Recommend a camera for taking pictures of baby and toddler <£200

[johnnyboyz1966]

I'm a complete novice and want to buy a new digital camera whose main purpose will be to take decent pictures of my 2 month old baby girl and 2 year old son.
I have a digital camera at the moment but the pictures taken indoors don't seem very clear (and the majority of the pictures are taken indoors).
It's also very difficult to 'capture the moment' as the shutter speed seems very slow. I'd like a camera with the 'burst' option (?)where you press the button and it takes serveral pictures very quickly.
I'd also like a fairly decent zoom as getting too close ruins any spontanaiety.
I don't want anything too bulky or complicated as it won't get used.

My max budget is £200.
Any thoughts or what do others with kids recommend?
Thanks, John

[senu]

Up your budget and get a DSLR
They arent that more expensive and the sheer absence of shutter lag and use of higher ISO for lower lighting and indoor shots will ensure you get many more usable shot of the children. Children do not hag around to be photgraphed and most timesiit is indoors
Although there are some child specific techniques , getting the kit right is the very first step
Forget the "complicated" settings for now, DSLRs can be used as Point and shoot in Auto mode for starters
You might surprise yourself and get to know the more creative modes later
For little more than £200 you can get a second hand Canon orr eve a new Nikon D40
The only downside is size , you would need large pockets ..
Avoiding this route will only get you seeking for this sort of solution.. eventually,
I would give it a serious thought
Good luck

[craig777]

I can only agree with what 'senu' has said.

I got myself a secondhand Nikon D80 earlier this year for the main reason of getting some decent pics of my two kids - I'm still very much a beginner, but have still managed to get some very nice shots.

Moving into DSLR-land is the best choice you can make considering what type of photos you plan on taking. The absence of shutter lag is reason alone to get a DSLR, it really helps to capture the moment that would otherwise be missed with an ordinary digi camera.

edit...
Also, if you do decide to get a DSLR, look for a body only and then buy a 50mm f/1.8 lens to go with it. A fast 50mm lens is perfect for snapping the kids around the house and garden - I'm getting much better results than I was using the kit zoom lens.

[kBm]

I would recommend this- Fuji Finepix S9600 - with 10x optical which gives upto 300mm (i thnk), plus its great for indoors and low light!

It's £202 but shop around.

Bridge cameras are so versatile and make a great choice for all in one types rather than having to buy the DSLR + lens. Looking at the spec it even has RAW mode plus loads of manual controls if you need them.

[TarMoo]

I would suggest that you get a new or second-hand Nikon D40.

Later consider getting a SB400 flash and take pictures using bounce flash ... take a look here for an example of indoor bounced flash with a SB400.

Small compact cameras are poor taking pictures indoors. Flash on compacts tends to have a lot of red-eye and harsh shaddows.