Camera Labs

Hey all , i am a Light man for a band i run a pretty large light show and at the same time i am the band photographer but here is my issue

i own a Konika Minolta DiMage Z6 camera and all my Photos come out blurry if i dont use the flash all the lights show up like " Squiggly Worms" its very annoying , i make them look really good on stage but , my photos dont give them justice

so here is my question
i have $1200 US dollars to spend on a new camera

i was thinking the Nikon D40X
but also the D80 BUT! i didnt like the fact of no anti vibration , cuz lets face it a couple drinks at a show and your not quite the steady hand you were

so if im right the D40x has a ANTI Vibration control build in it and its better with dust. am i right? or wrong?


but basiclly i was hoping that someone on here can point me in the right direction for the BEST camera for my band most of the time im with in 20-50 feet of them away , so i dont need a monster zoom lens on it either


so i hope you can help and thanks for your time

Steven

www.myspace.com/drillband

_________________
Live music is the best

www.myspace.com/death2man666
www.myspace.com/drillband

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9684309@N06/sets/

Hi Steven, welcome to the Cameralabs forums!

Right, first things first: those squiggly lines are because your shutter speed is too slow without a flash, so the camera's wobbling and the lights are trailing during the exposure. A stabilised lens would minimise this, but your performers may still be blurred as they too will be moving.

So if you don't want to use a flash - or the flash doesn't reach the stage - the only way to increase the shutter speeds is by increasing your ISO sensitivity - this is something which will work much better on a DSLR - probably 800 or even 1600 ISO for dim conditions without a flash.

The D40x and D80 are both great chocies, but NEITHER has built in anti-shake - and both have the same minimal anti-dust features. So if you want anti-shake on a Nikon DSLR you'll need a lens with VR, like the eternally popular 18-200mm VR.

See: http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Nikkor18200mm/

Lenses with brighter apertures are also invaluable in dark environments as they gather more light - if you go for a Canon body, I can highly recommend the 17-55mm f2.8 with IS (that's anti-shake). It ain't cheap, but it's an awesome lens to have in these conditions.

See: http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Canon1755EFS/

You might also want to try an external flashgun, but you'll get nicer results using your natural concert lighting and shooting without a flash at high ISOs instead.

So maybe a Canon 400D / XTi with a 17-55mm f2.8

Or a Nikon D40x with a Nikkor 18-200mm VR.

With the bodies set to 800 or 1600 ISO.

If you're interested in a camera with built-in anti-shake and excellent anti-dust, the new Olympus E-510 is pretty good... see:

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/OlympusE510/

And the price of this advice is you must come back and show us concert photos you've taken with you new setup!

Gordon

thanks for all the info

here is my top 5 wish list for a camera

~ 10MP or higher
~ a good to very good anti dust
~ Anti-vibration built in
~ easy to use buttons
~ good ISO


and yes this is my first DSLR
but ive played with my girlfreinds 35mm Pentax K1000 with a 28-70mm lens

now that ive seen that Nikon doesnt have the anti dust and the anti vibration i need to find a different camera

plus i dont have the money to spend $900 us dollars on a single lens thats why i need the anti vib in the camera when i buy it
so im either looking for a Canon or a Sony

like i said in my last post i have only $1200 to spend

thanks for your help.


Steven

_________________
Live music is the best

www.myspace.com/death2man666
www.myspace.com/drillband

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9684309@N06/sets/

What about the Pentax K10D? Anti-dust measures and anti-shake built-in. Seems to have everything you're looking for.

Zorro.

_________________
http://zorrofox4.deviantart.com/



Various lenses, SB800 & Manfrotto 190 with 460MG head

Hi Steven,

Much as I am delighted with my Canon 400D/XTi I have to report that it doesn't have anti-shake built in. That comes with the IS lenses.

Bob.

Zorro Thanks , for pointing out the K10D

i like the weather resistent part of it

are the nikon, sony and canon camera just as resistent to the weather?

