Is Sony HX300 a good choice for taking pictures of my kids?

[branisha]

Hi all,

I am total newbie and need an advice on compact camera with which I can take nice pictures of my kids while they run, jump, play etc., also for taking hd videos. Currently I have Canon ixus 110is and I am not satisfied with the photo quality.
I need an advice for Sony HX300, is it good for this purpose or should I look for some alternatives? My budget is max 400$.


Thanks

[rudimaes]

In a recent test of 2014 bridge cameras, the Nikon Coolpix P600,
came out as the best.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/b ... 2014-A.HTM
Rudi

[Rorschach]

It's all well and good with that review but it looked like all of those tests were done on slow or stationary subjects. What about tracking fast-moving objects such as children, as the OP mentioned? Since that review has no testing of how accurately and consistently the cameras' autofocus systems track fast-moving subjects, I don't think it's conclusively helpful in this case.

If you're trying to do a burst of shots with the P600, not being able to use the camera while you're waiting for the photos to be written to the memory card can rule it out of contention for some people regardless of its image quality.

[rudimaes]

The Panasonic FZ200, wich I use for taking pictures of my grandchildren,
has a fast (up to 12fps) burstrate and is much faster than the Nikon P600 at flushing a full buffer.
Although it's not recent it's performance is still with the best sub $500 bridges.
Rudi

[Maestro]

On one hand, it'll take some good shopping to find an FZ200 for under $400 (which is the OP's max). And the FZ200 only zooms half as far as the HX300 (or P600 for that matter).

On the other hand, the FZ200's constant f2.8 aperture lens will do much better indoors than either the HX300 or P600. And personally, I think 50X/1200mm+ is way overkill for candids of kids playing anyway, especially when shooting hand-held video.

Mark