Camera newbie needing help lol! Hello! We are super excited to have found this site. My daughter (12) and I have been searching high and low for a camera that will take good action...

jenwoytta

Hello!

We are super excited to have found this site. My daughter (12) and I have been searching high and low for a camera that will take good action shots that do not come out grainy and blurry. We have tried two different camera's already with no luck, but with that being said we are not pro's and it could be operator error. She only has about 250.00 to spend which I know is a huge stretch from what she probably needs. We looked at a Nikon 830 but was advised against because it takes AA batteries and she would be using it constantly. We also tried and failed with a Cannon SX 600 and one step above. We were advised we need "burst mode" Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Have a wonderful day all:)

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

What are you taking pictures of? Is it indoor or outdoor sports? Or wildlife, like birds in flight? It would be helpful to know that.

ebbote Loc: Hockley, Texas

Welcome to the Forum Jen.

jenwoytta

She does barrel racing, jumping and other events on her horse. It would be both indoor (in an arena) and outdoor for competitions. I would probably say she would prefer outdoor pictures to be better. Thank you for your response:)

mikeg1218 Loc: Port Charlotte Fl.

NOTE rechargers and rechargable AA and AAA batteries are readily available at walmart, Drug stores, K Mart, etc. Most will do four at a time so there is no reason to discount a camera that uses those batteries.

jenwoytta

Thank you, I was wondering the same regarding the batteries.

Bobgood1 Loc: Indianapolis, IN

Welcome Jen. Try the Sony line or Olympic. Get a camera with a rechargeable battery. There are so many Good cameras out there. Basic camera operation has to be used. Cameras are more forgiving than they used to be. Good luck. A smaller, lighter camera might be the answer.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

I can't help much on barrel racing. However, there are others on the site who can.

Here is a thread discussing lenses for this type of shooting:
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-215585-1.html
You might want to reach out to some of those involved through a PM (personal message) to get some direct advice. I am sure they either started out with simpler equipment or know people who have.

Mr PC Loc: Austin, TX

I gave my brother the Nikon 820 last year and it's been fine with rechargeables. At that price point, it does a nice job. A better choice for $200-$225 might be a Canon SX-50 factory refurb, either from Canon's site or somewhere like B&H or KEH. It has a viewfinder, all of the modes that are standard on a DSLR and has been loved by many here at the Hog. It will shoot in RAW and has burst mode. New, these were around $400 until Canon introduced the SX-60. Welcome to the forum and good luck. P.S. I'm both a Canon and a Nikon guy, so this is either unbiased advice or I'm schizophrenic...

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Olympus XZ-2 Refurb...$239. A lot of camera for that price.

http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/outlet/reconditioned-cameras/xz-2-reconditoned.html

http://robinwong.blogspot.com/2012/10/olympus-stylus-xz-2-review-street.html

http://robinwong.blogspot.com/2012/10/olympus-stylus-xz-2-review-seven-collar.html

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

jenwoytta wrote:

Hello! br br We are super excited to have found t... (show quote)

There are several very reliable sources for just about every camera available. B&H Adorama Cameta KEH These outfits are used by almost every one on this forum. They all have reviews of each camera model. They all have on line sites. Give them a shot. All the manufactures have models that will meet your criteria. In no particular order- Nikon, canon, sony, fugi, Panasonic .

jenwoytta

Thank you all so much for your advice. It is greatly appreciated!!!

MarkD Loc: NYC

Outdoors is no problem. Indoors can be a problem. For indoors you need a high speed lens and a camera that is good at high iso's, and that can be expensive. IMO you're best off with a used or refurbished bridge camera. Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm, Sony, and Panasonic make good ones that are popular here. I do recommend that you get one with a viewfinder because it is easier to follow the action with a viewfinder than on the LCD screen. The LCD screen can also be hard to see in bright daylight.

While bridge cameras are not good at the high iso's needed to shoot action indoors, you can get decent photos. They may have noise (looks something like grain), but you're not shooting for publication. It would cost a lot more than your budget allows to get better results.

Check keh.com (the best for used gear), B&H, and Adorama for lightly used or refurbished bridge cameras.

Crwiwy Loc: Devon UK

mikeg1218 wrote:

NOTE rechargers and rechargable AA and AAA batteries are readily available at walmart, Drug stores, K Mart, etc. Most will do four at a time so there is no reason to discount a camera that uses those batteries.

If you must use AA batteries - just take loads of spare batteries with you and charge them fresh before going out. I became totally fed up with batteries failing part way through a shoot and finding the spares had also gone flat. I tried some batteries that claimed to hold their charge for at least a year - which perhaps they did - but they couldn't give the surge of power needed to write to the memory card so were useless for photography.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Crwiwy wrote:

If you must use AA batteries - just take loads of spare batteries with you and charge them fresh before going out. I became totally fed up with batteries failing part way through a shoot and finding the spares had also gone flat. I tried some batteries that claimed to hold their charge for at least a year - which perhaps they did - but they couldn't give the surge of power needed to write to the memory card so were useless for photography.

There are really no decent cameras that run off of aa batteries. We used to use cameras at our office with those requirements, but they were all painfully slow. We've replaced them with a Panasonic LX-7 and Canon S110