I wish there was an easy answer to the question, "what camera can I get to take better photos of my kids playing sports?" Unfortunately, there just isn't an easy answer. It really depends on how much time and money you can afford to put into it, because, even though the digital camera industry's marketing hype would lead you to believe otherwise, there is nothing automatic about photography.

Before I get going, let me make one point perfectly clear: I do not mean to discourage anyone from taking up photography! The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the the money and equipment involved in trying to capture that one moment of your child doing something they love to do. As long as you can keep a clear perspective, the rewards can be immense.

What I have found from experience is that the images you get come down to 3 factors: equipment, experience, and access. If you are willing to spend the money, put in the time, and have access to the action, you will get some stunning photographs. However, if you aren't in a position to make photography a full-time obsession, you'll have to find a more reasonable, rational way to get the images you want.

On one hand, just about any digital camera you buy for under $300 will be able to take just about 95% of the pictures you would ever want taken--and most of them will produce nice 8x10s without even having to edit them. These are the typical travel, family, fun photos that fill most people's scrapbooks.

What about the other 5%? Those are the portraits and action photos that usually frustrate almost every digital photographer. Digital cameras come in 2 different body types: point-and-shoots or SLRs (single-lens-reflex), as well as 3 flavors: consumer, prosumer, and professional. The lowest rung is the consumer point-and-shoot. Even though these cameras have "portrait" and "sport" modes, earlier models weren't really engineered towards capturing and producing high quality action and portrait images. That doesn't mean, though, that it is impossible--it just means that you really have to learn how the camera works, you really have to know the sport you are shooting, and you really have to have a lot of patience, knowing that you will have to shoot a LOT in order to get a few really good shots.

However, for some people, rather than trying to make do with what they have, it makes more sense to upgrade. Newer consumer point-and-shoots perform much better in terms of quicker auto-focusing, decreased shutter-lag and higher resolution images. Some examples of these are the Panasonic FZ series, the Fuji S series, and the Sony H2 or H5. There are a number of higher-end models that have all the features and controls of a digital SLR, including built-in IS (image stabilization) and low-light modes; the main thing you don't have is exchangeable lenses. For many people, these higher end point-and-shoot cameras are the perfect solution: affordable and capable of capturing some decent images.

If you feel constrained by a point-and-shoot, you should consider a digital SLR. These cameras are vastly different than point-and-shoots, beginning with the fact that the lens is detachable and not built-in. These cameras give you much, much greater freedom in terms of what you can do, but they come at a cost: they are much more expensive, they require a lot more accessories, they require greater maintenance, and they have a much steeper learning curve. I can't count how many people I've talked to that jumped from a point-and-shoot to a dSLR, only to find it to be too much trouble--especially when they were used to carrying around something the size and weight of a pack of cigarettes. Even so, there are some great entry level dSLRs on the market, notably the Canon 350xt, the Nikon D50, or the Sony Alpha. You can buy them with a kit lens (which is great for most photography), or you can buy specialty lenses separately.

Should you decide to go the dSLR route, you are still going to find equipment falling into the 3 basic flavors: consumer, prosumer, and professional. Consumer equipment, even used, will cost you $500-750 to get started; this equipment will do a pretty good job for the amateur/hobbyist market it is geared towards. The nice thing is, once you get in, if you don't like the pictures you are getting, you can start upgrading your body and your lenses separately. Maybe you want faster lenses that will work better indoors; or maybe you will want a body that has a better auto-focus or more frames per second. The only real gotcha is that you have to stay in the same body/lens family: you can't readily mix and match equipment from different manufacturers.

You could step up to a prosumer level. This equipment is made for people who just can't get enough out of the lower level equipment, but aren't ready to take the plunge for professional gear. Here, the bodies start around $1000 and go up towards $1500. This is also the point you would start exploring more and more options in terms of lenses. Do you need a better telephoto, or do you need a zoom? Do you also want wide-angle shots? Unfortunately, with dSLRs, there is just no one lens that will do everything...and the lenses range in price from the $100s to the $1000s. Through trial and error, most photographers wind up at this point with 3-5 different lenses in their bag.

For the most part, the prosumer level is where most amateurs (and even some professionals), stop putting money into photography. At this point, you will have invested a few thousand dollars into equipment, and untold hours into learning how to use it. However, if you still aren't satisfied, you could take the next step: buying professional equipment. I can tell you from experience, you don't want to go here, unless you really want to be able to shoot Sports Illustrated quality images on a regular basis, and unless you are ready to pay whatever it takes to be able to do so. The camera bodies start close to $4000 (although you can usually find a decent used one for around $2500). The lenses start around $1200, and go up to about $6000. Just walking around, you'll be lugging close to 20 pounds of gear, just to be ready for anything.

If you get to this point with all this gear, you have to ask yourself, what are you really trying to do? Are you simply trying to get some great shots of your children, in action, or are you trying to become a professional photographer? If you are more into photography than actually watching and experiencing your children's athletic endeavors, then, by all means, put as much time, energy, money, and passion as you can into it. I have no doubt that sooner or later, you will find yourself producing stunning images on a regular basis. Who knows, you might even start making money from it!

On the other hand, if all you really want are some great shots of your children, doing something they love doing, maybe the best thing to do would be to hire me to go and get those shots for you...