Expert Recommendation

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Best Easy Digital Camera for Action Photos Under $200
Expert (75 Recommendations and 9 Compliments)
Send a ComplimentComplimented (Change)
May 17, 2007 Updated: October 22, 2007
Overview

Equipped with a 12x super-zoom lens and fast image capture times, the Kodak EasyShare Z612 will freeze action at the press of a button, and you won’t miss the winner’s moment of glory at the finish line.

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My Best In Class Pick
Kodak EasyShare Z612

All three cameras have an Auto Mode with lots of Scene Modes for novice users. For action photography, the Canon A630 is the better choice over the Panasonic DMC-LZ7 because of its higher resolution, good high ISO performance, fast start-up time (1.3 seconds), optical viewfinder (for real-time subject tracking), manual modes, and good battery life. However, the Kodak Z612 is an unbeatable value at its price (just over $200). It has tremendous reach, allowing you to shoot from safe distances with it 12x zoom, an eye-level viewfinder (desirable for stable posture while panning), and good performance. The Kodak Z612 is my Top Pick.

Where to buy
Kodak EasyShare Z612
Specs
  • Type: Electronic Viewfinder
  • Resolution: 6.1MP
  • Zoom: 12X
Detailed Specs
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Customer Reviews Full-star-3Full-star-3Full-star-3Full-star-3Empty-star-3 (93 reviews)
Website Reviews (2 reviews)
  • Rated Very Good by CNET.com
2
Canon PowerShot A630

The Canon PowerShot A630 has an 8 megapixel resolution sensor with a 4x optical zoom lens (equivalent to 35-140mm on a 35mm camera) and has good high ISO performance. The start-up time is 1.3 seconds, the pre-focus shutter lag (half press to full press of the shutter button) is less than 0.05 seconds, and the full-press shutter lag (without pre-focusing) is around 0.6 seconds. In the Continuous Shooting Mode, the camera can take 1.8 pictures/second until the memory card fills up. It also has an optical viewfinder (useful for tracking subjects in real-time), Swivel LCD (like that on camcorders), Manual Modes (Aperture/Shutter Priority, etc.) and runs on four AA Batteries. The battery life is around 500 shots/charge. It supports wide-angle and tele-photo conversion lenses (available separately as accessories).

The camera received high praises from Steve’s Digicams & Digital Photography Review (popular camera review sites).

Where to buy
Canon PowerShot A630
Specs
  • Type: Compact
  • Resolution: 8MP
  • Zoom: 4X
Detailed Specs
Want More Opinions? See:
Customer Reviews Full-star-3Full-star-3Full-star-3Full-star-3Half-star-3 (307 reviews)
Website Reviews (4 reviews)
  • Dave's Pick at Imaging-Resource.com
  • Rated Very Good by CNET.com
3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7

The Lumix DMC-LZ7 is the latest big zoom budget offering (1.3” thick) from Panasonic. This camera has a 7 megapixel resolution sensor and a 6x optical zoom lens (equivalent to 37-222mm on a 35mm camera). The camera has an Image Stabilization feature to help avoid blurry pictures because of camera shake. The camera is powered by 2 AA Batteries. First-Impressions and user opinions of the camera have been good. The shot-to-shot speed is around 1.5 seconds. Its predecessor, the LZ5 that has the same lens but less resolution (6MP), received good editors’ reviews (e.g. at Imaging-Resource).

Where to buy
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7
Specs
  • Type: Compact
  • Resolution: 7.2MP
  • Zoom: 6X
Detailed Specs
Want More Opinions? See:
Customer Reviews Full-star-3Full-star-3Full-star-3Full-star-3Half-star-3 (158 reviews)
Website Reviews (1 review)

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