For sport photography, the best digital cameras will have non-existent shutter lag, a long zoom and fast operation. Most digital compacts still have a slight shutter lag which can mean the difference between capturing the sporting moment or a nice picture of the crowd in the background. Pressing the shutter halfway before taking the picture can reduce shutter lag to less than .01 second on many cameras and this may help to capture a fast moving subject if the camera is also pre-focused on the subject or a nearby object.

Most digital SLR cameras start instantly and in the majority of cases, shutter lag is non-existent. This is ideal for sport photography as SLR cameras can also be coupled with large telephoto lenses with wide apertures but these can be very expensive. Some camera bodies or lenses also provide image stabilization or vibration reduction through moving the CCD to counter balance movement or by having vibration reducing parts built into the lens itself. This allows the user to handhold the camera and take a shot in lower light conditions than is normally possible without the use of flash but ideally, a tripod should be used for best results. The dominant players in the digital SLR field include Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Pentax with Panasonic and Sony as the newcomers on the market.

Except where otherwise stated, all the digital cameras recommended for the sports photographer have fast operation, low shutter lag and a 4x or larger optical zoom lens. These recommendations are provided as a general guide and the final decision as always is with the camera buyer. Camera specifications change constantly and therefore it is advisable to check these before buying.