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Good concert compact camera
Hi,.

Much of my free time is spent taking photos of concerts. When I do this officially I take along some fairly hefty equipment but when I'm just there for the gig and don't have that equipment with me I'd like a compact camera so any advice that you can offer would be appreciated. I realise that whatever I get will be a tradeoff but it's got to be better than not photographing the show .

I'd guess I'm looking for.

- Something that is small and does not look like an SLR. This is because security will take not if I turn up with something too bulky.- Something with good performance at high ISO- Something with a fast lens f2.8 or better ideally- Something with a good zoom range.

- Something with IS would be nice but actually unless you stop the artists moving it's not that important .

Thanks.

Nick..

Comments (5)

If I were you I'd start with the Fuji compacts - the F series (F31/F40) - I gather they are both compact and the best at high ISO..

No IS but of course IS is next to useless with a moving target..

The only issie I have with the Fuji's is the lack of spot-metering. This allied to live view histogram allows you to nail exposures in very tricky conditions..

I have a Canon G7 to supplement a 5D - I would not recommend it in low light though..

Terryhttp://www.pbase.com/tkclarke..

Comment #1

I have had some good success with the G7. It's very clean up through ISO400. 800 is noisy and 1600 almost unusable. The zoom range has been more than adequate for the small venues I have used it in. Contrary to others have said, I think the IS really helps at full zoom and slow shutter speeds. Even if the subject is moving, you will still get some images where most of the subject is still..

Here is an example where the subject's hand motion is blurred but the image is otherwise pretty sharp..

Http://www.seeyouontheriver.com/...?g2_view=core:ShowItem&g2_itemId=18721.

Here is a shot from halfway back in the theatre. I think this one was at 400 ISO..

Http://www.seeyouontheriver.com/...?g2_view=core:ShowItem&g2_itemId=18741You can view the full size images by clicking on the "fullsize" link above each..

I shot some video at the Tommy Emmanuel concert and it turned out really great. Even the sound was good. My 3ccd camcorder would not have done as well...

Comment #2

With a concert, no matter where you're sitting, you're going to need a telephoto lens - none of the 3x cameras will really cut it for anything else except getting an overall view of the stage..

I think your options are limited to the ultrazoom cameras. There are possibly some better options, say with a Fuji bridge camera (like the S6500) that has better high-ISO, but as you know, security is really finnicky about these things..

I personally used my Canon S3, and came away with some great shots at a recent concert:.

Http://forums.dpreview.com/...ums/readflat.asp?forum=1014&thread=23757785.

Among the compact ultrazooms, which is Canon's S series, Sony's H series, and Panasonic's FZ series, IMO Canon still has the best high-ISO, especially if you know how to post-process (just download a copy of NeatImage and try it out)...

Comment #3

F31fd..

Do a search for 'concert' here and in Fuji forum...

Comment #4

I believe the Canon S series has the fastest lens (an F2-F3) of the three as well.'Nice pen, bet you write good stories with it.'..

Comment #5


This question was taken from a support group/message board and re-posted here so others can learn from it.

 

 

 

 

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