Best Cameras for Wimbledon

It's upon us, the oldest and most prestigious grand slam, the most stylish and gossiped tennis event of the year, yes we mean Wimbledon.

It’s time to gear yourself up and get ready for the best sporting action. You know what to wear, you have a champagne-friendly mindset and so looking forward to indulging in a strawberries and cream feast.

What’s missing? Just the best camera that would fit your sporty spirit, but that’s what we’re here for, right?

Wimbledon is truly an iconic yearly event, where strict written (and unwritten) rules are just as intriguing as the matches played on the lavish green courts. A lot of Wimbledon fans would say that this is not just a sporting event but the best way of celebrating the no-matter-the-weather joyous British Summer, where tradition meets fashion, sports and great memories come together.

Whether you just can’t wait to support your favourite player or chuffed to be a successful celebrity spotter (and still act like you don’t care that much, right?), what you don’t want to fail at is your photography game. Also, without high quality evidence of your epic day, who are you going to make jealous otherwise?

We believe there are three distinctive types of Wimbledon attendees – which one do you most relate to?

The Action Obsessed Type

You are so ready to capture your champion in action and their Wimbledon glory. We can’t wait for you to get those perfect shots. That’s love - pun intended.

Maybe it’s your first time in SW19 or just the time you are purposely planning your shots, daydreaming about how you would manage to capture the perfect serve at the right time. We’re still talking about tennis, you party animal, put your Pimm’s down.

Sports shots are an intricate art of timing and symbiosis with your camera, but you don’t need to be a pro to deserve your chance to catch King Federer’s backhand or Djokovic’s ace. We’ve got your back!

Panasonic Lumix TZ90 is destined to be your best ally. We can tell the Wimbledon queue will test your brave heart already, therefore you should make your life easier once you get closer to your white dressed idols.

Benefit of the ultra-fast focus by burst shooting at 10 (AF-S) fps or 5 (AF-C) fps and don’t miss the dramatic moments before a break point is made.  Also, if you feel vlog-inspired, the TZ90 comes handy and gift you with high-resolution QFHD 4K videos in 3840x2160 at frame rates up to 30p. You can really refine your work by using the tilt-correction and 5-axis image stabilisation and count on the high-speed videos option at 120 fps / 100 fps in full HD for a striking slow-motion effect during the final set. The 180° tiltable 1040k touch LCD will support your urge for spot-on selfies too.

When you’re happy with your Instagram-worthy shots, you can enjoy the built-in WI-FI feature and share your shots and video while the players are taking a break between games.

If you’re more of a perfectionist and like to edit your lot later, the TZ90 has the RAW shooting option to serve you just right.

The WX500 claims a very small size for the features presented. The shooting options go from automatic, for the novice, to exposure modes that would please more the experienced connoisseurs with shutter and aperture priority as well as the manual one. ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* 30x zoom Lens along with a 5-axis optical image stabilization, aka your blur-free images solution, are the perfect tools for your VIP hunting moments and satisfy your paparazzi fever   

In case you’ll luckily witness a prolonged match in the least bright hours, you’re covered with the Exmor R™ CMOS sensor, designed to allow four times more light than conventional sensors, also provided with Sony Column A/D Conversion technology to reduce image noise.

When you feel the situation is perfect to take a video or two catching the best dressed attendee or deciding who clearly wore those sunglasses best, you can shoot in Full-HD at 8 bit and 4:2:0 at up to 50Mbps in AVCHS, MP4 or opting for the new XAVC S format at 50/60p. Tilt the 3-inch screen by 180 degree to pop in for a quick selfie candid cameo and make use of the built-in WI-FI to share your content on your YouTube channel fresh off the camera.

The SX740 features the Digic 8 processor, which increases the burst shooting with AF to 7.4fps and enables to record video in UHD 4K quality at 30/25fps. The bonus treat is the Hybrid Auto mode, ideal for special occasions like Wimbledon: it enables you to create a mini video of 2 seconds with your shot: you don’t want to miss the cheering drinks moment over the grassy court! The autofocus is quite accurate and, along with the tilting screen, provides you with a great selfie support.

While you’re busy making new friends, your camera can help you be nosey and show off a fantastic 40x optical zoom lens to find new topics of conversation such as how to effectively wave to the other side of the court front row. You can benefit from the quick zoom out option when trying to catch the ball flow or the best umpire candids.

In case you realise you are also the clumsy – please read cautious – sort of tennis fan and don’t want to rely on your pockets, you can opt for the extremely versatile Tecno Compact Large Case. This little wonder will be your trusted ally on your race for the best event photographer of the day. Tecno Compact case is waterproof and comes with a handy memory card and accessory compartment, plus the evergreen shoulder strap and belt loop.

The most ambitious ones that wish to bring their watch game to the next level, the Nikon 10x25 Sportstar EX Binoculars is a must-have. The foldable, extra light design will be super practical on a long day of spotting, whilst you can benefit of the wide 6.5 degrees of field view and the close focusing range of 3.5. You can count on this jewel to be next tennis court Hawkeye (don’t tell Rufus though!).

Overall, don’t forget to have fun and make your photography a unique work of your perspective and Wimbledon’s experience; these cameras are surely a solid support to express your unique photography and videography flare. You’ll be amazed by the power of your own creativity: all you’ll want would be celebrating your talent with a wonderful photo book that will be the showstopper at any dinner party.