The Best Cameras for Capturing Your Kids’ Summer Sports

If you’re a parent, the first question you may ask a photographer friend is about what camera to get to take the best photos of your kids.

I’ve been asked this question many times, and my answer often includes the same advice—get one that shoots at fast shutter speeds, because kids don’t stop moving. Of course, there is more to the decision than that, but that’s a key point. A DSLR with a very fast lens is ideal for capturing kids running bases and bouncing soccer balls, but they are not often on the list of priorities for what a parent wants to carry around or spend money on.

Knocking the big, heavy and expensive options off the list, you can aim for a few simple categories—a small point and shoot, a compact mirrorless, or a bridge camera between DSLR and point-and-shoot.

Within those categories, the options change and get updated frequently as new cameras come out, but the categories themselves provide a good starting point. Within each category, price points can vary to fit most any budget—especially when considering KEH’s inventory.

A Small Point-and-Shoot

This is typically the category best-suited for parents who don’t want to spend a ton of money or end up with a big camera to tote around. These cameras come in very small packages but pack a lot of features into their compact design. The factor to most consider is the speed of the camera—fast shutter speeds and fast, wide aperture lenses. This combination will catch all of the action of the sports, without making everyone a blur.

The Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VI is a great option. This little wonder makes amazing videos and photos, is very small and lightweight, and still packs a pretty fast lens. Another option is the small Canon G9X—it doesn’t have a lot of buttons, so it can be a little easier for a beginner, but leaves a lot of room to grow into the camera. Most Canon PowerShot and Nikon CoolPix cameras fall into this category.

A Compact Mirrorless

While I love Fujifilm’s X100 line, it may not be perfectly suited if zoom is on your wish list. The Fujifilm compact mirrorless X100 line are fun and fast cameras but lack zoom with their fixed lens style. An option that adds zoom is something like a Sony A6400. The Sony has a lot of functionality and creates beautiful photos and videos. The camera does not have a fixed lens, so you can mix and match, and create a kit for just about anything. Sony has some fantastic zooms that would pair perfectly with this small camera, keeping the kit lightweight and small overall.

A Bridge Between Point & Shoot and DSLR

These cameras are often bigger, but may be the all-in-one that fits lots of situations. I’ve known a few parents who don’t want the hassle of a separate lens, but want a camera that can zoom far, like for a child’s baseball game. They also want the camera to work for everyday photos at home and on vacation. In this category, something like the Lumix FZ1000 for crazy long zoom or the LX100 for more standard zoom range are good options. The LX100 has a very fast lens, with apertures down to f/1.7 -2.8. That aperture lets more light in, and also blurs out backgrounds. It is also quite smaller than the FZ1000 with its superzoom. Both are on the bigger side compared to small point-and-shoots, but they are do-it-all cameras for someone who wants everything in one package.

Picking the right camera for you and your kids can feel overwhelming, but it’s a manageable decision. There are lots of options, so it can certainly get overwhelming—that’s where the experts at KEH come in. They are happy to help with questions and specific concerns you may be trying to overcome. Give them a call at 1-800-DIAL-KEH and see how they can help with this decision!