Digital Camera For Concerts?

[wheelhot]

Wow, from the location you seem going to take the shot from, it seems its going to be tough, if you are planning to shoot the artist singing or something, then unless you have some fancy gear (very expensive) then forget it, if taken with normal cam I guess the artist will be very small and cropping the image wont help either.

And if you were to resort to semi-pro/superzoom, eventhough they might offer the zoom you need, but considering the further you zoom in the slower the lens get, I doubt you will get any images without some motion blur in it.

Sorry mate, but I guess I will agree with jaseone in this and opt for, go and enjoy the concert and use your camera phone to take shot of you and ur frens as a momento that you attended the concert.

Well if you still want, you could get a Sigma DP1 which has a APS-C sized sensor which would do better in low light compared to any PnS currently in the market, but if Im correct you cannot capture any far objects, cause the lens is not that long, I suggest you capture the surrounding, such as the fans cheering (aim to capture the atmosphere) and take photo of your friends.

All the best mate.

 

[wwe2008]

It's just to get a few shots of the concert to put up on my facebook and use as a reminder nothing pro. The TZ4 looks okay, by the end of the week hopefully I will know my seat!
Heres the TZ4 specs... Any good for what I want??

Camera Effective Pixels 8.1 Mega pixels
Sensor Size 1/2.5 inch
Total Pixel 8.32 Mega Pixels
Primary Colour Filter yes
Optic
Zoom Factor
Optical Zoom 10x
Extra Optical Zoom 4:3 Aspect Ratio: 12.8x for 5Mega, 15.9x for 3Mega, 2Mega, 0.3Mega 3:2 Aspect Ratio: 12.8x for 4.5Mega, 15.9x for 2.5Mega 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 12.8x for 3.5Mega, 15.9x for 2Mega
Digital Zoom 4x ( Max. 40.0 x combined with Optical Zoom without Extra Optical Zoom ) (Max. 63.8x combined with Extra Optical Zoom)
Focal Distance f=4.7-47mm (35mm Equiv.: 28-280mm)
Lens LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR / 11 elements in 9 groups / (3 Aspherical Lenses / 4 Aspherical surfaces, 1 ED lens)
Aperture Wide: F3.3 / F8.0 (2 steps) Tele: F4.9 / F11 (2 steps)
Optical Image Stabilizer MEGA O.I.S. (Mode1/ Mode2)
Focusing Area Normal: Wide 50cm / Tele 200cm - infinity / Macro / Intelligent AUTO / Clipboard : Wide 5cm / Max 200cm / Tele 100cm - infinity
AF Metering Face / 1-point/ 1-point high speed/ 3-point high speed/ 9-point/ Spot
Focus/Exposure
Focus Mode Normal / Macro, Continuous AF (in Intelligent Auto, On/Off)
AF Assist Lamp Yes
ISO Sensitivity "Auto /100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 (High Sensitivity Mode : Auto(1600 - 6400) )"
White Balance Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / White Set / White Balance Adjustment (±10steps, except for auto set)
Exposure Program AE
Exposure Compensation 1/3 EV step, +/-2 EV
Backlight Compensation Yes (at Intelligent AUTO mode)
Auto (AE) Bracketing +/- 1/3 EV ~1EV step, 3 frames
Light Metering Intelligent Multiple/ Center Weighted/ Spot
Rec Mode[Mode Dial] Intelligent AUTO / Normal Picture / Motion Picture / Clipboard / Scene 1 / Scene 2
Scene Mode Portrait / Soft Skin / Scenery / Sports / Night Portrait / Night Scenery / Self-Portrait / Food / Party / Candle Light / Baby1 / Baby2 / Pet / Sunset / High sensitivity / Hi-Speed Burst / Starry Sky / Fireworks / Beach / Snow / Aerial photo / Underwater
Shutter Speed 8-1/2000 sec Starry Sky Mode : 15, 30, 60sec.
Flash System
Built-in-Flash Auto / Auto/Red-eye Reduction / Forced On / Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction / Forced Off
Flash Distance 0.6 - 5.3m (Wide/ISO Auto), 1.0 - 3.6m (Tele/ISO Auto)
External Flash n/a
Feature
Self Timer 2sec / 10sec
Auto Review 1sec, 2sec, Zoom, Hold
Colour Mode Standard, Natural, Vivid, Black & White, Sepia, Cool, Warm
Recording Format Still Image: JPEG(Design rule for Camera File system, based on Exif 2.21 standard), DPOF corresponding / image with audio: JPEG (Design rule for Camera File system, based on Exif 2.21 standard)+ QuickTime / Motion picture: QuickTime Motion JPEG
Recording Image Size Still Image: 4:3 Aspect Ratio: 3264 x 2448 pixels, 2560 x 920pixels, 2048 x 1536 pixels, 1600 x 1200 pixels, 640 x 480 pixels / 3:2 Aspect Ratio: 3264 x 2176 pixels, 2560 x 1712 pixels, 2048 x 1360 pixels / 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 3264 x 1840 pixels, 2560 x 1440 pixels,1920 x 1080 pixels
Image Quality Fine / Standard
Motion Picture 4:3 Aspect Ratio: 640 x 480 pixels, 320 x 240 pixels 30 fps, 10 fps / 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 848 x 480 pixels 30 fps, 10 fps
Burst Shooting Mode Full-Resolution Image / 3 frames/sec Max. 7 images (Standard mode) / Max 4 images (Fine Mode) / High-speed Burst Mode: approx. 7 frames/sec (recorded in 2M for 4:3, 2.5M for 3:2, 2M for 16:9)
Unlimited Consecutive Shooting yes
Digital Red Eye Correction n/a
Intelligent Exposure yes
Easy Zoom yes
Zoom Resume yes
Motion Zoom yes
Still Image Rec. with Audio 5 sec
Audio Dubbing Max. 10sec
Real-time Histogram yes
Composition Guide line yes
Built-in-Memory yes
Built-in-Memory [Capacity] approx. 50MB
Scene Mode Help Screen yes
Auto Angle Detection yes
Flip Animation n/a
Travel Date yes
World Time yes
Title Edit yes
Date Stamp n/a
Text Stamp yes
Economy mode n/a
LCD Monitor 2.5" TFT LCD Display (230K dots) / Field of View : approx. 100% / AUTO Power LCD mode / Power LCD mode / High angle mode
Supersonic Wave Filter for Dust Reduction n/a
Playback mode [REC]/[Play] Selector switch / 30-thumbnail display / 12-thumbnail display / calendar display / zoomed playback (16x max.) / playback of favorite pictures / image rotation / Resizing (selectable number of pixels) / trimming / protection / aspect conv. DPOF print setting
Category Playback Yes (in slideshow mode and normal playback)
Slideshow Mode Yes (duration & effect with music adjustable)
OSD language Japanese, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish
Recording Media Built-in Memory / SD Memory Card / SDHC Memory Card / MultiMediaCard(Still image only)
Microphone yes
Speaker yes
Interface DC Input, AV Output (NTSC/PAL), HD AV Output (Component), USB2.0 High speed
Direct Print PictBridge
General Data
Power
Battery Li-ion Battery Pack (3.7V, 1000mAh) (Included)
AC Adaptor AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC) (Optional)
Battery life (approx.) 330 pictures (CIPA Standard)
Dimensions [mm] (excluding protruding parts)
Width 103.3
Height 59.3
Depth 36.2
Weight [g]
Body 208.0
Including Battery and SD Memory Card 234.0
Further Specifications
Included Software PHOTOfunSTUDIO -viewer- / ArcSoft (MediaImpression / Panorama Maker) / USB Driver
Standard Accessories Battery Charger / Battery Pack / Battery carrying case / AV Cable / USB Connection Cable / AC Cable / Strap / CD-ROM

