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