_________________
Live music is the best

www.myspace.com/death2man666
www.myspace.com/drillband

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9684309@N06/sets/

No they're not. The next camera up the cost ladder to feature weatherproofing is the Nikon D200.

I came very close to buying the Pentax too because on features per £ it's pretty much unbeatable. Only the 'feel' in my hand let it down. This may not be an issue for you.

Zorro.

_________________
http://zorrofox4.deviantart.com/



Various lenses, SB800 & Manfrotto 190 with 460MG head

Remember the K10D is only completely weather proof when fitted with a pricier lens.

While the K10D is a good camera, I felt its metering and image processing required some work to get the best from it compared to other DSLRs. Also the anti-dust was no better than Canon or Sony - ie, not that effective.

If you want 10mpx, built-in anti-shake and the best anti-dust, then it has to be the Olympus E-510.

In my opinion anyway!

Gordon

That's very true and Gordon's review isn't the only one to comment on those weaknesses. However I've noticed at least a couple of firmware updates for the K10D and those may have moved the goalposts in this regard.

Zorro.

_________________
http://zorrofox4.deviantart.com/



Various lenses, SB800 & Manfrotto 190 with 460MG head

I ahve an XTI (400d) and I recommend it!

_________________
Canon Rebel Xti (400D), EF-S 18-55, 50mm f/1.8, Sandisk Extreme III 2gb.
Http://cr4zyh3ad.sisimple.ca

You might want to go with K10D or even the K100D
but buy a good prime lens [ you really don't need zoom capability ]
i heard good things about the Pentax lenses.
even the olympus has prime lenses.
cheers
ram

Yeah, there's a lot to be said for getting a 50mm f1.8 lens for this work, as it's the cheapest type of lens with that kind of bright aperture. It would be like having a short telephoto lens on a DSLR around 75mm.

Gordon

Gordan , does the Pentax k10d have to be adjusted everytime for pictures?

or once you like your settings they stay like that till you change them?

im starting to freak out over what to spend my money on

everything seems like its flawed

my main thing is i do NOT want those "squiggly worms" when im shooting my band and i have the lights behind them

i like the Pentax alot , but if it needs to be adjusted often then it wouldnt be for me , but im willing to work with it if it is , once i like how it is , it stays like that till i reset it

i mean i wish i had $5000 for a camera but i dont 1200-1400 (us) is my limit lens and all
(im starting to sound like a broken record HAHA, i appologize for that )


i live in a tiny community and there isnt a camera store near closet one is CHicago which is more than 5 hours away

also, i looked at the Olympus e510 , i wasnt to thrilled with it just seem very basic nothing to eye catching about it

_________________
Live music is the best

www.myspace.com/death2man666
www.myspace.com/drillband

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9684309@N06/sets/

Sounds like a metaphor for life!

Seriously, even with an unlimited budget any buying choice has compromises. There is some tremendous advice available on this forum but it is also very easy to get bogged down by too much information.

Following the drift of this thread it sounds as though the Pentax K10D or Olympus E-510 might be good choices for you. It is a shame that Chicago is so far away - any chance of organising a big day out with friends or family? That way the driving and costs could be shared and while you spend some time in the camera shops the others could be doing Navy Pier (or whatever) and then maybe you could all take in a game?

Bob.

Out of all your buying criteria anti-dust is the one I'd forget about first. It restricts your choice of cameras too much and as Gordon points out several times in his reviews it is not 100% realiable. I have had my D80 for 6 months now and have only once noticed dust on a series of photos. 30 seconds with a rocket blower got rid of the dust particle. I did have to touch up a number of photos but that didn't take too long with the clone tool.

In the type of lighting you're working and the budget you have image stabilisation isn't going to play as much of a factor as a wide aperture. If I were you I'd chose between a Canon or Nikon body then get a prime lens with a wide aperture such as a 50mm f/1.8.

_________________
Nikon D80, Nikkor lenses: 35mm f1.8 G AF-S DX, 50mm f/1.8 AF D, 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX, 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR, SB800 flash
My photos on SmugMug