 

[Sdashiki]

To the OP, you really need to just hunker down and realize NO camera you can bring in, let alone afford, is going to do what you want it to.

No amount of copy/pasting specs from all over the net, and asking "is this on good" will get you what you want.

The fact is, you cant do what you want in this situation.

All the other info in the thread can certainly help you in OTHER situations, but not this one.

 

[gkarris]

What about Panasonic Lumix TZ4 or TZ5??
Or even TZ3

Panasonics have small sensors and are very noisy above ISO 400.

The Canons have the lowest noise I found as far as P&S, and their dSLR's are supposed to be very good with low noise CMOS sensors.

I just got an Olympus E-420, which is very small for a dSLR. But the 4/3 sensors are smaller than Nikon or Canon dSLR's and have more noise compared to them.

For what you want to do, you'll have to invest in at least the E-420, or a Canon dSLR, and then have to sneak it in...

I use dpreview:

http://www.dpreview.com


Good luck!

 

[wwe2008]

Panasonics have small sensors and are very noisy above ISO 400.

The Canons have the lowest noise I found as far as P&S, and their dSLR's are supposed to be very good with low noise CMOS sensors.

I just got an Olympus E-420, which is very small for a dSLR. But the 4/3 sensors are smaller than Nikon or Canon dSLR's and have more noise compared to them.

