Best Digital Camera (DSLR) for Shooting Sports

The best digital camera (DSLR) for you will depend on your budget and the type of sport your are shooting.

Outdoor Daytime Sports
Outdoor daytime sports photography will require the smallest investment. You can take some fantastic photo with pretty inexpensive equipment. However, you get what you pay for. Spending more on better equipment will greatly increase your chances of getting good shots.

Night or Indoor Sports
If you plan on shooting indoor sports (basketball, volleyball, swimming) or sports under stadium lighting your will need a camera that takes quality photos at a high ISO setting i.e. 1600, 3200 or higher. You will also need fast glass. Fast glass is a lens with a 1.4 - 2.8 aperture. You will have to spend significantly more money to shoot indoor or night sports. I don't recommend using anything less than the D90.

I don't recommend shooting sports with any point and shoot cameras, they just aren't fast enough to take good sports photos. However, there's point shoot camera from Casio that looks like it might be fun. So if you don't think your ready for a Digital SLR Camera with interchangeable lenses you many want to check out the following from Casio:

Casio Exilim EX-FH20 Priced at about $500 (July 2009)
9.0 Megapixels
20x Wide-angle Optical Zoom
3.0" Wide format Super Clear LCD
40 fps Burst (Incredible)
5 fps Rapid Flash Burst
CMOS Shift Anti-shake Function
720p HD Video Recording
High Speed Movie Record (1000 fps)
Powered by AA-Size Batteries

Exilim Pro EX-F1 Price at about $1,000 (July 2009)
6.0 Megapixels
12x Optical Zoom
2.8" Wide format Super Clear LCD
60 fps Burst(Incredible)
7 fps Rapid Flash Burst
CMOS Shift Anti-shake Function
Full Resolution HD Movie Record
High Speed Movie Record
Composite & HDMI Video Output

I recommend sticking Canon or Nikon. Both companies make excellent products and you will find a lot of options available on lenses and accessories. Information and tutorials will also be easy to find on both Canon and Nikon.

I shoot exclusively with Nikon so I will only recommend Nikon models here. I'm also going to stop at the D700 and not mention some of the high end pro models. The high end pro models can run $5,000 for the camera body without a lens.

Here are my recommendations for amateur sports photographers and a brief explanation of the specifications that are important for shooting sports.

FPS - Frames per second or pictures per second.
Higher is better.
Megapixals - The cameras resolution.
Higher is generally better but megapixals aren't everything
ISO - The cameras sensitivity to light.
Higher is better. Higher ISO helps in low light situations.

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Nikon D40 with 18-55mm kit lens
3 fps, 6.1 megapixels, ISO 1600, 2.5" LCD Screen, Sport Mode
Recommended D40 kit for OUTDOOR DAYTIME SPORTS:
Nikon D40 SLR Digital Camera Kit with 18-55mm & 70-300mm VR Lenses
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Nikon D60 with 18-55mm VR Lens
3 fps, 10.2 megapixels, ISO 1600, 2.5" LCD Screen, Sport Mode
Recommended D40 kit for OUTDOOR DAYTIME SPORTS:
Nikon D60 SLR Digital Camera Kit with 18-55mm VR Lens & 70-300mm VR Lens

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Nikon D5000
4 fps, 12.3 megapixels, ISO 3200, 2.7" LCD Screen, Sport Mode, video recording, self cleaning sensor
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Nikon D90
4.5 fps, 12.3 megapixels, ISO 3200, 3" LCD Screen, Sport Mode, video recording, self cleaning sensor
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Nikon D300
6 fps, 12.3 megapixels, ISO 3200, 3" LCD Screen, No Sports Mode~ You must learn a little about aperture priority and shutter priority mode, self cleaning sensor