Need a good indoor camera with video - Advice?

[dmbriguy7]

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.

Maybe 300-400. More concerned with buying a quality camera that fits my needs than the price.

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?

Small/compact. Would like to carry it in my pocket.

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?

Doesn't matter. Anything above 7 seems to be the norm these days.

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)

Not sure. I want one that has a pretty good zoom. My last camera's closest shots were further out than they were in real life.

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)

10! Especially indoor/venues that are not lit very well.

Do you care for manual controls?

Not necessary.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?

General use. I go to a lot of concerts and love taking nature/night shots. I haven't been impressed with my past camera's abilities to take good low light shots.

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?

Sometimes.

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?

Yes. I go to a lot of concerts so a camera that is good in low light situations and has good video/sound quality is the utmost improtance!

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?

Minimal

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?

I had a bad experience with both Olympus and Canon. I'd consider getting another Canon but probably not a Olympus. My last camera was a Canon SD 500 whose screen broke twice, so i have lost a little faith in Canon.

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

No...I have been looking at Canon 770 IS. And some Sonys. But open for suggestions!

[jekostas]

Hey all--

I have owned two digital cameras in my lifetime. An old Olympus that had a tiny view and no zoom (dont even know the model) and my most recent casualty--the Canon SD 500. The Canon's screen cracked twice...once the day after I opened it, and recently. I even had a protective cover over the LCD screen for 2 years and it still managed to crack! I have absolutely hated both of them. Photo quality has been subpar for both.

I go to a lot of concerts and like to take nature shots. But mostly the indoor/concert aspect is what I am most looking for in a new camera. One with a very good zoom and that takes good photos and lighting in not so great lighting.

Do you have any suggestions? I'm open to all models, but leaning towards either a Sony or Canon. Even though I don't trust Canon anymore.

This camera does not exist in a compact form. It would be helpful if you went through and answered the survey stickied in the first thread in this forum to get a better idea of your budget, size requirements, etc.

[dmbriguy7]

This camera does not exist in a compact form. It would be helpful if you went through and answered the survey stickied in the first thread in this forum to get a better idea of your budget, size requirements, etc.

fixed my post

[David Metsky]

There's no compact camera that will do very well in the low light you'll find in concert settings. The closest thing you'll find is the Panasonic LZ3 but it has a very short zoom, which means that unless you're right next the stage you won't be able to get any useful shots. In addition, without using manual controls you won't get the best out of any of these cameras when operating in these very difficult lighting conditions.

Small/compact would eliminate the Panasonic FZ-28 which can be used fairly well (with limitations) in concert settings. The Fuji F100fd might be the best of the compacts for this type of use. I has adequate low light no flash performance, a 5x zoom, and is compact.