Straight Talk recommends Nikon D40 (with 18-55mm and 55-200mm Lenses) as Best Easy Digital Camera for Children, Low Light, and Action Photos Under $750.
Overview
Equipped with a twin zoom lens kit, effectively covering a 10.7x zoom range, the Nikon D40 delivers class-leading low light performance and fast response times to freeze that long jumper in flight. Its optical viewfinder makes it easier to follow fast-moving sports action and kids. The camera also has an Auto Mode with lots of Scene Modes for easy operation by novice users.
- Young children or pets
- Fast action
- Low light
- Easy-to-use point and shoot camera
- Under $750
What's Important for These Needs
What we’re looking for:
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A camera with as much tele-zoom as possible for getting up close to the action from a safe distance.
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Minimum possible shutter lag so it takes the shot at the exact specified moment to freeze the action.
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Panning (a camera technique of following the subject to look for the right moment to shoot) will be more effective if the camera has an eye-level viewfinder (optical or electronic). The camera will be kept more stable from the additional support when held to your eye and less movement is required versus using a rear-display LCD where one would need to hold the camera at arm’s length to pan the camera.
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An optical viewfinder. Images appear later on an LCD screen because of the time required to process the signal. Images on an LCD also tend to freeze momentarily as the shutter button is pressed to capture the image.
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Shutter Priority Mode feature, which allows us to set the shutter speed. The camera will adjust the other parameters, such as the aperture size and the ISO setting, to take a well-exposed shot.
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Good High ISO performance, which translates into a camera’s capability to take well-exposed shots at fast shutter speeds because of its high sensitivity to light. It also helps in reducing the effect of camera shake and taking blur-free shots under low light conditions.
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As one has little time to think, we need to take lots of photos quickly to increase the chances that we’ll take some good ones. So we want a camera that is always ready to take a photograph (should have great battery life) and takes little time to start up (fast start-up time).
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Good Continuous Shooting Mode so the camera can take successive shots quickly while the shutter button is kept pressed. This is especially useful for capturing action sequences.
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Good Shot-to-Shot speed so the camera can take successive shots quickly.
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Good resolution to support printing large photos. 7 megapixel is sufficient resolution for prints up to 8”x10” size at 300 dpi (300 dpi is considered ideal for lab quality prints). Here “dpi” stands for printed Dots Per Inch of length/width.
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A camera which is good for taking photos in low light and action will be equally good at taking photos of young children and pets. Afterall, shooting kids/pets is akin to shooting action (fast moving subjects).
Leading Contenders
Yes, it is a DSLR. But there is no need to be intimidated as it also has an Auto Mode :-). You can always use it as a typical point-and-shoot camera with its kit lens mounted and in Auto Mode or a Scene Mode. The only relevant difference is that for DSLRs composing a shot is done using the optical viewfinder. The rear LCD is used for preview/playback and for changing camera settings (e.g. brightness, contrast, ISO, etc.) only and not for composing the shot (as is the case with point-and-shoot cameras). The optical viewfinder is also easier when framing in dim light (e.g. indoors).
DSLRs have a real advantage in image quality as they have much larger sensors (about 15 times the size) than prosumer cameras like the Canon S5 IS. So each pixel is larger and therefore more sensitive to light. This translates into much lower noise at high ISO settings and better dynamic range (range of light-levels between darkest and brightest areas in a scene). So you will have less blown out areas in high contrast scenes.
The Nikon D40 has a 6.1 megapixel resolution sensor. Its first kit lens has 3x zoom (equivalent to 27-82.5 mm on a 35mm camera) and second one has 3.6x zoom (equivalent to 82.5-300mm on a 35mm camera). It has an auto-focus assist lamp (useful for focusing in low light when indoors). It also has full manual control options (e.g. aperture priority, shutter priority, raw mode, etc.). It has an Auto (Flash Off) mode (auto-boosting the ISO to take blur-free picture without flash). It runs on a proprietary battery that delivers approximately 470 shots/charge. It is one of the smallest DSLRs in the market.
Note - DSLRs presently don’t have a movie mode.
The latest superzoom from Panasonic, this camera packs class leading 18x zoom lens and 8.1 megapixel resolution sensor in a compact body. It has an Intelligent ISO Mode (auto-boosting the ISO to freeze action) and full manual control options (e.g. Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Raw Mode, etc.) for additional versatility. The camera has an Image Stabilization feature to help avoid blurry pictures because of camera shake. The life of the proprietary batteries is approximately 400 shots/charge.
