Topic: Help! My photos suck

[vwmule]

Just got a Panasonic DMC-TZ3 ($300 camera with 10x zoom and Leica lens) and I'm underwhelmed with the photos I'm getting.

Can anyone suggest the best settings for shooting bands in fair low light (only stage lights)? I've tried various settings and they still come up short. Even in regular light I'm not too impressed, yet this is one of the higher rated point and shoots in its price range.

[stirinthesauce]

Just got a Panasonic DMC-TZ3 ($300 camera with 10x zoom and Leica lens) and I'm underwhelmed with the photos I'm getting.

Can anyone suggest the best settings for shooting bands in fair low light (only stage lights)? I've tried various settings and they still come up short. Even in regular light I'm not too impressed, yet this is one of the higher rated point and shoots in its price range.

biggest problem is that it is a point and shoot.  While fantastic images can be had in ideal lighting, not so in low light.  Hell, even with a DSLR and a fast L glass it is still hard.  However, working with what you've got, you need to learn what you can do.  First, you need to get a shutter speed of at least 1/60th of a second to stop that movement on stage (hands strumming guitar) and even faster for the drummer hits or the headbanging singer.  In low light, that is hard.  The best way is with high iso (1600-3200) and very fast glass (f1.8 or lower for primes and a minimum f2.8 for zooms) to get a proper exposure.  Most point and shoots don't allow f stops below f3.5 or so.  Then there is shutter lag on point and shoots.  When click a shot, there is lag before the camera takes the photo.  Therefore, what you wanted isn't what you get.  If there is ample stage lighting, you can get useable shots with a point and shoot up close.  Just learn you settings, get you iso up there so as to get proper exposure and proper shutter speed.  Then you will get something useable.

Other bet is for low light, buy a used dslr body and a 50f1.8 and go from there. 

Sorry if this isn't the answer your looking for.  Hopefully you can learn your camera enough to get decent shots.  Hopefully your camera can perform in the very difficult situations you want to use it in.

[vwmule]

thanks. I will jack up the ISO, though I think I've tried.

My larger worry is the quality of even regular shots. Not as impressive as I hoped, but maybe I'm doing something wrong. There are so many options it's overload.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

I have the same camera... Regarding low light, you have to take into account the amount of zoom available. I'd say my old digital elph S100 seems a little better in low light. BUT I have to remember how limited the zoom was on that camera and that the limited 2X zoom lens was faster (better light gathering).

But, yeah, that camera is disappointing in low light.  The video in low light is actually pretty good and is much better than the pics.

One other negative is the large amounts of noise at higher ISO settings. I haven't tried any denoising software. I'm not sure if it would help.  As far as settings, I'd suggest you use the 'vivid' setting. It will give you somewhat better color in all situations.  For concert shots you may need to manually calibrate the white balance (that can be tricky at shows). Sometimes cameras cannot cope with the odd lighting on stage (too much red, etc).

For non-concert shots the images are Much better than my old Elph. I think they are quite good given the capability of the lens and the overall size.

[sunjan]

Just got a Panasonic DMC-TZ3 ($300 camera with 10x zoom and Leica lens) and I'm underwhelmed with the photos I'm getting.

Can anyone suggest the best settings for shooting bands in fair low light (only stage lights)?

The best way is with high iso (1600-3200) and very fast glass (f1.8 or lower for primes and a minimum f2.8 for zooms) to get a proper exposure.  Most point and shoots don't allow f stops below f3.5 or so. 

Stirinthesauce is right.
If you want to push it, you should be able to get something useful with this camera though. A few things to consider:
1. First some maths: Remember that light decreases with the square of the distance. That means that if you stand twice the distance from the stage, a quarter of the light will reach your lense. So what does this mean?! Get as close to the light source as possible, ie DFC!
2. The specs of this camera says: Aperture F3.3 / 8.0 (Wide: 2 steps) F4.9 / 11 (Tele: 2 steps)
(taken from http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz3/)
What does this mean? Zoom to the widest setting, because it enables the largest aperture! Again, this means that you probably have to get upfront to the stage again, to get any decent shots.
3. If there is an aperture priority mode, lock the aperture at 3.3 and let the shutter time vary. Down to 1/4 or 1/8 sec. is usually not a problem for me, with a bit of training you get a steady hand. OK, some shots will be blurry, but that can be creative and look neat too.
4. Another option is to use a tripod, but that's rarely a viable option at a rock show, esp. with stealthing. Maybe if you have front balcony seats, or permission from the band?!
5. I know your question was about existing light shots, but flash might be useful under certain conditions. If there is a fill-in flash setting, or slow sync (long shutter time), flash shots can look good too.
Have the specs in mind though: Flash Range: 0.6 - 4.2m (wide) 1.0 - 2.8m (tele). If you're any further from the stage than that, don't bother.

If you could upload some of your shots to flickr, photobucket etc, it would be easier to give advice...

/Jan