Taperssection.com

Gear / Technical Help => Photo / Video Recording => Topic started by: backwhereubelong on February 27, 2015, 12:47:12 AM

Title: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: backwhereubelong on February 27, 2015, 12:47:12 AM
Hello All,
I like to take a few pictures at the shows I go to and I'm not a fan of cell phone/cell phone camera's.  So I was wondering what point & shoot camera's have you used with nice results?  Sample pics would be nice to see as well.
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: bryonsos on February 27, 2015, 03:37:01 AM
I've been happy with my Sony W830. Zeiss optics and a pretty low f-stop.
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: 2manyrocks on February 27, 2015, 03:39:18 PM
I suggest looking for a camera that has a lens aperature of  f1.8  or better if you intend to make pictures in low light concerts and don't want blurred pictures.  Otherwise, you're going to have to wait for the lights to come up to a useable level to get a decent photo.  It might not be the easiest thing to find since most point and shoots are not likely to have that fast of a lens. 

You might look at the Canon refurbs to see what they have.  There is a one year factory warranty and usually the prices are good.

 
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: ashevillain on February 27, 2015, 07:20:01 PM
I suggest looking for a camera that has a lens aperature of  f1.8  or better

There are 2 options in the compact point & shoot form factor that fit that qualification. They are both super small (pocketable) and take near-dslr-quality pics. They both have 1" sensors and I've seen some speculation that they both actually use the same sensor but I don't think Canon has published the manufacturer of theirs. (Disclaimer: I've not owned either of them but I have researched them a lot and seen tons of pics taken with them.) They both have their pros & cons but the Sony has been around longer as it's currently in its third iteration.

1. Sony RX-100 series (http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DSC-RX100M-Cyber-shot-Digital-Camera/dp/B00K7O2DJU) (MIII is the latest)
2. Canon G7 X (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-G7-Digital-Camera/dp/B00NEWYE12)
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: adrianf74 on February 27, 2015, 08:23:36 PM
1. Sony RX-100 series (http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DSC-RX100M-Cyber-shot-Digital-Camera/dp/B00K7O2DJU) (MIII is the latest)

This. 

I've owned an MII for the past year or so and am VERY happy with how it does.   It's a lot of money it's also the "point and shoot camera" that a lot of pros carry with them when they don't want big lenses and bulk.   Even though you'll want to shoot 5MP for your concert photos (from a distance), the quality is great.
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: 2manyrocks on February 27, 2015, 09:33:36 PM
If the OP can handle a budget of $600 up for a camera, he ought to look at micro 4/3 such as the Olympus Pen line or Panasonic G5 or G6 with a $20 lens adapter and f1.8 nikon/minolta/minolta 50mm manual focus lens off Ebay.  Could actually be cheaper.

www.getolympus.com

Look under the "savings" tab for refurb camera there.  Sometimes they run a 20% off deal which helps with the price. 
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: trubbaman on February 28, 2015, 10:43:23 AM
I have the first gen RX-100 and I'm deliriously happy with it. I bought it used on Amazon for around $300, but it was new in the box. I've shot under some fairly difficult circumstances and at some distances and the results are excellent.
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: gormenghast on February 28, 2015, 10:50:51 AM
I suggest looking for a camera that has a lens aperature of  f1.8  or better

There are 2 options in the compact point & shoot form factor that fit that qualification. They are both super small (pocketable) and take near-dslr-quality pics. They both have 1" sensors and I've seen some speculation that they both actually use the same sensor but I don't think Canon has published the manufacturer of theirs. (Disclaimer: I've not owned either of them but I have researched them a lot and seen tons of pics taken with them.) They both have their pros & cons but the Sony has been around longer as it's currently in its third iteration.

1. Sony RX-100 series (http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DSC-RX100M-Cyber-shot-Digital-Camera/dp/B00K7O2DJU) (MIII is the latest)
2. Canon G7 X (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-G7-Digital-Camera/dp/B00NEWYE12)

I'd add to that list Lumix LX100.  1.7 aperture on the wide end.  OIS that helps with slight camera movement but won't help with subject moving if the shutter speed is slow.  The LX100 can shoot at 3200 ISO with pretty clean image results.  Lumix GX7 with the 20/1.7 lens is great--not P+S but one of the better small cameras with great high ISO. 
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: Datfly on February 28, 2015, 12:41:37 PM
I suggest looking for a camera that has a lens aperature of  f1.8  or better

There are 2 options in the compact point & shoot form factor that fit that qualification. They are both super small (pocketable) and take near-dslr-quality pics. They both have 1" sensors and I've seen some speculation that they both actually use the same sensor but I don't think Canon has published the manufacturer of theirs. (Disclaimer: I've not owned either of them but I have researched them a lot and seen tons of pics taken with them.) They both have their pros & cons but the Sony has been around longer as it's currently in its third iteration.

