Buying a new digital camera to take pictures of historic racing cars in action.
Have narrowed down to the Dimage A200 and the Panasonic fz20.
Would appreciate any help on making final decision.

Buying a new digital camera to take pictures of historic racing cars in action.
Have narrowed down to the Dimage A200 and the Panasonic fz20.
Would appreciate any help on making final decision.

Should I be also considering the Coolpix 8800?? :confused:

Nikon is the only choice...EVER!! :)

Thanks
Problem is its a lot more expensive here in the UK compared with the Minolta and Panasonic, nearly twice the price. I have to say it looks nice but I do like the 12 times optic on the Panasonic.

For truly good action photography you are going to need a Dslr.

If you are new at this I would be looking into these:

Nikon D50 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_d50.asp)

Pentax *ist Ds (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Pentax/pentax_istds.asp), though the *ist Dl (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0506/05060104pentaxistdl.asp) will be out soon and might be a tad better for you costwise

Canon Digital Rebel (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_eos300d.asp), Rebel Xt (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_eos350d.asp)

Almo is correct about digital SLRs. If camera performance is your number one priority than a digital SLR is the way to go. However, I just tested the Konica Minolta A200 and was very, very impressed. I did a lot of action photography (mountain biking) with it and it perforemed very, very well with respect to shutter-lag and autofocus. So far, it's the compact digital that I've used that is closest to a digital SLR. That said, a digital SLR will still be better. But it will be a larger investment.

Here's a link to my Konica Minolta Dimage A200 review: http://forums.photographyreview.com/showthread.php?t=11598

And I'm also including a good action photo I took with the camera.

Wow John that pic is awesome! I keep forgetting how far things have come since the days of my Dimage 7i. Still if you want the best you have to buy the best.