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View Full Version : Need Compact Digital Camera to Shoot Live Rock Bands



ninelives72
08-11-2008, 09:29 PM
BUDGET:

Flexible. Nothing too expensive though.

SIZE:

Preferably COMPACT. A camera that can fit into my jeans or jacket pocket.

FEATURES:

Minimum of 8 MegaPixels.

Optical Zoom of 5x, 6x, or higher.

Image Quality Importance Rating - 10 out of 10

Minimal care for manual controls. My photography skill level is between beginner and intermediate. I am always finding tips on taking good shots and have tried to apply them. This has led me to gain little experience dealing with manual options on cameras, but always trying to change settings to try to get the best picture I can.

GENERAL USAGE:

The main requirement I have in a camera is to be able to take good quality shots of live rock bands from two perspectives:
a) From within the crowd at a large festival
b) Right by the band in a small bar / pub

I also want an everyday camera for other occasions.

Will NOT be making big prints of photos.

YES. Will shoot some indoor and low light photos. Inside live music venues such as bars / pubs. Also at nighttime outdoor festivals.

YES. Will shoot mainly action photos. I.E. Live rock musicians.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Like Canon and Sony brands. But not too picky. Really looking for the best camera for the job.

Researched Models:
Canon PowerShot A720: I've been doing research for a while and keep coming back to this as a prime candidate. But some reviews mention that it is poor in low light scenarios (does this apply to nighttime outdoor festivals?) and has a slow Shot-to-Shot time.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100: My second choice at the moment.
Canon G9: Seems like a good choice but I’m anxious that the price and features of the camera are beyond my skill level.

Other Requirements:
1. Image Stabilizer - Considering how difficult it is to keep my hands steady while in a crowd of thousands.
2. Decent Shot to Shot Time - To quickly take shots continuously
3. Decent Battery Life - As I will be away for long periods of time from an outlet to recharge. If necessary of course.

EXTRA INFO:
I'm a rock concert promoter / organizer and avid live music fan and am always keen to try and capture great moments at different shows. Even though the live band shots are my main priority, I also want an everyday camera that can fit into my jeans or jacket pocket for other occasions, hence the compact requirement.

Now I am aware of the difficulties of taking shots of live bands as I have been doing so with compact cameras for a while now; mainly issues with lighting. Also aware of the limited capabilities with compact cameras. However, most of the photos are for personal use rather than professional. Still, it would be great to be able to have high end shots close to, if possible, professional level.

Any help or tips are much appreciated. Hope to make a final decision soon as I am set travel in a few days.

Thanks.

jekostas
08-11-2008, 11:34 PM
Everyone seems to want a pocketable camera that's good for low-light...

The best compact, low-light cameras are made by Fuji, but the best ones in the line for low-light shooting are older models. If it must be a pocketable camera, try and find one of these cameras -

Finepix F30
Finepix F31fd
Finepix F40fd (may also be called the F45fd)

From what I've seen, the newer models in this line are better than average low-light shooters, but not as good as the above.

Your first requirement (shooting from crowds in a nighttime festival) will probably preclude the use of a flash, so I would do my best to try and find one of these cameras - used or otherwise. The choices you have listed are otherwise solid cameras, but they probably aren't going to work for you.

If low-light photography is your main use, though, you really should consider a dSLR, even though the size is not what you want. Compacts are just not good low-light shooters in general.

Turn
08-12-2008, 02:50 AM
the day they release compacts that are equivalent to dSLR's in noise levels, is the day that dSLR's lose a large market share

AndyfromVA
08-12-2008, 05:11 PM
The latest Fuji compact camera that is very good in low light (for a point and shoot) is the F100fd.