Requirements:
Able to capture the action about anywhere on the field.
Rapid-fire mode.
Clear pictures without blur even when the kids are running full tilt.
Place to connect monopod (stand with one leg.)
Doesn't break the bank! :-)
I don't need a huge amout of pixels - 5mega would be fine, even 4 if it would bring down the price. Unfortunately, you are probably dreaming about a DSLR and that might break the bank. If you want to capture action anywhere on the field, you want a long telephoto lens, also.
For my money, I'd look into a Nikon D50 ($500) with a Nikon 55-200 lens ($170). This is not the "top" lens, but for the money, it's a good start for a longer telephoto and will probably give you acceptable coverage of the field, if you are midfield. You could also get a 70-300 lens ($530) for really great coverage of the whole field. The D50 has a few auto-focus modes that will let you set it up for best results for sports. If you don't want to figure this stuff out, there is a Sports mode that handles the settings for you.
If you can't get into the thousand dollar club, you might make out with a Canon Powershot S3 IS. It has a "Sports" mode, but I can't find any specific information on this. It also has a continuous shooting mode, which takes from 1.5 to 2 frames per second. This isn't ultra fast, but may be quite useful for your purposes. Get a huge memory card, though, such as a 2 GB Sandisk Ultra II or (better) Extreme III, if you are going to use continuous mode.
It also has a movie mode, but the image sizes are considerably reduced. Hi, you can find every camera made, the best prices from almost every store and online merchant and reviews at cheapest prices search engine. |
