deciding on which camera to buy

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which camera would be the best to buy to take pictures at a concert?

also considering which camera to buy in situations of low light, distance, and possibly trying to conceal it in my purse

― Idalisse Castro, Thursday, 4 March 2004 05:45 (twenty-one years ago)

digital, film, what what?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 4 March 2004 05:49 (twenty-one years ago)

also you should never conceal a camera in your purse, it can damage the purse's fibers

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 4 March 2004 05:49 (twenty-one years ago)

What kind of budget are you talking about? Are we talking a local club show where you can get right up to the stage, or sitting thirty rows back? Do you want digital or film?

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 4 March 2004 05:55 (twenty-one years ago)

(e-mail response)
30 rows back and digital less than 400 bucks.

Um. Well, pretty much nothing.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 4 March 2004 06:04 (twenty-one years ago)

hmm, tricky, given that you want a big aperture and really fast 'digital' film, nearly impossible. Much better to stick with a second hand film SLR, with a lens with a large aperture, f2.8 even better with and f1.8. Olympus OM1 with the stock zuiko 50mm lens has worked well for me although you might have to blow up the pictures quite a lot when you get them processed. Best to use a professisonal transparency film for that (best grain structure) or a black and white film like Neopan, speed 400 and up.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 4 March 2004 09:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd avoid transparency (slide) film - your exposures have to be close (which is tough in a show environment with high contrast and changing lights) and grain is going to be present for concert photography anyway. Negative film will give you two or three stops either way, and is available in faster speeds. I wouldn't go less than 800 and would look at the 1600/3200 films.

Best concert camera I've ever used, honestly, was a Holga w/flash. I got permission to fire the flash a few times from the band (I've never been onstage, I dunno if a small flash would bother a band). The entire thing cost me $20 plust a little time tweaking it, so I didn't care if it got banged around in the crowd. A Holga would be utterly useless from a distance.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 4 March 2004 21:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I like the crazy colours you get with slide film pushed or pulled out of the right exposure, How the hell do you tell the difference from he lighting setup anyway.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 4 March 2004 21:56 (twenty-one years ago)

cross-processing slide film is one of my favourite photo tricks!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 4 March 2004 22:16 (twenty-one years ago)

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