tropicdiver Loc: Oklahoma, Texas and currently Florida

Maybe, I am misunderstanding the question, but I love action photos that show motion which require a slow shutter speed while following the subject with a good glass (am thinking Canon 70~200 f2.8 L IS) that can help to stop a part of the subject like the person's head, when switched to 2 for horizontal motion freeze. I normally do this with rodeos and specifically barrel racing. I also tried it with one of my daughters, last year when we were all visiting in Hawaii.

This lens is not cheap, but if you love photography like I do, I feel it is an essential tool for one's camera bag ( of course, I tend to go overboard, and have probably way too many lens and bodies that I am now starting to slowly get rid of since I have been diagnosed with an incurable cancer ).

Anyway, this is a photo I took of one of my lovely daughters running from a wave. Slow shutter speed, lens set to 2 and following her as she ran.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Or you could do some videos.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Even an entry dSLR camera will serve you well. You need to understand how to use AF for fast moving subjects.
There is always the opportunity of using a slow shutter speed to imply action but I will not discuss that to save you some confusion.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Among the 2 "best" stop action cameras are the Canon 7dll and the Nikon D500. But I am sure you don't want to drop 2-4 gran for the camera and a coupla fast (low f-stop) lenses. So all that sillyness aside you probably want bridge camera-a camera between an interchangeble lens camera and a simple point and shoot. So an Canon SX60 or a Nikon p900 or a similliar camera from another manufacturer' will fill the bill.

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

Almost any camera will do, even a compact fixed lens camera. Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Sony, and Panasonic all make suitable models. You will need zoom lens. The amount of zoom depends on how far you are from the action. The online retailer, B&H, can advise you. You do NOT need an interchangeable lens camera because you aren't going to be printing very large prints. The key to action photos is shutter speed. For people moving rapidly you will need about 1/1000 or 1,200 of a second.

Shel B

Hi. A lot of folks on here make things harder than they need to be. For your purpose you only need an entry level DSLR...Digital Single Lens Reflex camera. These are cameras that allow you to actually look through the lens and see exactly what you will get in the photo. They are fairly pricey...starting I think, at around $450 but you can find used ones cheaper if you are willing to take a chance on a used camera. DSLR's allow you to control the exposure of your photo...you determine the shutter speed, the f stop, and the ISO number...all of which your owners manual will explain...or you can find good videos on youtube. You can get a Canon Rebel with two lenses for around $500-600. Or a like priced Nikon will serve just as well. Briefly, the shutter speed determines whether motion of your subject is stopped or blurred. For your purpose you will need a shutter speed, of 1/250th of a second...maybe even 1/500th. The DSLR will allow you to select that shutter speed and the camera will automatically give you a good exposure. I suggest that you watch a few youtube videos for beginners and then come back here with any other questions. The whole shutter speed/f stop/ ISO thing sounds confusing to beginners but it all falls in place quickly. I certainly hope this helped rather than further confusing you. Beware of buying "pocket" type cameras. They take excellent pictures but will not be good for your application. Most of them have a short delay between the push of the button and the trip of the shutter so you rarely get the photo you thought you would get...unless the subject is motionless.

Shel B

After going back and reading some of the replies to your question I see so many different opinions...the one thing we all agree on is that you MUST be able to set your camera to a fast shutter speed. I am not familiar with every model of camera...I am not sure if a "bridge" camera, a camera somewhere between your cell phone and a DSLR is adequate. If it allows you to set the shutter speed and ISO number, it should work. Requirements: 1. Adjustable shutter speed. 2. Zoom lens 3. Autofocus. You won't be satisfied with anything else.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Buy a GoPro camera that shoots 4k video. From the videos you take with that camera you can extract still images that are 8 megapixel images that are fine to use for prints up to 8x10 and sometimes larger. It will also be great video to watch.

Shel B

People!!! If this were my post, I would be totally confused by now. She asked about taking decent photos of her kid...period. Such advice as "almost any camera will do" or "get a Go-Pro" do little to answer her question. She's using a cell phone and needs a camera that will fit her needs. She only needs to be able to control the exposure and know that what she sees in the viewfinder is what she gets on the photo. We do her a disservice by going off on tangents. There's plenty of time for her to learn the art of photography later.

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

You don't need a DSLR to set the shutter speed! Not every photo situation requires a DSLR when there are simpler, less expensive options available that will do the job.

But when all you know how to use is a hammer, I guess every problem looks like a nail.

CO

Thanks.

CO

Thanks for the observation. I'm not really sure what style shoes were worn during that time period. I will check.

CO

Great technique!

LeoDK

Hi,

I notice a lot of great advice here and some not so great. I am an avid fan of photography and learning all my new wonderful camera gear. Until you decide on what kind of Camera you plan to upgrade to and the budget you are willing to spend on it. I might have a suggestion, though I have never used it on my phone, I found a list of apps for Android that might help you out. They take over your camera and allow you to adjust shutter speeds, exposure and what not. You can try them out and see if it works for you, however, I would recommend upgrading to a camera for other photo opportunities with the kiddos. Here is a link to 4 apps that allow you to manage Android camera settings. I have not tried them but I hope they work for you in a pinch till you decide.

https://www.phonearena.com/news/4-camera-apps-that-enable-manual-controls-on-Android-Lollipop_id71964

Just research a bit more for your Android device, since I do not know its version.

Good luck and Happy Shooting.

Leonidas

Shutter Fox Loc: Virginia, USA

Hi Saralulu,
Wow, you got several great answers, and I agree with the first one, from out4life2016, about the Canon Rebel being a great choice for your needs. However this is not the only camera choice as I will mention at the bottom of this reply.

