You don’t have to have a big, expensive camera to get some great action shots. Many of the more inexpensive digital cameras will take some great photos. If a small camera to take to sporting events, for instance, interests you, here are some tips of what to look for.

Check into what scene selections available on the camera. Most of the digital cameras available these days come with a variety of settings for landscape, portrait, twilight, beach, and so on. Some of these will have a setting just for sports or action shots. It’s often depicted by the icon of a person running, but it does vary so check out the literature or camera manual to find the right setting. The use of this setting is the easiest way to take action shots.

Another thing to look for is a camera with a “burst” mode. Although it’s called different things, the idea is the camera takes several shots in quick succession before pausing to write the information to memory. This will help you improve your chances of getting the shot you want. (The down side is you won’t be able to take a picture for a few moments afterwards while the camera writes all those pictures to the memory media.)

Shutter lag can be a problem when taking action photos. This is the time between when you press the shutter and the camera actually takes the picture. It varies from camera to camera, so look for a camera with the features you want that has the shortest lag time.

Pre-focusing will also shorten the lag time. This just means is you press the shutter button half way down and allow the camera to focus in on the subject. Then it’s quicker to take the actual picture by pressing the shutter the rest of the way down. To give an example, if someone is running down the field and you want a picture, follow them with the camera, press the shutter half-way, then when you’re ready complete the shot.

Once you’ve picked out your favorite inexpensive digital camera, don’t forget to practice with it. Don’t wait until you’re at your kids first game to use your camera for the first time. Before you can figure out how to use the camera, the chance to get that super picture will be gone! Keep in mind it doesn’t cost anything but some battery life to take pictures, so practice, practice, practice!

Ready, aim… take that picture!