$250-$350 First Time Camera Purchase???

[HockeyCoach]

We are first time digital camera buyers. I understand that many reviews suggest more memory so, with that in mind, we are looking for a first digital camera in the $250-350 total range. Our family takes the average family photos on vacations and some general photos during "get-togethers" with family and friends.
One thing that I should mention is that we will be taking many pictures during ice-hockey events at indoor arenas. We want to be sure that the pictures come out well and that we are able to enlarge them without losing clarity.
We have done some research but would appreciate some feedback from the forum. This will be a Christmas gift to the family and any help is greatly appreciated.

[Dave Dilks]

I don't have experience with the entire spectrum of cameras available, but have taken a few thousand hockey pictures over the years and can give you some pointers in that regard. First off, it is essential that the camera have full manual controls to allow you to adjust aperture, shutter speed, and white balance. The large amount of white ice causes cameras in automatic mode to greatly underexpose the players. Also, the lighting used in most rinks causes a nasty color cast unless you can manually adjust the white balance. Another feature of indoor hockey rinks is that they rarely have as much light available as the camera would like. For that reason, features that enhance low-light capabilities (large aperture, lower noise at higher sensitivity settings, image stabilization) are also needed.

I'm currently using two different camera for hockey photos: a (no longer in production) Nikon Coolpix 4500 and a Panasonic FZ3. Both work fine, the Nikon works slightly better when I'm standing right next to the glass (larger aperture at wide angle), while the FZ3 is much, much better when shooting at a distance.

I really believe the FZ3 would meet all of your needs quite nicely, with the following considerations. You don't say exactly how much you want to enlarge your pictures. At 3MP, the FZ3 does a fine job on 8 x 10 prints (and probably somewhat larger), but significantly greater enlargements would be better with a camera with more megapixels. Also, the camera is a little larger than some others, so you should definitely get one in your hands before you purchase it. On the positive side, it's ultra zoom and image stabilized lens will allow you to take some phenomenal pictures. Also, it's currently going for $309 at Circuit City - at least until their current $50 rebate ends.