flash, dive into the menu and increase the ISO setting. The higher you go, the more light sensitive the camera becomes - but at the expense of image quality. Usually the highest ISO setting is unacceptable.
* another way to make the camera more light sensitive, is to set the camera to Aperture-priority and constantly use the lowest f-number.
You can use these two tips in combination with each other to really get the most out of your camera.
* To make the camera more responsive, press the shutter button half way to pre-focus, start tracking the action while still focussing, and click the shutter at the decisive moment. This will significantly reduce the time you have to wait for the auto-focus.
If these suggestions still don't provide acceptable results, perhaps it's time for a new camera.
The Fuji F30 is a good point & shoot for low light situations, and any digital SLR camera will make a world of difference. Entry level dSLR cameras cost about $700. That will buy you a Nikon D50 or a Canon Rebel XT (both are great) with an 18-55mm kit lens and a new memory card.

Answer 2

For action shots, you want to use a fast shutter speed. Faster shutter speeds allow you to 'freeze' shots, which is ideal for subjects which are moving, such as your toddlers. You didn't specify which Coolpix model you own, however if your camera has a shutter-priority mode, then you can use this to set your own shutter speeds. Cheaper cameras generally do not have shutter-priority mode - generally just an Auto and Movie mode.

A camera I would personally recommend is the Canon A710 IS. For the features you get, it is a cheap camera. You get full-manual settings along with shutter-priority and aperture-priority mode.

For action shots (on a camera with these features), you can use shutter-priority mode and turn up the shutter speed to atleast 1/60 sec.

You can also use aperture-priority mode and turn the f-number to as low as it can go (this means large aperture). A large aperture lets in more light, and this allows you to pair it up with a fast shutter speed, giving you better action shots (less blurriness!).

If the shutter speed still isn't fast enough.. or that the photograph turns out dark, then turn up the ISO. Cheaper entry-level cameras tend to have ISO sensitivities upto ISO 400 whilst models like the A710 IS have upto ISO 800. However beware that higher sensitivities produce more 'noise' (graininess) in your images, so it is best to avoid turning up the ISO if possible.

The advice above helps you to get decent non-dark, non-blurry action shots without the use of a flash. Flashes can often ruin the lighting and tone of your subjects.

Hope this helped!

Answer 3

In addition to OMG's answer, try the "Sport" mode and also turn off your LCD monitor so the camera will not waste time writing the image to the monitor.

Otherwise, I'd say you really want a digital SLR, but that might be considered "overboard" with an entry level price of about $700 for a D50 and the kit lens. It's GREAT for your purposes (Ask my wife.), but it's not cheap.