Michael Patrick Brady

My article on how to take an excellent action or sports photo, Get That Shot!, was published today at Forbes.com.

I spend a lot of time exploring what happens when you switch your digital camera to “sports mode,” and how users can manually fine tune their camera’s settings to better suit their needs and desires.

First, you need the right kind of camera.

It’s probably the most technical article I’ve written for Forbes, essentially a how-to guide for intermediate photography more than a roundup of products (though it does have that, too).

Before writing this piece, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to play with the Canon Digital Rebel XSi EOS 450D digital SLR and Nikon’s new extended zoom Coolpix P80. The Digital Rebel was immensely satisfying to use; it was difficult to take a shot that wasn’t good. It felt substantial in my hands and provided excellent photographs.

The P80 is a strange case. It’s a good camera, but it’s already been surpassed by the competition. That, and some minor quirks, keep me from recommending it outright (the Olympus SP-570 UZ is the top of the heap in this category), but I have mixed feelings. A year ago, it would’ve been nice competition, now it seems a little too late to have an impact. Hopefully it’s just an opening salvo and Nikon is ready to catch up to the rest of the pack with their next model.

Update 6.13.08: The CBC has picked up this article. 6.16.08: In Polish again.