Stepping up to DSLR camera, looking for pre-record image function

[Widgeon]

I currently own a Casio Exilim EX-FH25 and have been happy with it overall. For the most part I use it for sports photography (indoor and outdoor) as well as product photography. I've also been toying with outdoor/nature/wildlife photography and learning to enjoy most aspects of the hobby. However, I'm finding the limits of my current camera, especially the limitation of the built in lens.

One thing that I really enjoy with the Exilim is the feature that allows up to 30 fps with a built in buffer of shots. For those that haven't used something like this, it allows you to depress the shutter button halfway and it begins pre-recording up to 30 images. So if you are taking pictures of a soccer match, you can depress the button, follow the action, when something picture worthy happens, fully depress the button. This captures frames before and after the actual button press and is awesome for getting great action shots.

What I am looking for is a quality, entry-level DSLR in the sub-$1000 range (used is an option) that has a similar feature. If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate them!

 

[MLeeK]

Not going to happen. The 1DX maxes out at 14 frames per second. Price $6799.
You are looking at somewhere around 5-7FPS in a sub $1000 DSLR
What the hell would you do with up to 40FPS? That's absurd.

I am shooting about 10 when I am shooting sports and it's WAY to much. And I shoot sports professionally.

 

[Widgeon]

Not going to happen. The 1DX maxes out at 14 frames per second. Price $6799.
You are looking at somewhere around 5-7FPS in a sub $1000 DSLR
What the hell would you do with up to 40FPS? That's absurd.

I am shooting about 10 when I am shooting sports and it's WAY to much. And I shoot sports professionally.

When I am shooting sports, I have it set at 8-10 fps, 10 pre-recorded images and up to 30 after-press images. This seems to work quite well. However, I also do product reviews for shooting sports and have shot at higher fps for those uses. I don't necessarily need more than 10 fps, but I would like to the buffer feature if possible.

 

[unpopular]

I think in the more compressed JPEG modes on modern prosumer or better DSLRs you can pretty much just fire away and not really have to worry about the buffer filling up.

 

[Widgeon]

I think in the more compressed JPEG modes on modern prosumer or better DSLRs you can pretty much just fire away and not really have to worry about the buffer filling up.

It's not so much the buffer, it's the pre-buffer function that I am looking for in a DSLR. The Exilim can constantly record images with the button partially depressed, when fully depressed it commits however many of those images to memory as you have it set, plus more continuously shot images while the shutter button remains depressed.

 

[unpopular]

I am not sure what the advantage is.

 

[Big Mike]

Sounds like it's just taking video and letting you pull jpegs from the video...I can't image the quality is all that great.

I guess you could just use a DSLR and shoot HD video and then extract jpegs from that. I believe that most/all DSLR cameras that shoot video will let you snap a full res image at any time.

 

[Derrel]

No d-slr has that type of best shot selector feature.

 

[Widgeon]

I am not sure what the advantage is.

The advantage is that with sports photography (and other situations I imagine) that you can be following the action with the camera with the shutter button have depressed. When you see something happen that you want a picture of, you fully depress the button and you capture whatever number of pictures that happened *before* the button press plus however many after as you continue to hold the button down. It makes for capturing those great, unexpected moments on the field or court. Because of this feature I have captured many great shots that otherwise I would never had been able to get.

 

[Widgeon]

Sounds like it's just taking video and letting you pull jpegs from the video...I can't image the quality is all that great.

I guess you could just use a DSLR and shoot HD video and then extract jpegs from that. I believe that most/all DSLR cameras that shoot video will let you snap a full res image at any time.

It takes full quality jpeg images (not RAW), up to 30 of them.

 

[Widgeon]

No d-slr has that type of best shot selector feature.

I would hate for this to be the case; Casio has really struck on an amazing idea with this feature. I was hoping to find it among higher-end cameras as well.

 

[MLeeK]

Sounds like it's just taking video and letting you pull jpegs from the video...I can't image the quality is all that great.

I guess you could just use a DSLR and shoot HD video and then extract jpegs from that. I believe that most/all DSLR cameras that shoot video will let you snap a full
It takes full quality jpeg images (not RAW), up to 40 of them.

res image at any time.

No, it actually drops down to 9MP

 

[Dao]

If a manufacturer shrink the size of the sensor of the DSLR to a point and shoot type camera, it could be possible. But then again, people are not interested in small sensor. Until someone managed to mass produce a large sensor that is affordable, processor(s) fast enough to process the data and either shutter mechanism is able to shoot that fast or electronic shutter is good enough, then maybe we can see something like that.

If you need 30fps images, you can do so with 3 Canon 1D camera.

30fps con Canon EOS-1D Mark III - YouTube