Which Camera For Concert/gig Photography?

[KatieLouise]

Hello!

I have a basic kodak digital camera at the moment, but find that at concerts/gigs the photos dont come out very well. Most of my photos are very grainy & dark.

I go to alot of gigs, taking many photos for printing out purposes, but also for websites. I usually take my photos within the crowd so i do need a good zoom.

I was looking at a few cameras. For example the kodak DX6490, Olympus C-765, Fuji FinePix s5000.

Could anyone else recomend any? Ive heard that i should look for one with AF. I also want one with a good zoom too.

Finally, i would like to get into photography alot more, so would like some manual features to play with!

I My budget is around the £200-£250 mark. I also live in the UK.

Any help or advice would be great.

Thanks!

[haikai]

i've never tried it myself, but it seems universally liked around here. has incredible zoom power along with the af assist lamp and auto stabilization feature that's sure to come in handy when zooming in so far. if that and the pop up flash isn't enough, there's a hotshoe so you can attach a more powerful one.

there's an fz15 that may work as well if the fz20 is out of your price range (one megapixel less and no hotshoe).

noise in dark shots is probably not something you can escape from easily unless you step up to something like a dSLR, i suspect.

hope you find something that works.

hai

[Jayde]

hiya
:)
also have a look at the PANA FZ3 :)
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz3/

it has latest technology, 2 night modes, +fireworks, auto focus low light,
great Leica lens.. long 432mm zoom, and antishake..
http://panasonic.co.jp/pavc/global/lumix/index.html
the FZ10 shooting manual gives a good indication of all FZ range features.

suppliers for cameras and any electrical equip..
http://www.pricerunner.co.uk/search?q=fz3

hope this helps :)

[KatieLouise]

Thanks for your help!

Ive looked at the Fuji FinePix one in more detail and its seems that the max/min shutter speed is 1/1000seconds - 2 sec, whereas the other are 16secs. I think thats something i would like to try and use.

I still like the idea of the DX6490 Ive read that its good in low light too, but im worried about not having a manual focus. Do you think that would be something that would bother me?

Ive looked at the FZ3 and im really starting to like it!

There is so many cameras out there that im struggling to make a decision! I just dont know which one will be the best for me!?

[Jayde]

KatieLouise cute name :)

heres Jeffs review of FZ3
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_fz3-review/index.shtml

we do our best to help here, and for the money you wont find anything close to these quality features.. with stabilization the long zoom is fantastic.. and yes manual focus is a must and 2 low light modes you wanted..
i use a FZ10 i know that the FZ range is outstanding.. try and get a hands on somplace.. you wont be disapointed.. :)

PS get a 55mm uv filter protect that lens always.. :cool:

[KatieLouise]

Thanks again!

I will be going to town tomorrow straight away to try out the panasonic camera. The more I look at reviews, the more this camera seems to stand out.

The only thing is, is that you said manual focus is a must but the Fz3 doesnt have this feature....

Anyway, I will let you know how I got on tomorrow. Hopefully with a new camera!!

:)

[Jayde]

It has Full Manual mode You pick the aperture and shutter speed.

sorry no manual focus.. so many models / features i was asleep for that lesson.. zzz`s
yeh u need its big bros 10/20 for that feature but as i say its a real bargain :)

btw
so what music do you like then ?
big Neil young fan.. me
btw i sent you a private message.. :D

[KatieLouise]

I think that camera will do fine then for what i need it for. Ill have a look in the shop. See how it 'feels'.

Im mainly into indie/rock music.

I help make a few band websites, so good pictures would be a bonus! Plus i wanted to get into the whole side of photography a whole lot more, so i wanted something i could play about with!

Being slightly poor at the moment means i cant afford anything to major :( as much as i would like the FZ20.

Thanks for all your help :)

[Jayde]

Hi
my pleasure..
i suggest you compare a few others in the shop then u will see how good it is.. i presume you have SD CARDS from the old camera ?

REM was the last cd i had.. see my PM.. :)
sorry u cant get a FZ20 right now ..
its not fair the FZ3 has more features than my FZ10 haha..
see my PM :D

[JAG]

Hi,

I'm thinking of getting the Olympus C-765 too!

My priorities are a) Price ~£200
b) Compactness
c) good zoom
d) night vision (for street, cityscape shots)

The C-765 has 10X optical and Olympus claim it's the smallest camera of its class, I've also seen it retailing for £207 quid.

So that's three boxes ticked! I'm just a bit worried about night shots. What are the stats I should be looking for to assess? What are the minimum standards for a clear shot? My existing camera can't handle low light AT ALL and is one of my main reasons for upgrading.

Had a look at the FZ10 but it seems kinda clunky (I want something to fit in my pocket) and the price kinda breaks my budget too:(. Plus the magazine I have rated the FZ10 3 star, as opposed to 4 for the C-765!

[Jayde]

JAG
HIYA M8
you say u need this..
d) night vision (for street, cityscape shots)
seen this review ?
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/olympus/c765uz_770uz-review/

What I didn't care for:
Poor low light focusing, no AF-assist lamp
LCD/EVF too dark to be useable in low light
Full shutter speed range only available in "M" mode
Full manual only on CD
Image stabilization would be nice < Vital for any long zoom..

has good features too but ...its good for that money but if it doesnt meet the spec you made..

or make sure you tested it properly before you decide..
we all want the best for less but... :rolleyes:

[judge9847]

Had a look at the FZ10 but it seems kinda clunky (I want something to fit in my pocket) and the price kinda breaks my budget too :(. Plus the magazine I have rated the FZ10 3 star, as opposed to 4 for the C-765!
Just don't believe everything you read. And certainly not in magazines who may very well have some sort of inducement to rate one item (not necessarily digital cameras) above others ;) The rule is, if you can, try it for yourself and if you can't do that, read as many user views as you can. You'll find thousands on sites such as this.

[KatieLouise]

Hello!

I went in to jessops today to look at the cameras. Here what i thought.

Olympus c-765, Didnt feel as good as the others, not as sturdy. Also the lady told me it was no where as good as the others, so i didnt even look at it with the battery in.

Kodak dx6490 - This camera felt great and i was really liking it. That was until i used the full zoom and it was so shaky it was unbelievable! It also didnt focus as well as the fZ3. It was a shame as i likes it too.

Panasonic dmc-fz3 - The grip wasnt as good as the kodak, but the zoom was amazing, and they was no shake what-so-ever! Everything was right about the camera.

So it seems that the FZ3 wins!!

The lady did confuse me by showing the FujiFinPix S5500, which was nice also. Anyone have any opinions of this camera??

[Jayde]

Wow you been busy !
note on the fuji
its v good for the money but no antishake like the kodak.. :( and you lose f/stops on the lens compared to the FZ3, george come explain this lol.. more light the better 2.8 is better than fuji`s
aperture auto | manual / F2.8 - F8 (Wide ) / F3.1 - F9 (Telephoto)

so there you are then..its the FZ.. see my PM tho.. :)
you did v good today.. :D