Camera suitable for fast moving subjects

[Stanfordian]

I have a compact digital camera, a sony cyber shot, which is ideal for most of my images. For fast moving subjects like actors taking a bow on stage etc the results are disappointing. That is if am using it correctly? Can anyone suggest a inexpensive alterative camera? Many thanks!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

If you are using flash, it needs to be powerful enough to be effective in the venue. If you are relying upon available light you need the highest ISO setting in the hope that the auto exposure will give you a faster shutter speed. If you can do manual settings, your options are greater.

[Gordon]

You are taking pictures in a theatre with low light, which will also be coloured and so will come out with a cast, probably yellowish. It's not clear what the disappointment is - is it focus, poor colour rendition, graininess, camera shake [if you are on a zoom setting and the camera is hand held this will happen] or motion blur? Suspect the latter although the others are probably present as well. How far from the subject are these disappointing photos taken? You can't do anything about the light level [except through flash] or it's colour and the camera may be having focussing problems in low light. I have a Canon IXUS and it is very good at this but I'm not sure about your CyberShot. Photshop tye processing can deal with some defects such as colour cast and low light - ie dark images - but not about otehrs eg focus/blur.

For anything fast moving you have only 2 options: fast shutter speed [better than 125th preferably less] and using flash which helps to freeze motion and get sufficient light on the subject. If you are far from the subject the flash will probably not be enough as has been pointed out above and so getting as close as possible to the subject is a good idea.

Modern digital cameras are good at setting the optimum settings for the prevailing conditions and getting sufficiently accurate focus BUT if there is insufficent light and you are not near the action then there will be problems, almost regardless what camera you use short of a full professional rig.

So I'm not sure how we can help improve things, the main issue seems to be the conditions under which the photos are taken. The best you can do here, as has been suggested, is don't rely on the camera's auto setting but choose manual and select a short shutter speed around 125th or less. Doing this will help if motion blur is the main issue. However doing this in low light means a wide aperture which means a small depth of field and so focus will need to be spot on and here, on this camera, you don't have manual. There is no cure for camera shake other than holding it very still [tripod?] and using as little zoom as possible. The flash throw will not be very effective at more than say 10-15 feet [the flash in these cameras is to help with close shots].

[Hornspieler]

I have a compact digital camera, a sony cyber shot, which is ideal for most of my images. For fast moving subjects like actors taking a bow on stage etc the results are disappointing. That is if am using it correctly? Can anyone suggest a inexpensive alterative camera? Many thanks!

The crucial word in your post is "compact".

I don't know the Sony model which you have, but as in all fields of work, it is a question of the right tool for the job.

For instance, I use an Olympus C8080 Wide Zoom for most of my work, much of which has been published by leading photographic magazines.

Not as expensive as Nikon or Canon but offering the following choice of facilities:

Auto or Manual Focus
Auto or manual exposure
Aperture Priority
Shutter Priority
Separate through the lens viewfinder (Essential in strong sunlight)

Now we come to the important bit for what you need, the Shooting dial
Your choices will include:

Night Scene Shooting: No
Portrait shooting: No
Landscape shooting: No
Sports Shooting: Yes - in sufficient daylight
Movie Recording: Yes,yes,yes!

This last is almost certainly the best solution.

Most digital camersas - even the small ones offer this facility. This captures the images at a given number of frames per second and it is possible to view those frames separately, one by one. Amongst that lot, you should be able to find at least one frame which is in sharp focus.
Alternatively, why not plug the camera into your TV or download to your Computer and watch a short movie of the event?

I hope that this is helpful. By all means PM me to let me know how you get on.

Hornspieler