Express Action Sports

Soccer specifically! I need a good camera, nothing too expensive or flashy, just a basic good camera for taking action pictures during a game.

easy points 🙂

The minimum camera for great sports photography will be a:

Nikon D7000
Nikon AF-S 80-20mm f/2.8

You have to go with the D7000 to use the AF-S 80-200mm lens. The lens is the most important thing here.

If you are in bright daylight conditions, you can go with a less capable lens, and if you do that, then the camera can be less expensive (but you will not get the high speed performance of the f/2.8 telephoto lens).

Nikon D3200
Nikon AF-S 55-300mm

These are the best combinations of high quality for the lowest cost.

If you are not wanting to spend this much money, then your quality will diminish. In that case, look for a Nikon P7100 or Canon G12. The major issue here though is the lens may not be long enough for distant closeups.

However, avoid bridge cameras or other compact cameras at all costs. The problem is the shutter lag is so long with those cameras that it will be all but impossible to capture an action photo. You will probably get so frustrated with this that you will fling your camera out onto the field so the players can practice kicking it.