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Hello all,
I am new here and will say hello in the introduction thread. But I want to start out by asking a question.

I am looking to buy another digital camera. But there are SO many out there that it is easy to get lost.

Most of them take good pictures. But it seems most also have problems in these areas: Shooting in low light and good action shots.

I know part is learning your camera, which I still need to do.

For instance, I will be going to a couple concerts soon. And I would like a smaller digital camera I can put in my purse and take great clear shots with the low lighting and hi action of concerts.

So...any suggestions out there of good cameras to look at, and what I need to look for?

Thank you in advance. I hope to learn alot fromthisgroup.

Bratty

It seems I wasnt logged in when I posted the above post! Wink

Bratty,

Sometimes it helps to check the flash settings for low light situations. There is a setting for night time outdoors and low lighting indoors.

As far as new digitals, your might want to check out this site:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Digital_cameras/2001-6501_7-0.html?tag=cnetfd.dir

Jane
_________________

"If you cannot find the Truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?" Dogen

Hi Bratty,

Welcome to GG&MG, and thank you for letting us know that you were able to post as Guest. That shouldn't have happened and I will have to look into it. Please try it again and let me know if you are still able to post as a Guest. I have not been able to replicate your experience.

Our professional photographer, prophotoimages (Ted), had an operation recently and I have not seen him on the board very much. I am just an amateur and still learning, so I hesitate to get into which camera is best for your needs. Hopefully Ted will see your post as he would be the best source of information on this board. There are other places where you can get some great reviews of many different makes of cameras. Check these links out:

http://www.dpreview.com/

http://www.imaging-resource.com/

http://dcresource.com/

I will mention that I love my Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ20, but it will not fit into your purse. I spent about 6 months researching cameras before I decided on it. It is a prosumer camera, one step below a DSLR. For the money, it is hard to beat as I would have to spend a lot of money in DSLR equipment to match it. It has a 12x optical zoom lens, optical image stabilizer, numerous shooting modes in addition to Manual Mode, and also shoots decent quality movies with sound. It takes great night photos with no purple fringing, and the best action shots I've seen. You can get an idea of the quality of photos from the photos I've posted in the sub-forums of the Image Gallery in the Photography forum. I believe the cost is now under $400. But, as I said before, it won't fit into your purse and may be very hard to find. There are newer versions of it, however, but at a higher cost. One thing you should know about concerts: the lighting at concerts and stage shows is usually horrific for taking photos from the audience, so don't get your hopes up too high, whatever you finally buy.

But, check out the reviews above. I'm sure you'll find something there, and maybe Ted will see your post and give you a better answer than I have. Or perhaps Novice57 (Keith) may have an answer, or 24Kgoldphoto.
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Repa

Older than dirt!

Welcome again Bratty!

Repa - As for posting as a guest in this forum which Bratty pointed out, I checked it out earlier and yes, this one and some others were set for all to post or reply. I did check and fix some but not all.
_________________

"Spirituality is not religion, religion divides people. Believing in something unites"

Bratty,
you must be in the class I took at HP "Telling a Story with Photos". I'm glad you followed my link!
I hope you will enjoy our community here and take part in our monthly photo contest.
I have a Canon Powershot S2 IS. Like Repa's Panasonic, it has a 12x optical zoom and Image Stabilizer. If you like lots of zoom (and only optical zoom counts, forget digital zoom), I think the Image Stabilizer (IS) is a must. It is not always feasible to have a tripod, and without IS many close-ups get blurry. Do a lot of reading at the sites Repa mentioned, that's what I did before I bought my camera.
Welcome to GG&MG.

Rike

Oh, and I forgot: Join us for the Daily Trivia on the Portal Page! Laughing

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Rike

"Time is what prevents everything from happening at once."
John Archibald Wheeler -

Bratty, that is a good camera that Rike mentioned, and smaller than the Panasonic I have. It was in my top 3 list when I was researching cameras. It would serve you well. But do the research before you make up your mind - there are others out there as well. And, as Rike said, look for one with Optical Image Stabilization. It is a must when you use zoom without a tripod.
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Repa

Older than dirt!

Bratty,

You might want to investigate a small digital that has at least an 800 ISO speed and also one that has "image stabilization" for steadier shots and a longer lens.

Take a look at some of the small "canons" depending on how much you want to invest in one.

I've had some success with a Canon A630 camera but this one doesn't have "image stabilization". And for night photography at concerts, I usually use a digital SLR camera with a very long lens and a high "ISO".

You can go to http://www.dpreview.com and make a comparison.
_________________
Ted /prophotoimages

Camera Bag: Canons: Analog & Digital

"It's nice to be beautiful, but more beautiful to be nice".

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