panasonic fz5

[durb87]

I AM HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY SHOTS INDOORS WITH ACTION SHOTS FOR BASKETBALL AND SWIMMING WITH THE FLORESCENT LIGHTING CAN ANYONE HELP?? I REALLY JUST DO NOT KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THIS CAMERA :confused:

[David Metsky]

This camera isn't going to give very good results in these conditions, unfortunately. In low light the camera wants to push the ISO up higher which is going to make the image very noisy or it will try to keep the shutter open longer to gather more light and your subject (sports) will move. The best you can do is set the ISO to 200 or 400 (that's about as high as you can go on this camera and still get decent images) open the aperture as big as you can, and take a lot of shots. Since you don't have manual controls you can use the Sports mode to get a fast shutter speed.

Bottom line, indoors sports is about the most challenging conditions to take photos. A DSLR is really what you want but if this is the camera you have then try using Sports mode and raising the ISO setting.

[durb87]

This camera isn't going to give very good results in these conditions, unfortunately. In low light the camera wants to push the ISO up higher which is going to make the image very noisy or it will try to keep the shutter open longer to gather more light and your subject (sports) will move. The best you can do is set the ISO to 200 or 400 (that's about as high as you can go on this camera and still get decent images) open the aperture as big as you can, and take a lot of shots. Since you don't have manual controls you can use the Sports mode to get a fast shutter speed.

Bottom line, indoors sports is about the most challenging conditions to take photos. A DSLR is really what you want but if this is the camera you have then try using Sports mode and raising the ISO setting.thanks for your input I was afraid that was the solution. This camera takes great pics outside and moving objects outside. Unfortunaltely my childrens sports are mostly inside and I CAN NOT get the great pics I want. What camera do you suggest that is not outrageous in cost?? I know I will pay more but I am looking into getting a better camera.

[David Metsky]

Actually, I thought you had the TZ5, not the FZ5. Your camera does have full manual controls, but it has limited ISO range. Looking at the review of the camera (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_fz5-review/index.shtml) it looks that you are limited to ISO 400 on this camera, and that's pretty noisy. I would stop at 200, but that's going to mean slow shutter speeds for sports. Set the ISO to 200 (or try 400) put the camera in Aperture Priority mode and use the biggest aperture (lowest F-stop number) you can. Put the camera in burst mode and take a lot of shots, a few are bound to turn out OK.

It's difficult to recommend an inexpensive camera because as I said this is the most challenging conditions to shoot. It really calls for a DSLR with a fast lens, but that may be more money and complexity then you are looking for. If you must have these pictures, then you won't be happy with anything but a DSLR setup and I'm not the best person here to make that recommendation. How close can you get to the action and how much are you willing to spend?

[genece]

Its not possible for us to give you a ggod answer with all we know about your situation.
Let me ttry and give an example......My grandkids participate in sports in 2 different gyms.....both appear to my eyes to have similar lighting.....but My D50 and an F1.8 lens get only acceptable photos in the one gym while in the other I get very nice , if not perfect photos at ISO800. The FZ cameras I have, do not get much in either gym.
My FZ18 gets the better photos but they are far from good. The FZ28 should do better , but its all about the light in your situation.

[durb87]

It is all about the light I understand but maybe I do not know enough on how to fix the problem I see people with these great pics and I thought I bought a good camera but for these situations they are just awful. Today at the swim meet I could not get one good pic and at the ball games the ssame thing just blurry. I will probably buy a new camera but I want the one that will take a great pic in these situations I know I will have to spend more money but I dont want to make a mistake this time. The camera I have now is awesome at taking still photos and action shots outside.

[durb87]

Actually, I thought you had the TZ5, not the FZ5. Your camera does have full manual controls, but it has limited ISO range. Looking at the review of the camera (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_fz5-review/index.shtml) it looks that you are limited to ISO 400 on this camera, and that's pretty noisy. I would stop at 200, but that's going to mean slow shutter speeds for sports. Set the ISO to 200 (or try 400) put the camera in Aperture Priority mode and use the biggest aperture (lowest F-stop number) you can. Put the camera in burst mode and take a lot of shots, a few are bound to turn out OK.

It's difficult to recommend an inexpensive camera because as I said this is the most challenging conditions to shoot. It really calls for a DSLR with a fast lens, but that may be more money and complexity then you are looking for. If you must have these pictures, then you won't be happy with anything but a DSLR setup and I'm not the best person here to make that recommendation. How close can you get to the action and how much are you willing to spend?
well I do not want to spend a ton of money I will look online and compare I spent 500.00 on this camera and thought it was amazing but just not on these picsI will look into the dslr thanks for your input

[genece]

perhaps if you could post a photo with the exif contained, we could get a better Idea of the conditions you face.....The newer FZ28 has the ability to handle the higher ISOs much better than the FZ5......and if you do not need as much zoom as the FZ5 there are some Fuji cameras that will work just fine for you, but we need to see a photo and the exif to understand just what you are up against.

[David Metsky]

It is all about the light I understand but maybe I do not know enough on how to fix the problem I see people with these great pics and I thought I bought a good camera but for these situations they are just awful. .
The problem is that, short of a DSLR, there are no cameras that will really do what you want all the time. With some work you can get some decent shots with your camera, and something like the FZ28 will be an improvement, but in truly low light neither are going to be a lot of fun. If the venues are really dark (and we need to see some photos go judge that) nothing short of a DSLR that can shoot at ISO 3200 and fast glass will guarantee that you get the shot.