what camera would be good for this purpose? (please help!)?

DEFINATELY the "Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR [Vibration Reduction] Zoom Nikkor Lens". I know the name looks complicated, but all it is is a Nikon 55-200 mm zoom lens with vibration reduction. $200. AWESOME lens. (If you want to check it out, just copy and paste that name into amazon.com). I have it. I works wonderfully. Great zoom range, quality glass. Vibration reduction works great too. And it has a 52 mm filter size, which is an easy size to get in a variety of filters. And if you get the Nikon D40 camera, the lens that it comes with (18-55 mm) is also 52 mm filter size, which works out wonderfully because I can switch filters back and forth.

Well, anyway, back to the lens. The maximum aperture is f4/5.6, so if you set it to that, it lets a lot of light it, so you can dial up really fast shutter speeds like you want. Now, I wouldn't recommend and f5.6 for taking pictures of far away horses, but it's ok. You can still get fast shutter speeds if you balance the aperture and ISO.

I haven't had any problems with this lens so far, it's great.

But, you said you had a Sony Cybershot, that's a point and shoot camera, and obviously doesn't have interchangable lenses. So if you want a lens like this one, you need an SLR. I HIGHLY recommend the Nikon D40. I have that as well. It's a GREAT camera, and small for an SLR, so it's not too cospicuous. It's only around $500 on amazon or any electronics store. So if you get that and the lens, you're at $700, which is still under your $800 limit. You can use that extra money for filters, any accesories, but most importantly, a camera bag. I recommend the "Tamrac Travel Pack 71, Compact Photo Backpack, Black" (copy that name into www.adorama.com). AND the D40 comes with the kit lens which is the 18-55 mm lens I was talking about earlier.

See?? Now you've got a WAY nicer camera plus two lenses!

Do some research, I know I dumped a lot of info on you, but don't worry.

Oh yes, I forgot to add that if you consider the Nikon D40, make sure you get the just plain Nikon D40 NOT the Nikon D40x. The D40x does have more megapixels, but it's sensor is that as good as the D40's. And the sensor is more important the the megapixels. The D40 has 6.1, which is more than enough if you are going to do gigantic prints. You can more the easily get by with 8 1/2 by 11's and easily bigger. The D40x's extra megapixels aren't worth the extra money.

You need an SLR and you'd probably prefer to have a digital SLR (DSLR) since you are using a digital camera now. You need one that will allow you to choose from a wide selection of lenses.

To me, this means you want either a Nikon or Canon DSLR. There are others worthy of consideration, like Sony or Pentax, but I am more familiar with the other two brands.

Check this out: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/666826-REG/N...

It's a kit with the Nikon D3000, 18-55 VR lens, AND 55-200 VR lens. If you buy it this month, the total cost is $590. To me, that's a steal. You'll need to get a memory card. The Sandisk 4GB card on the same page (scroll down) is a good choice. With the 55-200 lens, you will be able to zoom in from far away. If you are outdoors, it will be great. If you are in an indoor arena, I admit that you will not be happy with this lens at the high shutter speeds that you have mentioned, but Nikon makes over a hundred other lenses to choose from. (Of course, the ones that would be great for use in an indoor arena cost over $1,000...)

I don't have a ton of samples tagged "200mm," but check these out to give you an idea about the zoom power.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/tags/200...

The first three were all shot from about 30 yards away or more and the subjects were moving from 30-40 MPH (the Vespa) to 50-60 MPH (the cars), so you can see that 200mm will work for you.

You might also check http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/tags/182... and look for obvious zoomed shots. They are taken with the Nikon 18-200 lens, so you would have that range covered in the set of two lenses I mentioned above.

If someone tells you what to buy in a Canon product, such as the Rebel XS (1000D), it's not a bad choice either. I just don't know their lenses as well as the Nikon. It's hard to imagine such a good deal from such a good dealer, though, as the D3000 I have mentioned. You'll come in about $70-80 under budget by the time you buy a memory card.

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I see WorldTraveler and I were typing at the same time. Her recommendation for a Nikon D40 would be good, except that the camera has been discontinued and availability is spotty. All things considered, though, I'd grab the deal on the D3000. The D3000 is the replacement model for the D40.

I do not have any connection whatsoever with B&H or Nikon, by the way, in case I sound a little too enthusiastic. I just think that this is the right camera and lens package for you.

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