The Rebel has the ability for you put it on full automatic and let it read the scene and take the picture, or for you to choose one of several modes where you can control focus and motion blur and other image factors. It also allows you to remove lenses and inter-change different lenses for one another. The benefit here, is that you can get a lens like the typical 50 or 55mm length lens for shooting around your house and when you are close to your kids. (This lens does not magnify, it takes a picture sort of like you see with your unaided eye.) Then with a longer the lens, meaning larger number, such as a 100mm lens) you can have a view like a telescope so that your photos that appear much closer to your subject than you actually are.

As you learn more about your camera, the Rebel allows you to go to other modes than full automatic and you can change the way the camera takes the photo so that you get the exact effect you wish.

It is pretty simple. In order for your camera to properly record an image it needs enough light to expose the sensor to make the recording. There are several ways to control this. Here are the two (there are three) that you will use:

1. SHUTTER SPEED is the term we use to tell us how long the light is allowed to expose the film or digital sensor inside a camera. Just think of one second, 1/2 second, 1/4 second all the way to 1/2000 of a second as being very long to very short time frame for the light to be recorded inside the camera. The shorter time that this exposure is, the less distance your child's arm or leg moves in such a brief period, thus the less motion caused blur. Your android has a longer exposure because of the size of the camera and lens it is working with, thus the blur you are seeing.
Imagine those surreal calendar photos of a creek flowing over rocks and how the water is all blurred and misty, here the camera is set for a very long exposure to allow the water to travel during the exposure and create that blur.
Imagine those crisp photos of race horses as they pass the finish line and the photo shows which horse won by the clarity of the image showing who's nose was only an inch or two ahead of the others! This was done with a very, very short exposure catching ONLY that instant when the horses were just reaching the finish line and clearly showing the nose of each.

2. APERATURE is the term we use for the size of the opening inside the lens that the light passes thru. There are several metal blades, called shutters, that the lens has inside, these shutters that pivot to make more or less of the diameter of the lens open to pass light into the camera. If you are using a very long exposure then you want a smaller opening so less of the lens is passing light, this way you do not get too much light and wash out your picture. If you are going for a very fast exposure time, then there is not much time for light to enter the camera, so the you need to use more, or all, of the available diameter of the lens to collect and focus the light inside the camera to be sure that enough light reaches the camera to make a good photograph.

you can get creative with just these two items, one affects the motion blur and the other affects how much distance from you is in focus at the same time, we can discuss this later if you want.

3. ASA is the third factor I mentioned above, and it is a setting on digital cameras that tell the camera's computer how sensitive to light it should be so that it records a good picture given the SHUTTER SPEED and APERATURE setting being used. With more sensitivity you can use both faster shutter speeds and smaller apertures together. Most photographers will have a favorite ASA for the style of photography that they shoot and the set this one time and often do not set it again, unless they have a special effect they want. If you get a camera that allows you to set your ASA, I suggest that you set it at ASA100 and leave it there until you are fully comfortable with you camera, then just play with it and ask us lots of questions here at uglyhedgehog as you do.

Digital cameras allow you to choose a mode and then the onboard computer calculates the best combination of these three that will make a good photo. This is done by the camera measuring the amount of light coming into the lens just as you begin to press your shutter release button. The computer reads the ASA setting to determine how much light is needed, and then it sees if you have set a fixed SHUTTER SPEED, for which if finds the correct APERATURE required. If you have set a fixed APERATURE, then it determined the correct SHUTTER SPEED.

It sounds very complicated, and in fact, it used to be, that was why being a good photographer took years of practice and learning. But now with digital camera and their computers, you do not have to be an expert to enjoy taking great shots of, and with, your kids.

There are several point and shoot cameras that have a a built-in zoom lens that allows you to adjust how powerful the magnification is, without having to move closer or farther from you subject matter. Also, many have a "Sports" mode, which means telling the computer to use the fastest shutter speed it can so as to stop action and to minimize blur. There is a 'Portrait' mode, which warms fleshtones and adjusts the camera settings for finer detail of a subject close to the camera and not moving. There is a landscape mode which assumes you are outside and it sharpens the greens to make grass and plants more vibrant, Etc.. Depending on the light that the meter read and the settings for shutter speed and aperture, the cameras will also signal the flash if it thinks additional light is necessary and will automatically control how much light the flash provides, all in the fraction of a second while the picture is being taken.

I carry a camera bag with 3 Canon camera bodies, several flashes (AKA: speedlights) and many lenses, and I swear by Canon. I also have a Canon Rebel hanging from a 'hook' attached to my wife's headrest always within easy and fast reach. My wife is more like you, she says she is 'just Mom' and wants a good camera for her shots around the house, and we got her an Olympus point and shoot. It has a built in flash, a built in zoom lens, and in the time it takes me to open my camera bag, grab a camera body, pick and mount my lens, she already has the photo and is turning the camera off and putting it back in her purse. Our kids are grown and there is not a need for catching judo kicks right now, she wants to catch the passing field of flowers or the house cat sitting in funny positions, etc.......

I suggest that you go to a camera store, NOT to a discount or a big box store (electronics or otherwise) and look at the selection, find a camera you can afford and will be willing to carry with you. Find a camera that also feels comfortable in your hands, if you have small hands vs. large, you will notice a difference. If the camera is too big or heavy, or so expensive that you are afraid to carry it, then it will do you no good if you start to leave it at home.

Good Luck,
come back and ask all the questions you want,
we are a group of camera bugs that love to talk about
our equipment and our love/hate relationship we have
and we all love sharing our passion with you,
no question is new to us or silly, as we were all novices once.

Bill