For what you want to do, you'll have to invest in at least the E-420, or a Canon dSLR, and then have to sneak it in...

I use dpreview:

http://www.dpreview.com


Good luck!

O2 Arena doesnt normally allow pro looking cameras with moving lens' although the lumix does.
Can anyone walk me through the process of ordering O2 priority tickets??
Thanks

 

[endingstart]

Yes, taking good pictures at concerts can be very hard, but if you keep trying you can get quite good at it. The cameras you mentioned will all work, if you bump up the iso. You will probably have to keep trying and trying to get any good pictures, and they will probably be quite noisy, but I think you just want them for the memories which will be fine.

I have used both canon sd750 and sd1000's at concerts. They don't sell these anymore but they are just basic point and shoot cameras. Don't get discouraged!

Here are some photos I've taken with them, they are not the greatest but fine for just memories.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shampoosuicide1/sets/72157603849656587/

 

[wwe2008]

Yes, taking good pictures at concerts can be very hard, but if you keep trying you can get quite good at it. The cameras you mentioned will all work, if you bump up the iso. You will probably have to keep trying and trying to get any good pictures, and they will probably be quite noisy, but I think you just want them for the memories which will be fine.

I have used both canon sd750 and sd1000's at concerts. They don't sell these anymore but they are just basic point and shoot cameras. Don't get discouraged!

Here are some photos I've taken with them, they are not the greatest but fine for just memories.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shampoosuicide1/sets/72157603849656587/

There great!! I wont be as close as them pictures!! Sound doesn't matter as the sound of the concert will drown that out!! So the Panasonic TZ4 would be okay??

 

[endingstart]

Thanks. I have never used that camera before but from the specs, it looks like a good point and shoot camera. The 10x zoom should help.

I think you might be a bit confused about noise though. Noise, is when your pictures look grainy. The higher the iso the nosier the picture will get. When you are shooting in low light, you have to bump up the iso to around 400-800 for your pictures to come out less blurry. When you get your camera, make sure you play around with all the settings and try to understand it a bit before you take it to the concert with you.

http://www.weetoysoldiers.com/articles/2008-02-18_photography/2008-02-18_iso-comparisons_600x.jpg

That is a comparison at different iso levels. The farthest right is the highest level, and you can see the picture looks very grainy from it.

Hope that helps

 

[wwe2008]

Thanks. I have never used that camera before but from the specs, it looks like a good point and shoot camera. The 10x zoom should help.

I think you might be a bit confused about noise though. Noise, is when your pictures look grainy. The higher the iso the nosier the picture will get. When you are shooting in low light, you have to bump up the iso to around 400-800 for your pictures to come out less blurry. When you get your camera, make sure you play around with all the settings and try to understand it a bit before you take it to the concert with you.

http://www.weetoysoldiers.com/articles/2008-02-18_photography/2008-02-18_iso-comparisons_600x.jpg

That is a comparison at different iso levels. The farthest right is the highest level, and you can see the picture looks very grainy from it.

Hope that helps

Thanks will the anti blur, optical/digital help??

 

[Hmac]

Thanks will the anti blur, optical/digital help??

Depends on what you mean by "anti-blur". In point-and-shoot cameras that have that mode as an option, it typically refers to two possible things:

a mode that keeps the shutter speed high enough to prevent blurring from both subject motion and camera shake, and/or optical stabliization which will decrease blurring from camera shake only.

There is no free lunch. Bottom line is that the only way you're going to prevent blurring is by increasing the ISO of the camera. The cheaper the camera, the more noise you'll get at any given ISO, and point-and-shoots are just too cheap, too small a sensor, to be able go high enough ISO-wise to prevent noise. HOW MUCH noise is objectionable is a question only you can answer. If these are just snapshots to remind you of a good time, maybe the noisey shots won't bother you .. as long as you're not expecting much. The readily acknowledged best high-ISO low-noise cameras are from Nikon - specifically the D700 and the D3, but those cameras are way out of your price range, even if you could get them into the O2 arena.

The Panasonic TZ-4 has optical stabilization, and an auto-ISO function. It will probably be as good as any other point-an-shoot you could get.

One thing you could try is a noise-reduction program like Noise Ninja. Those can be quite effective at turning a noisey image into one that is at least acceptable.

 

[wwe2008]

Depends on what you mean by "anti-blur". In point-and-shoot cameras that have that mode as an option, it typically refers to two possible things:

a mode that keeps the shutter speed high enough to prevent blurring from both subject motion and camera shake, and/or optical stabliization which will decrease blurring from camera shake only.

