Yet Another Camera Suggestion Thread

Whatever you do, make sure you get a camera that has a very high ISO upper number. The higher the number, the better it will shoot in low light (brighter, less grainy).

I have the older model (several generations back) that is very similar to the G11 and my sister actually just bought the G11. It's an excellent Canon point and shoot and it has quite a bit a bit of versatility to get a bit more out of your photos, especially your sportsy action shots. In fact, it would be the camera that I would suggest you get before you get a DSLR. Take the time to read the manual and learn about everything it does and when and if you step it up, you'll be way ahead of the game in mastering the controls of a DSLR. The only big con of that camera is that it's a pretty big camera to carry around. It definitely is not a toss in your purse and go situation.

For you, I would think that a DSLR is not the best lifestyle choice for you-- not because of its controls or learning curve, but because you've got a bunch of lenses to worry about dragging around with you all the time. It's a serious load and you've already got a serious load with 4 kids (almost) and all their gear. Even a couple of key lenses are fragile and heavy-- and expensive. You buy the camera body and each lens is separate or it'll come with a zoom lens in a starter kit. If you're only going to use the kit lens that sometimes comes with it, you're just as well off getting a near DSLR camera with the G11. Don't get me wrong, a DSLR is always the way to go if you're serious about photography but there's definitely a commitment. I shoot with a Canon T1i right now and I love it but I usually carry at least 3 lenses with me (minus kids) and I still feel like I have my hands full.


Actually, the higher ISO you use, the grainier the photo will be. It will be brighter but it will make a ton of noise in the photos. More importantly, compare ISO high noise reduction reviews. As a rule, when you shoot, you want to use the lowest ISO setting that you can for the situation unless you're specifically shooting for a grainy, raw look.

All Digital cameras suffer from a common malady, called "High ISO noise". What does it mean is, if you select a higher ISO speed for your sensor, your will get some extra digital noise signal. This noise manifests like tiny colored specs scattered all over the picture area. It is kind of like getting grains when you use high-speed films. This happens due to the fact Image sensor cells produce electron charge over time and depending on the temperature. Cooler the temperature, lesser the noise, higher the temperature, higher the noise. Unfortunately, even in normal ambient temperature, the existing image sensors produces appreciable amount of charges to degrade the image at low light and / or longer exposure. In technical term this is also called Dark count and Dark noise of the sensor.

And I'm not sure that most people who buy a DSLR necessarily buy multiple lenses. Most are probably happy with the 18-55 mm lens that comes with it (I think that's like a 3x zoom lens).

Yes, they are a little bulky. But for me, the trade-off of a little bulkiness in return for a great picture & more flexibility is well worth it.

I will disagree with you on a couple of points.
Over the last five years, the point and shoots have have improved to the point that a good photographer could take a picture with both a P&S and a DSLR - and you would have a hard telling which was which. That doesn't apply to low end P&S or to most sporting events however.
With the exception of special promotions, the kit lens sold with DSLR body is not a good lens. They tend to be lightweight plastic instead of glass. The lens is more important than the camera body - the camera is only as good as the lens.
A 55mm lens won't work for sporting events. It's a nice portrait lens, but won't get you squat on the pitch, baseball/football fields, or indoor court. I want the expressions on their faces. I have a Canon 70-200mm 2.8 telephoto lens and I wish I had another 100mm or more at times. I also have a 28-70mm 2.8 for general use.

I too raised three kids - with 18 years of sports for the kids (I miss that now). I carried a backpack with the film camera body, extra film, both lens, billfold & cellphone and diaper changing supplies - and folding chairs. The rest of the stuff could be left in the car. The pictures were absolutely worth it.