Do I have this right? Aperture and shutter speed...

amandae21

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I have some straightforward questions at the bottom, so if you'd prefer to skip my issues and situation just hop on down to the part in red. Thx!

I'm camera shopping for my first non-"throw away" digital camera. I purchased a Nikon L120 for $250 retail after researching. I thought it was the camera for me, but I'm taking it back. I like a lot of what it does, but my primary purpose for the camera is taking pictures of my kids - which includes low light and indoor shots.

My DH bought the new iPhone 4S the same day I bought my camera and sadly his phone camera has done a better job at capturing good/great pictures of our kids doing silly things around the house than my $250 Nikon.

When taking indoor "kids being kids" type shots (you know, dancing, messing up each others hair etc) with the L120, my problems were: with or without flash, it takes too long to focus; without flash, the kids movements are blurry (which includes faces when a head is turning; with flash, it's more focused but overexposed and I don't like the depth of field. And the flash takes too long to recharge. I've tried all the different scenes, auto and easy auto with no luck. You get the picture here, the L120 is just not the best camera for my primary needs. The end product is no better than what a -$100 "throw away" digital camera would produce.

Two weeks ago, I couldn't have told you a single thing about words like aperture, ISO, depth of field and so on. After doing a bunch of reading online, I think I have a kindergarten understanding of it. But please confirm so that I know for sure what I'm looking for while shopping and comparing online.

I don't want to order one online and have to make yet another return. Please help me get it right this time. (and FYI my budget is about $250 and I'm looking at refurbs/used so as to get a better camera for my buck).

Questions

The camera's quality in low lighting relates to the aperture, right? And the lower the f/#, the better it'll do in low light, right? After much reading I'm currently looking at the Nikon Coolpix P300 which has an f-stop of f/1.8 - the L120 has an f-stop of f/3.1. So this means that the P300 will perform better in low light than the L120, correct?

Now for moving objects: This relates to shutter speed, right? A shutter speed of 1/2000 is faster than 1/1000, right? And therefore, a shutter speed of 1/2000 would do better at capturing quickly moving objects, right? (The P300 has a shutter speed of 1/2000-8sec vs. the L120 shutter speed of 1/1000 - "sport continuous mode" in the L120 notwithstanding).

Combine a quick shutter speed with a low f-stop # - the "hole" is bigger to let in more light, and it can still "click" quickly so that the shot isn't blurry. Am I right? So the P300 would do a much better job, right?

TIA!!
 
on a very basic level yes.
 
Your correct; however, you are going to have noise issues . These cameras don't do well in low light situations.
 
Questions
.....And the lower the f/#, the better it'll do in low light, right?

....Combine a quick shutter speed with a low f-stop # - the "hole" is bigger to let in more light, ...
Yes. But, f/# is a fraction.

So f/1.8 is a bigger number, and a bigger "hole", than f/3.1 if the focal length of the lens is the same.

Here is how the grade school math works out.

Lets say the lens has a focal length (the f in f/#) of 100 mm and the lens maximum aperture is f/2 or 100 (f)/2 - 100 mm divided by 2, which equals 50 mm. A 100 mm lens set to f/2 has an aperture (hole) 50 mm wide.

That same 100 mm lens set to f/4 - 100(f)/4 - 100 mm divided by 4, which equals 25 mm as the width of the lens aperture.
 
Your correct; however, you are going to have noise issues . These cameras don't do well in low light situations.

Do you have a recommendation? I'm also considering the Canon S95 which is apparently one of the best P&S on the market.
 
Here are some highly recommended digital photography tutorials: Digital Photography Tutorials

It's more about the photographers knowledge and skill than the camera used.

Thanks! I'm eager to learn, it's just getting started that's rough. It's like learning a new language...without the luxury of a flesh and bone instructor or even knowing about things like Rosetta Stone. I'm almost completely decided on going with the Canon S95 instead of the Nikon P300. It seems like a good "gateway" to more advanced photography...lots of manual options and appears to shoot great in low light.
 
Try looking at a Sony cybershot dcs hx1 or 100. You may get them cheaper used and it is a great way to learn how a lot of photography works. Easy to learn and takes great pictures. I love mine.
 

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