There is no free lunch. Bottom line is that the only way you're going to prevent blurring is by increasing the ISO of the camera. The cheaper the camera, the more noise you'll get at any given ISO, and point-and-shoots are just too cheap, too small a sensor, to be able go high enough ISO-wise to prevent noise. HOW MUCH noise is objectionable is a question only you can answer. If these are just snapshots to remind you of a good time, maybe the noisey shots won't bother you .. as long as you're not expecting much. The readily acknowledged best high-ISO low-noise cameras are from Nikon - specifically the D700 and the D3, but those cameras are way out of your price range, even if you could get them into the O2 arena.

The Panasonic TZ-4 has optical stabilization, and an auto-ISO function. It will probably be as good as any other point-an-shoot you could get.

One thing you could try is a noise-reduction program like Noise Ninja. Those can be quite effective at turning a noisey image into one that is at least acceptable.

I've also looked at Pansonic FZ5, FZ8 or FX18

 

[Hmac]

I've also looked at Pansonic FZ5, FZ8 or FX18

Whatever...all pretty much the same relative to sensor performance.

 

[wwe2008]

Whatever...all pretty much the same relative to sensor performance.

Okay I think I'm going for TZ4 or TZ5

 

[cube]

AFAIK, below a DSLR, your only chance of relative sucess is with some Fujis.

 

[wwe2008]

AFAIK, below a DSLR, your only chance of relative sucess is with some Fujis.

Whats the best Fuji one under £200 then??

 

[jaseone]

This thread like most others here is just simply getting out of control, it seems a lot of people here and I'll include myself in that list as well often like to just put in their 2 cents without really being all that helpful to those asking questions!

To the original poster,

For your stated purpose you really are not going to see all that much of a difference for the cameras available to you in your budget so first set a firm budget, then look on line at sites like dpreview.com to find the models you can afford from the various brands, get an idea of what ones you like and then go to the store to try them out. If the price is reasonable in the store then buy the camera there if not say thanks for the help and buy online instead (however if the assistant is knowledgeable and goes out of their way to help then I often give them the sale unless the difference in price is substantial).

 

[cube]

I imagine from what's easily available, that would be the F40fd/F45fd.

The refurbs are £68 from fujifilm.co.uk

 

[gkarris]

Okay I think I'm going for TZ4 or TZ5

Noise, noise, noise...

According to dpreview.com:

Of course things don't exactly get better at higher sensitivities and anything higher than ISO 400 should be avoided if you plan to print your images at a decent size or publish them online at a high resolution.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz5/page11.asp

Better off with the Canons, I feel they have the lowest noise in all the P&S I have used, even the cheapest A470 that's $80 on Amazon...

Try the Canons - you'll be happier...

 

[wheelhot]

Why anyone is not voting for Sigma DP-1? It has a DSLR sized sensor in a PnS size?

Yea Canon produce one of the best images at higher ISO compared to other PnS and regardless of any PnS you might choose, it will eventually produce around the same image quality due to sensor size. Any above ISO 400 should be avoided and try not to go beyond your optical zoom cause digital zoom is..how to say it, will give you much more poor image quality.

Oh...is it cause of the price? LOL

 

[Hmac]

Steve's Digicams reviewed the TZ-4 and has sample images, including one with no flash at ISO 1600. The OP should review that review and sample images, see if it meets his expectations.

Here is the review http://www.steves-digicams.com/2008_reviews/panasonic_tz4.html


click for full-size image - TZ-4 ISO 1600 (Steve's Digicams):

 

[leighonigar]

Noise, noise, noise...

According to dpreview.com:



http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz5/page11.asp

Better off with the Canons, I feel they have the lowest noise in all the P&S I have used, even the cheapest A470 that's $80 on Amazon...

Try the Canons - you'll be happier...

Panasonic are really quite good nowadays. The reality is you're never going to get great shots out of these things with tiny sensors at high ISO. Actually, the Panazonic LX3 is known for being good at high ISO, more so than the canon G10, partly because of its lower pixel count.

The comparison here might be useful http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonsx100is/page6.asp

 

[cube]

That TZ-4 shot might be at 1600 ISO, but it's taken with good studio lighting.

Regarding the Canons and most everybody else, they have since long switched to tiny 1/2.5" sensors, except maybe for the high end where they cram too many pixels anyway.

With Fuji, at least you can find 1/1.6" sensors with 8 MP easily, given that 6 MP is hard. And then there's the SuperCCD technology.

Sorry, but the DP-1 and other APS-C compacts are out of the price range and zoom requirements.