Express Action Sports

bundles do save you some cash. my canon 40D came with a 17-85 IS lens. but you will need a diff lens for sports an expensive one if its both at night and in a place where you wont be able to get in on the action.

you can definitely get close to your target by buying used. but you will have to compromise on the camera or the lens at that price range
References :

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XSi
The Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM is a fairly good and cheap general lens. The Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is also a possibility. For sports a lens like the 100mm f/2, or 200mm f/2.8 will be best
Go to this site and click on Learn About Canon Lenses and then click Canon General Purpose Lens Recommendations:
http://the-digital-picture.com/
References :

There’s sort of a conflict between the two: "best" and "under $1000." The best* option would be a Nikon D3 with a 70-200mm f2.8 VR Nikkor. But, this would be $6000. For under a thousand dollars, I would suggest the Nikon D90, body only, with either an older 35-70mm f2.8 Nikkor, or a 50mm f1.8/85mm f1.8. Either way, you’d be hard pressed to get that price under $1000. Then again, you can always get an older DSLR; but you’d be photographing with older technology, which means terrible noise issues.

Another option, though often overlooked, would be considering a film SLR. You can get a professional film SLR, that once cost $2000 for around $200 and under. Film is cheap, too. The only thing that you would need after that is a lens, which can easily be picked up for $600 or less. Wit this option, you’d save money, and get better image quality.
References :

All dslrs will be able to capture food sports action, they have to have a fast shutter and a wide f stop. I have a nikon d40 and I love it. (It has a little question button on the camera that explains what settings do so its really good for beginners) I would say either get a canon or a nikon, they are the most reliable.

I think you would want a telephoto lens so that you can get up close to the players.

Nikon d40
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/532253-REG/Nikon__D40_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

(nikon d60 and d80 are the next versions up)
Canon Rebel – http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/589104-REG/Canon__EOS_Rebel_XS_a_k_a_.html

Canon 30d (without an extra telephoto lens)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/423708-REG/Canon_1234B004_EOS_30D_Digital_Camera.html
Remember the kits don’t include memory cards, cases, warranties and so it all adds up.

good luck!
References :

The minimum you are going to spend for that kind of thing is 1500. A used Canon 20D or 30D from a site like keh.com, and a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, no IS. Or a used Nikon D200 from the same site but its going to be more expensive. Nikon also makes a 70-200 f/2.8. You really need f/2.8 especially for basketball. You will also need to learn how to shoot in manual mode and know your camera otherwise you will have a hard time getting good pictures indoors and on cloudy days. You will also need some good editing software that can edit RAW files like Adobe Lightroom so that you can push the settings without ruining the picture so much. You can also use the 70-200 lens for family photos but you will have to back way way up. You probably have to get another lens, the cheapest being the 18-55mm lens.
References :

Any of the major brands – Sony, Pentax, Nikon, Canon, Olympus – with the kit lens are good starting points. Read reviews of all of these cameras and choose the one that you believe best fits your needs. Don’t wear blinders that limit you to Nikon or Canon.

I suggest avoiding "bundles" unless all they include are a second lens. The ones with a tripod and filters and all the other items usually included often are of low quality and are things you’ll likely discard.

You might want to consider buying a body, a 50mm f1.4 lens and a zoom of perhaps 70-200mm with an f2.8 constant aperture. The 50mm f1.4 will be good for portraits and any low-light, non-flash photography you might do and the 70-200mm f2.8 zoom will be suitable for most sports situations. Its important to have a constant aperture zoom so your shutter speed will remain the same as you zoom from 70mm to 200mm. Zooms with variable apertures such as f4/5.6 are very slow lenses and your shutter speed will decrease. If your shutter speed at f4 is 1/125 sec. at f5.6 it will drop to 1/60 sec. With an f2.8 zoom under the same conditions your shutter speed would be 1/250 sec. and stay at 1/250 sec. as you zoom from 70mm to 200mm. Another advantage of a fast f2.8 zoom is a brighter viewfinder which makes it easier to compose in lower light and helps the AF to work better.

Here are some reputable sites:

http://www.keh.com
http://www.adorama.com
http://www.bhphotovideo.com
http://www.uniquephoto.com
http://www.beachcamera.com

There are many other reputable sites and just as many – if not more – scam sites. If you see a deal that just seems too good to be true, check the seller at http://www.resellerratings.com

Good luck and happy shopping.

References :
37 years of enjoying and learning about photography.

For those specific things you want to use it for, I would recomend the

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77/G 10.1-Megapixel Digital Camera
it probalby cost like around $299 but I think its great because it has
10.1 megapixels,4x optical zoom,3.0 LCD touchscreen,Dual image stabilizers,Face/smile/blink detection,In-camera retouching

The best part for me is the video setting is very good quality qieh you plug it in thr TV to watch with the family.

you can try this site to compare prices and see reviews:

http://www.camera-vault.zlio.net

References :
I had several cameras