Quantcast

any of those action/sports mode decent on point and shoot cams?

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
My digital camera officially died last week, so it's time for a new one. Was looking at a few yesterday (~$400, 7mp, point and shoot) and was wondering if any of those action/sports modes actually work??
 

riderx

Monkey
Aug 14, 2001
704
0
Fredrock
I like the way mine is on the Olympus C770. Plus it's got a 10x optical zoom. FYI - 7MP is way overkill unless you are printing big posters.

Here's generally what you can expect out of a camera with the following megapixel rating:

Megapixel____Image Resolution_____Photo Size

----1-------------640x480--------------wallets
---1.2------------768x1024-------------4x6
---1.3------------960X1280-------------5x7
---1.5------------1024x1280------------5x7/8x10
---2.1------------1200x1600------------8x10
---2.3------------1200x1800------------8x10/11x14
---2.5------------1712x1368------------11x14
---3.1------------1440x2160------------11x14/16x20
---3.3------------1536x2048------------16x20
----4-------------1800x2400------------18x24
----6-------------2016x3040------------20x30
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
Action/Sports mode simply sets the shutter speed as fast as a proper exposure will allow - there's nothing special about cameras that have the sports mode (they don't take better sports pictures than a camera without "sports mode"). Setting the camera in Shutter Priority mode and controlling the shutter speed yourself is much more effective.

What you should look for in a sports camera is something with a good, big aperture (the f/ number is the aperture, lower is bigger - that is, f/2.8 is much bigger than f/4, etc.) and something that feels responsive in your hands. The bigger aperture lets in more light, which lets the shutter speed go higher.

Apertures are generally labeled on the lens and will say something like f/2.8-f/3.5, the first number is the max aperture at wide angle, the second number is the max aperture at full zoom.

Sorry if you knew any of this already :)
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
riderx said:
FYI - 7MP is way overkill unless you are printing big posters.
I don't need to be able to print posters, but I want to be able to crop a photo down, and still print a 16x20 or whatever.
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
binary visions said:
Action/Sports mode simply sets the shutter speed as fast as a proper exposure will allow - there's nothing special about cameras that have the sports mode (they don't take better sports pictures than a camera without "sports mode"). Setting the camera in Shutter Priority mode and controlling the shutter speed yourself is much more effective.

What you should look for in a sports camera is something with a good, big aperture (the f/ number is the aperture, lower is bigger - that is, f/2.8 is much bigger than f/4, etc.) and something that feels responsive in your hands. The bigger aperture lets in more light, which lets the shutter speed go higher.

Apertures are generally labeled on the lens and will say something like f/2.8-f/3.5, the first number is the max aperture at wide angle, the second number is the max aperture at full zoom.

Sorry if you knew any of this already :)
Some of it I did know, some of it I didn't. If I can find a camera with a good sports mode, then it's one less thing to think about when on the trail. I'll use full focus mode when I'm actually trying to take good pictures.

The biggest aperature is a good suggestion - I wouldn't have thought of that. Thanks.
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
When using a sports/action mode, do most cameras only raise the shutter speed and to to find a reasonable aperature? Or do they also adjust ISO, focus, or anything else? I know some of the better SLRs go into a constant focus mode type thing so the camera doesn't have to sample as much when you press the shutter button, giving a more responsive/faster shot.
 

MTB_Rob_NC

What do I have to do to get you in this car TODAY?
Nov 15, 2002
3,428
0
Charlotte, NC
My Nikon CoolPix 5600 (MSRP $249) works very well in "Sport Mode" once you figure it out. There is very little, if any delay and if you hold down the button it will take sequences.
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
Mtb_Rob_FL said:
My Nikon CoolPix 5600 (MSRP $249) works very well in "Sport Mode" once you figure it out. There is very little, if any delay and if you hold down the button it will take sequences.
That's cool. How many pics can you take in a row, before the camera needs to process them? And at what quality/resolution is that?