This camera is the latest upgrade in Canon’s highly successful “S” series of super-zooms with a unique swivel LCD. It has an 8 megapixel resolution sensor and a 12x optical zoom lens (equivalent to 36-432mm on a 35mm camera). It has a Normal Continuous Shooting Mode in which it takes approximately 1.5 shots/sec and supports a live view on the LCD (good for action photography as one can follow the subject uninterrupted).The camera has an Image Stabilization feature and full manual control options. The battery life is approximately 450 shots/charge (using 4 AA-size NiMH batteries).
This super zoom is the top-of-the-line camera from Sony. The camera has 8.1 megapixel resolution and 15x zoom lens (equivalent to 31-465mm on a 35mm camera). It also supports full manual modes (e.g. Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, etc.). Sony quotes a battery (proprietary) life of 280 shots per change.
Comparison Table
| Product |
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 |
 |
 |
| Nikon D40 (with 18-55mm and 55-200mm Lenses) | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 | Canon PowerShot S5 IS | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 | |
| Customer Rating: |
 
(from 385 reviews)
|
(from 150 reviews)
|
(from 385 reviews)
|
(from 81 reviews)
|
| Price | $599.95 | $369.99 | $379.95 | $360.00 |
| Size (W x H x D) | 5.0 x 3.7 x 2.5 in. | 4.6 x 3.0 x 3.5 in | 4.6 x 3.1 x 3.1 in. | 4.3 x 3.3 x 3.4 in. |
| Sensor Size | 23.7 x 15.6 mm | 5.8 x 4.3 mm | 5.8 x 4.3 mm | 5.8 x 4.3 mm |
| Effective Sensor Resolution | 6.1 megapixels | 8.1 million pixels | 8.0 megapixels | 8.1 megapixels |
| Shutter Lag Time (pre-focused) | 0.10 sec | 0.1 sec | 0.08 sec | 0.06 sec |
| Shutter Lag Time (including auto-focus time) | 0.3 sec | 0.5 sec | 0.5 sec | 0.5 - 1.0 sec |
| Power to First Shot Time | 0.4 sec | 1.7 sec | 1.7 sec | 2.4 sec |
| Continuous Shooting Speed (single shot mode) | - | 0.9 frames/sec | - | - |
| Max Shooting Speed (continuous) | 2.5 frames/sec | 2.0 frames/sec | 1.5 frames/sec | 2.0 frames/sec |
| Min Focal Length (35 mm equivalent) | 27 mm | 28-504 mm | 36 mm | 31 mm |
| Optical Zoom | 11.1x | 18.0x | 12.0x | 15.0x |
| Image Stabilization Available | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Focus Assist Light Available | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Max Aperture (tele-photo) | f/5.6 | f/4.2 | f/3.5 | f/4.5 |
| Max ISO Setting | 3200 | 1600 | 1600 | 3200 |
| Shutter Priority Mode Available | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder Type | Optical | Electronic | Electronic | Electronic |
| Battery Life | 470 shots | 400 shots | 450 shots | 280 shots |
| High ISO performance | Excellent | Average (Raw mode helps) | Good | Below Average |
Top Pick
All these cameras offer an Auto Mode plus a lot of Scene Modes for novice users. Experienced photographers will find the Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority manual modes useful.
The Sony H9 lags behind the other three on image quality as it uses excessive compression (typical image size 2.2MB to Canon S5 IS’s 3.8MB), smearing out fine details from images, more so at higher ISOs. Additionally, its images suffer from more frequent fringing problems (i.e. unnatural purple/red halos around high contrast edges).
The Canon S5 IS has good performance, but like the Sony H9 it too suffers from fringing problems. (Refer to reviews at DPREVIEW, one of the top camera reviewing sites.)
The Panasonic FZ18 has tremendous reach (18x zoom) and has minimal distortion or fringing problems. The image quality is good especially if one shoots in RAW mode and converts them to JPGs using image-editing programs.
The Panasonic FZ18 is my top choice among non-DSLR cameras.
Nevertheless, the Nikon D40 is class apart with excellent performance (faster focusing & negligible shutter lag), an optical viewfinder, and much better image quality (especially at higher ISOs). Even ISO3200 setting yields usable images! With twin kit lens, it is a terrific value too.
Overall, the Nikon D40 is my “Top Pick”.
Tips
- One should turn off the Image Stabilization feature for action photography. Switching it off will help the camera focus faster.
- Using a high speed memory card (60X or faster write speed where 1X is equivalent to 150KB/sec) is recommended to get the full potential of the Continuous Shooting Mode.
- For good tips on action photography see ePHOTOzine.com’s articles on “Digital Motosports photography” and “Camera panning”.
- Some great camera holding tips at www.DIGICAMHELP.com and www.CAMERAHOBBY.com
- See “Tips for Photographing Newborns, Babies, and Children” from GraphicThinking.com for some tips on baby photography and print sizes.
