1) Kyocera M410R
Kyocera boasts that thanks to their Rtune technology, the M410R has the fastest start-up time and a faster shot-to-shot time in compact cameras. What is great is that the user can shoot continuously until the card is full at 3.3 frames per second (when using a high-speed memory card). It has a 10x optical zoom with 60x total zoom, and 4 megapixels.

2) Nikon D70
Nikon’s D70 is an affordable digital SLR camera that will give you more control over your pictures than a compact camera. The Nikon D70 can use the Nikon Nikkor lenses, allowing you to really get close the action either with the tele or macro lenses. The D70 has a continuous shooting at 3 frames per second and shutter speeds of 1/8000 to 30 seconds. With 6.1 million megapixels, the camera can shoot in jpeg or RAW.

3) Fuji FinePix S20 Pro
Fuji has made a nice little camera in the S20 Pro for those of you who just aren’t sure about going to from the compact point and shoots to the SLRs. This camera has the auto scene settings but will also allow you to go into manual mode. It has shutter speeds of 1/10,000 to 30 seconds and a continuous shooting at 4.5 frames per second up to 10 frames in high resolution. You’re getting a nice 6.2 megapixels.