I tried searching this but had no luck- does anyone have a Sony Cybershot (can't remember model # off hand)? I just acquired one; it's not the best, but it's definitely an upgrade from the disposables I've used the last two tours! Anyway, just looking for suggestions as far as which particular settings might work best in a concert setting
Hey Justin, I'm definitely no expert, but I'll try to help. You've kinda got to give a bit more information. Is the camera just a basic point & shoot, or is it more a prosumer model, with a higher quality lens & sensor, & more advanced features. I suppose the main thing we need to know is, does the camera have manual controls?
If so, you'll be able to adjust the shutter speed, aperture & ISO. If not you'll have to use a SCENE mode, to get some control over the camera.
If you have manual controls, you'll want quite a fast shutter speed. 1/focal length, or quicker! ie when you're zoomed out at 35mm you want 1/35sec, or faster. When you zoom in, you need a faster shutter speed to restrict blur. So say for 150mm, you'll want to be 1/150sec, or faster. Most of the guys here (who'd know way more about photography than me), have been saying go a bit faster than this, so at 35mm use something like 1/100sec. Also make sure you're using image stabilisation (if your camera has it), to reduce blur.
As you reduce the shutter speed, less light will hit the cameras sensor, so the camera will have to increase its sensitivity (ISO). Don't use a super-fast shutter speed, or you'll need a very high ISO to get the correct exposure. Most P & S cameras give very poor results at high ISO, due to the small sensor size. So don't go too overboard on a fast shutter speed, or the pictures will be very noisey. I'd say 1/100sec at 35mm, & 1/200sec at 200mm.
As for ISO, you should really have a play with your camera in low light. Some cameras won't perform well over 200, others you may get respectable results at 400, & if you're very luck your camera may give ok shots at 800. Only a few newer prosumer compacts (the g11, s90, lx3), with larger sensors give good results above this level (along with fuji's 'way ahead of their time' Finepix F30 series). So have a play around, & set the ISO as high as you feel comfortable with noise levels. You can use noise reduction software (noise ninja is free), to reduce noise levels quite dramatically, but this also softens the pictures a fair bit.
If your camera's got no manual controls, you'll have to use a scene mode that gives a short shutter time, so the images aren't blurred. Something like sports, or kids/pets. You may, or may not be able to set the ISO.
Me, I'm hoping to have the S90 before my 1st show (see ya at Phoenix). I haven't had a manual camera before, but am probably going to use shutter priority, set at 1/120sec (28mm-105mm focal length). I'll keep it at the wide end of the lens mainly (not mad about zooming), so I can use a large aperture, & will probably shoot between 200-800 ISO. Wish I could have some time to practice.
Any other advice (from someone who, unlike myself, has actually taken some concert shots using manual controls) would be greatly appreciated.
ok, time to go watch some cricket