Camera for family

[demon_aus]

What camera would best suit an active family for sports/action photos of kids, party photos and occasional holiday snaps.
Prefer a low F (2.0 to 2.5) and around the 4-6Megapixel range but no idea on where to go from here.
Have average experience over last 4 years with digitals but the old DC240 can no longer take the photos of the kids soccer/dance etc.

[Rex914]

I think you'll like the Panasonic FZ20 (or one of the stripped down models if price is an issue). It has 12x optical zoom (36mm-432mm) at F/2.8 across that entire range. It'd be perfect for those sports and action photos. It also comes with image stabilization.

It is a little bit on the large side, but I couldn't recommend a better camera for your needs given what you said. If this camera is too bulky or too expensive, take a look at some similar models like the Canon S1 IS, the Olympus 765, Konica Minolta Z3, etc.

[ktixx]

I think you'll like the Panasonic FZ20 (or one of the stripped down models if price is an issue). It has 12x optical zoom (36mm-432mm) at F/2.8 across that entire range. It'd be perfect for those sports and action photos. It also comes with image stabilization.


I would second that. The panasonic FZ20 is a great camera. The IS will allow better pictures in low light situations than most point and shoots. The FZ20 attempts to mimic a DSLR with easily adjusted manual controls. You might want to also check out the newer Panasonic Cameras that were just released (FZ4 = 4MP and FZ-5 = 5MP). They both have IS with 12X zooms, but are considerably smaller than the FZ-20. Good luck
Ken