Convert to high speed bridge or DSLR recommended for weekend sports shots?

[welbywelb]

Hi,
I'm new to this forum so sorry if this goes into the wrong place.
I've a canon HX40HS which can take approx 8 pics in around 1 sec (high speed burst mode) but as I've found I often miss the shot I'm after since there is a 3-4 sec delay as the camera gets ready for the next shot.
I'm assuming there is nothing I can do with the existing camera to fix this (I'm already using Class 10 memory card) so what would be the most appropriate alternative? The canon has a great X35 zoom on it so I'd be keen to keep that kind functionality and try and go for something that could should 6 pics in a second would probably be good for me - any suggestions.

Thanks,

Welbwelb

 

[robbins.photo]

Well I'm assuming if your getting mostly acceptable results from your bridge camera your talking about shooting outdoors in good lighting conditions. If such is the case I'd probably look at maybe a used Canon 40 or 50 d with a 70-300 mm lens or something in that general range, or maybe a Pentax K30 again with something in the 300 mm range for a zoom lens.

A lot of course depends on the kind of budget you are wanting to work with, but those would probably be some good lower cost options that will get you the kind of capabilities your going to need/want.

 

[lambertpix]

You'd be able to find a number of DSLR's that can sustain 6fps shooting for longer than that, and quite a few mirrorless cameras, as well. However, if you find yourself just mashing the shutter for long bursts, you might give some thought to just changing the way you shoot.

In the time I've owned DSLR's, I moved from a 4fps (I think) Canon 30D, to a 6fps 40D and an 8fps 7D, but when I shoot fast action today, I find myself shooting small bursts (3-4 shots) in part because if I don't, I come home with absolutely ridiculous numbers of shots of exactly the same thing. Once in a while, I'll find myself holding down the shutter until I fill up my buffer, but those occasions are few and far between.

If you still want to be able to shoot large bursts, be sure to consider what sort of lens(es) you'll need to pick up to maintain the same reach you've got now -- you may find that's a big part of your upgrade price. Finally, remember that even though lots of us prefer shooting in RAW, shooting in JPG will often allow you to burst more photos before you fill up your camera's buffer -- this is typically the point where your burst rate slows down.