Digital cameras: Best small camera for night/action photos
Best small camera for night/action photos
by advil01 - 8/15/08 10:26 AMI don't know if my request is unreasonable or not. I am looking for a small recreational camera that will take good low light shots (bars/concerts) as well as take action shots. I am looking to spent up to $500.00. I have heard that the fuji F20 takes decent ones. I am not a photographer but I do like to pretend that I could be 
I know that I will not find a great camera for the size that I want but I was hoping that I could find something a bit better then all the blurry shots I take now.
Some good camera
by JayMonster - 8/15/08 11:04 AM In reply to: Best small camera for night/action photos by advil01Especially when it comes to concerts, bars, and anywhere with uneven lighting, it is almost always better to go with a camera that shoots RAW so that the color balance can be fixed later.
There are a couple availble now (and a couple on the way) that will give you better (not good, you need a dSLR for that), but decent low light shooting and the ability to shoot RAW. All of them however are slight larger than you Fuji.
The most popular (and arguably the best) is the Canon G9 which runs in the area of $450 - $500 (depending on where you buy it).
Panasonic has the LX2 (and coming soon the LX3). The LX2 comes in a tad under $400, mostly because it will be replaced with the LX3 soon. The new LX3 is estimated at $499 when it arrives.
Nikon is set to release the P9000 soon as well, but that one is completely untested and has a quirky feature set. It is also estimated to be around $500 when it is released.
mixed bag
by kalel33 - 8/15/08 1:53 PM In reply to: Some good camera by JayMonsterPoint and shoots are not good for indoors or action(in lower light or indoors). I have an F20 and it does fine indoors, but you'd still need a flash at the bar...I know, I've tried to use it without the flash in the bar. It cannot do action either, due to slow focus and slow shot to shot. I would wait on how the LX3 turns out. They kept the megapixels at the same level, but he technology should have made it better with higher ISOs. We'll find out when the reviews are done.
I agree
by JayMonster - 8/27/08 10:46 AM In reply to: mixed bag by kalel33That Point-n-shoots are not ideal for this, but based on the price cap that was given, it seemed the only choice was a "serious" point-n-shoot (as the "cheap" dSLRs are no better in low light anyway)
Finding a Good and Cheap Camera
by JCipo - 8/15/08 7:54 PM In reply to: Best small camera for night/action photos by advil01I've been a photographer for over 40 years. A Canon Sureshot is great for less then $500. But if you want a fantastic camera that comes close to my pro equipment get the Fuji point and shoot with a telephoto lens. My Fuji 6000 could make a fantastic picture 7X5 foot (not inches) with an ISO (light sensitvity) of 6400. This model cost $350. I know all of this because I used one with my pro equipment. I believe there is now a new model with a higher pixels (8 mg). Remember, the Fuji takes pictures by candle light. Don't let any one try to change your mind.
have a couple of problems with that
by kalel33 - 8/15/08 9:34 PM In reply to: Finding a Good and Cheap Camera by JCipoJust because the Fuji can do ISO 6400 does not mean that you should do ISO 6400(just look at the horrible images made with the S6000 in the link below). It would be completely unusable. My F20 is better in low light than that camera. The photos with ISO 800 or higher are unusable. Look at the photos at the different ISO settings. Also, it's very large and he's looking for something to carry in his pocket. Here's the review to corroborate what I'm saying.
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_s6000fd-review/
Also, the "Sureshot" is a Sony camera...not a Canon.
Samsung?
by ArtDept - 8/15/08 10:39 PM In reply to: Best small camera for night/action photos by advil01Hi,
I just got a Samsung L200 and am liking it a lot.
10MP, $149-$129, Digital Image Stabilization, super small.
Their L210 has TWO image stabilization methods for about $10 more,
might be worth it for you.
I just ran some test shots, ASA 80/100/200/400/800/1600 handheld in the parking lot at night... ASA 400 cured the shakes and looked pretty good, 800 starts to degrade, 1600 Ick! Emergency use only. 
I read a good suggestion on some other web site...
Use the multi-shot/continuous shooting mode for night shots.
Fire off a burst of 3-6 shots and odds are one of the multiple shots will be sharp.
I recently bought
by sherbisness - 8/16/08 4:30 AM In reply to: Best small camera for night/action photos by advil01I recently bought a Cannon PowerShot SX100IS. It costs between $200-$300. And just like the fantastic reviews,(I checked out every camera on the market ) I am simply amazed at what this compact camera can do. It takes great indoor shots, without a flash, of my dark brown cat. I have many digital cameras. and a Nikon film F1. So I know about cameras. This Cannon, blows the competition away at a very low price. 8 mega pixels,10X digital zoom, optical image stabilizer, face detection. Its made in Japan and guaranteed for 3 years. Before you buy. I strongly recommend that you check it out, you can buy 2 for the price of 1 and be pleased with your selection. Using it is a dream also! good luck.
Increase budget just slightly..
by HTHMAN - 8/22/08 5:07 PM In reply to: Best small camera for night/action photos by advil01You just will not get good available light with a small P&S camera. If you want those kinds of shots, you need to move to a Digital SLR and a fast prime lens. For just under $500 you can pick up a Sony A200 with the 18-70 kit lens but that will not do great in low light. For an extra $80-100 you can pick up a used Minolta 50mm f/1.7 prime lens(all Minolta auto lenses work on it). That lens is ultra sharp and you can shoot in very dim light with it. The camera has in-body image stabilization so you can shoot at slow shutter speeds without blur. Your total cost would be just over $600 with a fast memory card. Sorry about the size.
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