Canon A610 -- Theater/Gym shots

[tulsamomof2]

I'm needing a new camera to take some indoor shots inside my kids' gymnasium. My Kodak's pictures are always dark - I think the flash is not strong enough.

How does the Canon A610 compare? Does it take good indoor gym shots from a distance? I'm a point/shoot photographer, and need something simple. But if I'm going to get the same results as my Kidak CX6330 -- then the Canon isn't the one for me.

I'm missing out on alot of my kids memories!!

Thanks in advance for your help!
Lynn

[Anewman]

"from a distance"

Well most built in(pop up) flashes pretty much stop being effective after around 15 feet, The camera will compensate by leaving the shutter open for a bit longer than most persons can hand hold the camera. Resulting in blur, and if your subject is moving it will also blur.

To get any real kind of improvement for indoor shots like theater/indoor sports, you would need to go to a DSLR with a fast lens. Even the higher end point and shoot cameras suffer with moving subjects, from a distance while indoors. UNLESS it is a super bright gym.

[ducklite]

If you've got a sports setting and the ability to set your ISO to 800, try that for the gym. For theatre you're going to be pretty well hosed until you move into the DSLR realm.

Anne

[Kelly Grannell]

I don't think the 610 comes with ISO 800. I've tried its bigger sister A620 for figure-skating shots... I ended up walking out back to my car and grab my dSLR and a big honkin lens, shooting at ISO3200.