Which is better, fast shooting for action or low light lens for better definition ?
1879028
Not quite sure of your question on "better", but I will try to answer. This is not a high end DSLR, but it holds its own in action shooting with excellent clarity. As for limited/low light shooting, I was amazed in what it does without the flash. I have been using a Sony compact disc camera with optional with a fish eye lens for several years taking low light pictures . I most often had to use some form of lighting to get a good shot. The fish eye lens interfered with the flash causing major shadowing. The SZ+31, under the same limited light, gives excellent wide angle pictures WITHOUT a flash and little need to touch-up. We also have a mid-level Canon DSLR that was supposed to replace the Sony. The SZ-31 actually has more features with less bulk and is very user friendly. We are using the SZ-31 infinitely more than the other two. Here is the best clue: My wife does not take well to ANY gadget---until we bought the SZ-31. She loves this thing and so do I.
1707423
It has the capacity to take action shots depending on the shutter speed you need. Just be aware the quality of pictures won't be that great. It's nothing more than a glorified point and shoot and my experience with it wasn't that great at all. I was glad when it got stolen, but felt a little sorry for the thief!
719927
I ended returning this camera but fast auto focus depends to what you would like to shot at.My experience with this type of cameras is that they have a decent autofocus, sometimes even better than expensive bodies such as the Canon 5D MarkII.One thing that is usually true is that auto focus is well balance with the type of pictures you can get with these type of cameras. For action shooting you will need a prime lense with a prime body that will take you to the $3000 minimum.
1620700
I have not tried it, but these are not 'fast' lenses, they are great for all 'round general use, but I think not so good for action in low light.
899094
Excellent lens for low light! For low light you need a fast lens - 1.4 is very fast. Use the 50mm for people pictures and you won't go wrong. Learn to use your manual focus during composition: that is, move closer (zoom-in) or further away (zoom-out) 'with your feet'.
1549359
I would go with a more versatile lens for low light performances. Maybe a 70-200 or something similar.
754257
there really isnt a big difference. faster shutter speed, sharper images, and a quicker focus speed is about it
2264762
Are you talking about how short an exposure you can get or how quick between pictures. I haven't been limited by shutter speed in high or low light situations, but if you are trying to take actions pictures the time between frames probably isn't what you are looking for.
1535153
Hi Theo - There is limited aperture/shutter control, so it is more difficult to take photos of fast moving objects. I would say this camera is best for still images! However, I have taken great photos even when the objects are moving. Hope this helps.
164689
A lens with a lot of light gathering ability is called a fast lens. A lenses light gathering ability is related to the size of the opening, i.e., the f-stop. The smaller the f-stop the larger the opening. This lens is F4 at 70mm and and f5.6 (smaller) at 300mm. This is not a fast lens. It's not going to be great for low light. In all honesty I haven't tried it under those conditions. I would expect to have to push the iso really really high to keep the shutter speed high enough to avoid motion blur. However, the low-mid priced telephoto lenses are going to be in this range of f-stop. because it costs a lot more to make a fast lens. Ideally you would like a faster lens, like Nikon's 70-200, F2.8. However the price for that lens is about 2 grand (US $).
970
Seems pretty fast to me, maybe a little slower as the scene gets darker, but it takes great pictures in very low light with autofocus.Has infrared light to focus with. Hardly ever use flash in a room with ordinary lighting.
1495159
I agree with Wesley, for the most part. USM refers to Ultra Sonic Motor, which is a little bit quieter than the regular autofocus motor, but that's not its primary purpose. The USM is capable of Autofocusing a great deal faster than a regular lens. Side by side, you'll notice quite a difference in the amount of time the lens needs to focus. Now, I shoot wildlife photography of wild animals. For me, that time difference in crucial. You'll want that should you ever be shooting moving subjects, like animals or sports events, for example. You'll have to consider how you plan to use the lens, and decide if the additional speed is something you'll need.
1150471
I agree with this choice. In natural gym light without a flash, I push my 7D up to 1000 ISO and shoot wide open at f/1.8 and 1/500 shutter speed. Outstanding results with my 85mm f/1.8. Great color saturation, tack sharp and beautiful boekh (blur). The lens is fast enough to keep up with 8fps shooting speed.
1186138
Those are both low-light situations. You will want a "fast" lens. The 18-55mm lens is an f/3.5 lens. The lower the "f stop" the faster the lens which makes low light situations easier to shoot. Nikon makes 2 "Prime" lenses (lenses that don't zoom) that both cost about $200 each. One is a 35mm f/1.8 and the other is a 50mm f/1.8. If you use either of these lenses and put the camera in "Shutter Priority" mode (S on the dial) with the shutter speed set to 1/200 or a little faster, you should get great pictures. - All of that works great for me at the race track at night shooting sprint cars going 80+ mph with this camera. Those are both low-light situations. You will want a "fast" lens. The 18-55mm lens is an f/3.5 lens. The lower the "f stop" the faster the lens which makes low light situations easier to shoot. Nikon makes 2 "Prime" lenses (lenses that don't zoom) that both cost about $200 each. One is a 35mm f/1.8 and the other is a 50mm f/1.8. If you use either of these lenses and put the camera in "Shutter Priority" mode (S on the dial) with the shutter speed set to 1/200 or a little faster, you should get great pictures. - All of that works great for me at the... » Read More Those are both low-light situations. You will want a "fast" lens. The 18-55mm lens is an f/3.5 lens. The lower the "f stop" the faster the lens which makes low light situations easier to shoot. Nikon makes 2 "Prime" lenses (lenses that don't zoom) that both cost about $200 each. One is a 35mm f/1.8 and the other is a 50mm f/1.8. If you use either of these lenses and put the camera in "Shutter Priority" mode (S on the dial) with the shutter speed set to 1/200 or a little faster, you should get great pictures. - All of that works great for me at the race track at night shooting sprint cars going 80+ mph with this camera. « Show Less
700335
You can get some great shots from this lens with a little practice. The appature is still a bit high for in door fast action but with any lens you will see that but with a combination of the correct white balance and ISO & shutter speed you can do a nice job I have used this in low light with great results. getting to know your lens is key. This is one of my favorite lenes.
126995
it's been a while since i've used manual settings on a camera and i seem to have forgotton a lot, are there any websites out there that review what shutter speeds are appropriate for low light, action, etc.? Thanks!
1923381
The shutter speed is fast ... action shot it can take very quick but it also depends on jow fast the movement is because if its extremely fast yoi pic will come out all out of focus and blurry.