1. Sony RX-100 series (http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DSC-RX100M-Cyber-shot-Digital-Camera/dp/B00K7O2DJU) (MIII is the latest)
2. Canon G7 X (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-G7-Digital-Camera/dp/B00NEWYE12)

I'd add to that list Lumix LX100.  1.7 aperture on the wide end.  OIS that helps with slight camera movement but won't help with subject moving if the shutter speed is slow.  The LX100 can shoot at 3200 ISO with pretty clean image results.  Lumix GX7 with the 20/1.7 lens is great--not P+S but one of the better small cameras with great high ISO.

While the above is true the zoom range is weak as it is a 24-75 mm lens.
Great for small clubs where you are up front but at any theatre or arena you will only have a wide angle shot.
That said I used it in a small club to try the 4K video and WOW it is so much better than 1080HD!!  The club I shoot has low light and while my Sony HX20V does well the LX-100 4K blew it away. I'll give a couple of links to show the difference and while it's not the same show in each clip it is always the same low light in general. Make sure you change the quality on the tool wheel on YouTube to 4K to see the real difference, and even if you set it at 1080 if your computer is too slow you can easily see the difference.

Sony HX20V 1080 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIAJPrUq2gs

Lumix LX-100 4K -  http://youtu.be/4q0g8qTQCjo
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: furburger on March 01, 2015, 01:50:21 PM

Sony HX20V 1080 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIAJPrUq2gs

Lumix LX-100 4K -  http://youtu.be/4q0g8qTQCjo


while the bottom link goes up to 2160p (4K), the top link only goes up to 480...if it's s'posed to be 1080
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: Datfly on March 01, 2015, 03:11:15 PM

Sony HX20V 1080 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIAJPrUq2gs

Lumix LX-100 4K -  http://youtu.be/4q0g8qTQCjo


while the bottom link goes up to 2160p (4K), the top link only goes up to 480...if it's s'posed to be 1080

Bizarre. Thanks for the catch. It goes to 720 on my end but it's a raw upload and should be 1080.
Here is a link to same show different song that is 1080.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cpew_IKSX8
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: drewloo on April 23, 2015, 09:00:11 PM
Just picked up a G7X.  I came really close to getting a Sony a6000 or a micro 4/3 rig, but at the end of the day to get a mirrorless body and the nice, fast lens that I wanted it would have been at least $1500.  The G7X has a nice 1.8 - 2.8 lens that should be good for low light pics.  It doesn't quite have the zoom range that I'd like but it's a trade off I can live with.  Now I just gotta learn how to use it to the best of its abilities.  Here are some pics from the UM show this past weekend.  Just put the camera in AUTO and shot away.  The original quality is a lot better than what Photobuckt shows.

(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/drewloo/IMG_0134.jpg) (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/drewloo/media/IMG_0134.jpg.html)

(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/drewloo/IMG_0144c.png)

(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/drewloo/IMG_0123.jpg) (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/drewloo/media/IMG_0123.jpg.html)

(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/drewloo/IMG_0129.jpg) (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/drewloo/media/IMG_0129.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: ashevillain on April 24, 2015, 09:59:27 AM
Just picked up a G7X.

Nice! Especially nice for AUTO mode. Are those just in-camera JPG's or post processed RAW's?
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: drewloo on April 24, 2015, 10:18:02 AM
Just JPGs.  I totally forgot to set it to jpeg + raw.
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: ashevillain on April 24, 2015, 10:58:45 AM
Just JPGs.  I totally forgot to set it to jpeg + raw.

Even nicer! Post-processed RAW's will be even better.

I don't really do concert photography but it is a great test of what a camera can do in low light situations. I want that camera badly but it is not in the cards for me for awhile.
Title: Re: Point & Shoot Camera's for Concerts
Post by: DigiGal on April 25, 2015, 01:11:45 PM
For high quality PAS's right now Sony RX100 (which ever version best fits the budget) is a great way to go.  Heck even the Hasselblad Steller and StellerII are clones of Sony's RX100 and RX100mII respectively with different chassis and at a much higher price point, this speaks volumes for the Sony RX100.  Canon is also using the Sony RX100's image sensor in their G7X but with their own software and controls though there are some quirks with it, here's a shootout video between the Canon G7X vs. Sony RX100mIII by The Camera Store that points out the differences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E6Mxxe_kG4