best P&S for shooting sports?

[seisky]

Sorry if this is the wrong section. By the way, this isn't my question, I'm asking it for someone. Are there any P&S cameras(preferably under $200) that will take decent sports photos(skateboarding)? Any help is appreciated. By the way, they want to start with a P&S and then save for a dslr.

 

[Sideburns]

To be honest, no P+S is good for sports. The shutter delay, and the limited shutter speeds, are very hard to work with.

Maybe an S3 or S5? I'm not sure...
It's really hard though if there's any shutter delay...because it's not always consistent...and is always annoying and hard to deal with.

 

[seisky]

would 1/1000 be a fast enough shutter speed? remember, this is not my question, I'm asking it for someone.

 

[StreetShark]

also make sure it has the frame by frame setting or what ever it's called. My old P&S didn't have it and it was almost impossible to get the right shot.

 

[seisky]

where it takes like 3 pictures at a time? like a sequence?

 

[ScottS]

shutter speed and shutter delay is really different. Shutter speed isn't what he was talking about ( that's the 1/1000 you were talking about)

What he was talking about the time from when you push the shutter button, and when the picture is actually taken.

 

[domromer]

If I had to use a point and shoot it would be the canon IS 5 super zoom.

 

[Sideburns]

ya, 1/1000 would probably be a fast enough shutter speed in almost all cases...

But the shutter delay in most P+S cameras makes sports shooting frustrating.

You snap the picture at third base and pan...he's already at home plate.

 

[Happy Hour]

i agree with sideburns(again!) more than likely you'll whip the camera in the river after a day of trying to capture action w/a P&S I found the only way to do it is with burst, and that works great! but the throwback is at least on my P&S it takes 30 continues shots but they are all cropped in one frame meaning you have to cut out the one you want and after cropping it it's very low resolution which means a crappy picture even thought you got the right shot. very frustrating for me when I was trying to capture my kids in soccer.

 

[usayit]

Yup.. agreed.. you will find shooting with a P&S pretty frustrating if your subjects are fast moving. My 1 year old kid isn't the fastest moving subject and shooting him with my wife's P&S is difficult. You will be best served by saving for a DSLR... even older used DSLRs will have better shutter than a P&S.

With that said... there are some P&S out there that have improved their shutter lag. Go to a camera store and try them out. What you want to pay attention to is the time between the press of the shutter and the actual taking of the photo. It will be apparent if you can step outside the store with the camera and try taking photos of cars passing by (in daylight). The Canon G9 is good but the cost is already approaching entry level DSLRs.

 

[Buszaj]

I use a P&S similar to the type that you're looking at, the only sports you'll be able to shoot are outdoor, on a bright sunny day, maybe a bit less. You can only bump the ISO to like 400 or else you'll get such noisy shots that they're useless. That camera would probably work though on a sunny day for skateboarding, you'll probably have to pan, fast shutter speed for sure though. Good luck.