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Expert Recommendation
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Overview
Until recently, options for budget compact cameras that could perform adequately enough for fast action photography were few and far between. In recent years a flurry of cameras such as Canon’s SX110 IS have cropped up - compact (1.9” thick), long-range (10x zoom range reaching to 360mm), and fairly cheap (just less than $200). With decent motion-freezing high-ISO quality, there simply isn’t a better fast action performer available.
My Best In Class Pick
Canon PowerShot SX110 IS
The Canon SX110 is one of the few cameras on the market which pack all the features needed for fast action photography - with a 10x (36-360mm) zoom range, the SX110 has plenty of reach for great close-up shots of sports or other fast action from afar.
The SX110 also features an image-stabilized lens to help combat camera shake, especially at the long end of the zoom range. High ISO quality on the SX110 is decent, so it should have no problems freezing action in daylight situations, although images will get very grainy indoors or at night.
Shutter lag is typical for an ultrazoom camera, while autofocus is a bit on the slow side - shooting action in good lighting should be fine, but faster events (race cars or football, for example) and darker lighting (indoors or at night) will be very difficult. The SX110 can shoot at 1.2 frames per second for an unlimited number of shots - about average, but not particularly fast enough to cover important moments with a burst series.
Comparison with Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4
The SX110 and TZ4 both feature long zoom ranges to get close-up shots for fast action. Feature-wise the TZ4 has major advantages, with a more compact size, much faster burst rate, and slightly faster autofocus and shutter lag. However, the SX110 has a slightly longer telephoto range and a better high-ISO quality, allowing it to deliver much better images, especially in less-than-ideal lighting situations.
Comparison with Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8
Despite costing almost half as much, the LZ8 packs a plethora of features the SX110 lacks, including a small 1.3” body and fast 2.5fps continuous shooting. Without a long ultrazoom lens, however, the LZ8 just can’t come close to the SX110 in producing quality close-up shots if subjects are far away.
Pros
- +Long 360mm telephoto
Cons
- -Slow 1.2 fps continuous shooting
Where to buy
Canon PowerShot SX110 IS
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Best Price:
$259
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- $259 - $389 Compare Prices »
- Highly Recommended at DPReview.com
- Dave's Pick at Imaging-Resource.com
- Rated Very Good by CNET.com
Comparing My Best In Class Pick with Other Good Choices
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| Customer Rating |
 
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(from 130 reviews)
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(from 90 reviews)
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| Price | $259 - $389 | $299.95 | $119.00 | |
| Size (W x H x D) | 4.4 x 2.8 x 1.8 in. | 4.1 x 2.3 x 1.4 in. | 3.8 x 2.4 x 1.3 in. | |
| Weight (without batteries) | 8.6 oz | 7.3 oz | 5.0 oz | |
| Max Shooting Speed (burst) | 1.2 frames/sec | 3 frames/sec | 2.5 frames/sec | |
| Max Consecutive Burst Frames | Unlimited | 7 frames | 7 frames | |
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Min Focal Length (35 mm equivalent)
The 35 mm equivalent focal length is a measure that indicates the angle of view of a particular combination of a camera lens and the sensor size. The term originates from the time when the vast majority of photography was done with 35 mm film. On any 35 mm film camera, a 30 mm or less lens is considered a wide-angle lens.
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36 mm | 28 mm | 32 mm | |
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Max Focal Length (35 mm equivalent)
The 35 mm equivalent focal length is a measure that indicates the angle of view of a particular combination of a camera lens and the sensor size. The term originates from the time when the vast majority of photography was done with 35 mm film. Larger max focal lengths make distant objects appear more magnified.
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360 mm | 280 mm | 160 mm | |
| Optical Zoom | 10.0x | 10.0x | 5.0x | |
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Image Stabilization Available
Image stabilization features are designed to reduce the blur that results from normal, minute shaking of a lens due to hand-held shooting. However, image stabilization does not prevent motion blur caused by the movement of the subject or by extreme movements of the camera.
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Yes | Yes | Yes | |
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Max Aperture (wide-angle)
The aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens that determines the amount of light falling onto the sensor. The maximum aperture (wide-angle) is the largest possible size at the wide-angle limit of the zoom lens. The lens aperture is usually specified as an f-number, the ratio of focal length to effective aperture diameter. A lower f-number denotes a greater aperture opening, which allows more light to reach the image sensor.
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f/2.8 | f/3.3 | f/3.3 | |
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Max Aperture (tele-photo)
The aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens that determines the amount of light falling onto the sensor. The maximum aperture (tele-photo) is the largest possible size at the tele-photo limit of the zoom lens. The lens aperture is usually specified as an f-number, the ratio of focal length to effective aperture diameter. A lower f-number denotes a greater aperture opening, which allows more light to reach the image sensor.
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f/4.3 | f/4.9 | f/5.9 | |
| Battery Life | 450 shots | 300 shots | 470 shots | |
| Important Fast Action Features | ||||
| Shutter lag | Average | Good | Average | |
| Autofocus rating | Good | Good | Average | |
| High ISO quality | Good | Average | Poor | |
| Fast Action rating | Good | Good | Poor | |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4
One of the pioneers of the compact ultrazoom category of cameras, the Panasonic TZ4 offers a large 10x (28-280mm) image-stabilized zoom lens packed into a very compact 1.4” thick size. While not quite as far-reaching as the SX110, the TZ4’s 280mm telephoto is just about long enough to get great close-up shots of players or other fast action subjects from far away.
High-ISO quality is one of the TZ4’s weak points, however - images in daylight should turn out fine, but you’ll have to put up with somewhat blotchy/noisy images in low-light situations if you want to freeze the fast motion.
Autofocus and shutter lag on the TZ4 are a little above average - it should be fine for keeping track of fast subjects in daylight situations, but focusing on subjects in low-light situations will be somewhat difficult. The TZ4 can take a burst of images at 3fps for 7 shots - extremely fast for a non-SLR camera and helpful for taking a series of shots at important moments, and choosing the best picture afterwards.
Comparison with Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8
With a much longer zoom range, slightly faster burst rate, and slightly better high-ISO performance, the TZ4 is a more capable camera in just about every way. If you’re serious about fast action, the TZ4 is definitely worth the extra cost and slightly bigger size.
Pros
- +Long 280mm telephoto
- +Fast 3 fps burst shooting
Cons
- -Below-average high-ISO performance
Where to buy
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4
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Best Price:
$299
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8
Despite being one of the cheapest budget cameras around, the LZ8 is one of the most feature-packed cameras available, especially at its price and size. While its 32-160mm (5x) image-stabilized lens doesn’t really reach far enough for good close-up shots, it will be decent for events where you can get closer to the subjects (indoor sports like basketball or volleyball, or when subjects come closer to the sidelines).
The LZ8 isn’t a very good performer at high-ISO - daylight photos should turn out fine, but the LZ8 will produce noisy images in indoor or nighttime fast action situations.
Autofocus and shutter lag are about average on the LZ8 - slower subjects and daylight situations should be fine, but don’t expect to track autofocus on race cars or Olympic sprinters or snap photos with precise timing with this camera. The LZ8 does take photos at a quick 2.5fps for 7 shots - fast enough to take series of shots and choose the best photo or timing later, significantly improving your keeper rate.
Pros
- +Fast 2.5 fps burst shooting
Cons
- -Short 160mm telephoto
- -Below-average high-ISO performance
Where to buy
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8
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Best Price:
$119
See It »
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