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wsandman1 · Aug 21, 2006, 7:43 PM

My boss asked me this question "What's a goodindoors (non dSLR) camera for photographing volleyball?" I told him that I think the answer is nothing, but I''d post his question tosee if there's something worth looking at.

Bill

mtclimber · Aug 21, 2006, 9:41 PM

Take a look at the Fuji F-30 camera. Beyond that you will have to look at a DSLR Camera. The Pentax K100D is surly worth a look.

MT

wsandman1 · Aug 21, 2006, 10:02 PM

Thanks, I'll look at it (fuji). I mentioned the Pentax K100D and D50 to my boss.

kenbalbari · Aug 21, 2006, 10:08 PM

Probably no point & shoot is going to do well at indoor voleyball. You could try an F30 off of a monopod, but it really won't give you the zoom you might want. But most cameras that have the zoom you need probably aren't going to have the high ISO performance you'll need to get enough light in and still maintain a decent shutter speed.

To do it right, you'd ideally want at least a 10x zoom, along with a fast lens (one that lets you use a wide aperature while zoomed in), and higher ISO performance without too much noise. For best results, you would want a DSLR for all that, but a Sony Cybershot DSC-H2 gets you pretty close. It's got a 12x zoom (to 432mm equivalent), a fast lens (f/3.7 at 12x), image stabilization (a must with a good telephoto unless you use a tripod), a good burst mode, reasonably low noise through at least ISO 400, and a reasonable price of around $350. And you still would want to shoot off of a tripod or at least a monopod.

wsandman1 · Aug 21, 2006, 10:15 PM

Thanks, I'll give my boss links to the reviews for both cameras and he can make a choice. I tried to tell him that as soon as he mentioned indoor sports, he was "doomed to get a DSLR".

shooting_rubber · Aug 21, 2006, 10:46 PM

maybe try the Kodak p850 or the new Kodak p712... they both work very well for my indoor shots..! the kodak p850 has a fast lens of f3.6 at 12X zoom... You could also invest, for the Olympus TCON 17 for this camera...

jacks · Aug 21, 2006, 11:23 PM

I don't think you would need much 'zoom' unless you are trying to shoot from the stands. Probably a 35mm equivalent of 100-150mm would get you a lot of good shots.
You almost certainly will need a lens/camera capable of around f1.8 and ISO1600 to get fast enough shutter times though, and I don't think there is a p&s that comes close to being able to do this.

meanstreak · Aug 21, 2006, 11:25 PM

shooting_rubber wrote:

Quote:

maybe try the Kodak p850 or the new Kodak p712... they both work very well for my indoor shots..! the kodak p850 has a fast lens of f3.6 at 12X zoom... You could also invest, for the Olympus TCON 17 for this camera...

Have you tried the TCON-17 with your camera indoors?

shooting_rubber · Aug 21, 2006, 11:42 PM

yes I have, it would work well in a gymnasium with the lights turned on,at 1/200 or 1/250th with ISO 200-400!

shooting_rubber.

P.S. with a TCON 17 it gives you 20X Optical Zoom and 734.4 mm with a 35mm eqivalent!

jacks · Aug 22, 2006, 12:40 AM

1/250 isn't near fast enough for action photos. It would be fine for stationary players though, especially if stabilised.
Where I am sitting my camera is suggesting 1/60sec at f1.8 and ISO1600 and I believe this room is at least as well lit as most gyms, so I'm not convinced that you could get those shutter speeds at that ISO.
There must be some people here who regularly shoot volleyball. What gear and settings do you use?

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Aug 21, 2006, 7:43 PM	#1
wsandman1 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 318	My boss asked me this question "What's a goodindoors (non dSLR) camera for photographing volleyball?" I told him that I think the answer is nothing, but I''d post his question tosee if there's something worth looking at. Bill

Aug 21, 2006, 9:41 PM	#2
mtclimber Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Oregon, USA Posts: 18,143	Take a look at the Fuji F-30 camera. Beyond that you will have to look at a DSLR Camera. The Pentax K100D is surly worth a look. MT

Aug 21, 2006, 10:02 PM	#3
wsandman1 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 318	Thanks, I'll look at it (fuji). I mentioned the Pentax K100D and D50 to my boss.

Aug 21, 2006, 10:08 PM	#4
kenbalbari Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 822	Probably no point & shoot is going to do well at indoor voleyball. You could try an F30 off of a monopod, but it really won't give you the zoom you might want. But most cameras that have the zoom you need probably aren't going to have the high ISO performance you'll need to get enough light in and still maintain a decent shutter speed. To do it right, you'd ideally want at least a 10x zoom, along with a fast lens (one that lets you use a wide aperature while zoomed in), and higher ISO performance without too much noise. For best results, you would want a DSLR for all that, but a Sony Cybershot DSC-H2 gets you pretty close. It's got a 12x zoom (to 432mm equivalent), a fast lens (f/3.7 at 12x), image stabilization (a must with a good telephoto unless you use a tripod), a good burst mode, reasonably low noise through at least ISO 400, and a reasonable price of around $350. And you still would want to shoot off of a tripod or at least a monopod.

Aug 21, 2006, 10:15 PM	#5
wsandman1 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 318	Thanks, I'll give my boss links to the reviews for both cameras and he can make a choice. I tried to tell him that as soon as he mentioned indoor sports, he was "doomed to get a DSLR".

Aug 21, 2006, 10:46 PM	#6
shooting_rubber Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 726	maybe try the Kodak p850 or the new Kodak p712... they both work very well for my indoor shots..! the kodak p850 has a fast lens of f3.6 at 12X zoom... You could also invest, for the Olympus TCON 17 for this camera...

Aug 21, 2006, 11:23 PM	#7
jacks Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 221	I don't think you would need much 'zoom' unless you are trying to shoot from the stands. Probably a 35mm equivalent of 100-150mm would get you a lot of good shots. You almost certainly will need a lens/camera capable of around f1.8 and ISO1600 to get fast enough shutter times though, and I don't think there is a p&s that comes close to being able to do this.

Aug 21, 2006, 11:42 PM	#9
shooting_rubber Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 726	yes I have, it would work well in a gymnasium with the lights turned on,at 1/200 or 1/250th with ISO 200-400! shooting_rubber. P.S. with a TCON 17 it gives you 20X Optical Zoom and 734.4 mm with a 35mm eqivalent!

Aug 22, 2006, 12:40 AM	#10
jacks Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 221	1/250 isn't near fast enough for action photos. It would be fine for stationary players though, especially if stabilised. Where I am sitting my camera is suggesting 1/60sec at f1.8 and ISO1600 and I believe this room is at least as well lit as most gyms, so I'm not convinced that you could get those shutter speeds at that ISO. There must be some people here who regularly shoot volleyball. What gear and settings do you use?