File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Hey /p/. I came to you guys twice for advice on a camera to purchase, and finally decided on the Panasonic FZ-8. Conveniently enough, even before I decided, my mom had apparently made the same decision, and I received one for Christmas this year.

Now, my last camera was a Fuji FinePix 2650. A real dinosaur (at least in age), as digital cameras go. It didn't even have a fraction of the features the FZ-8 has. So I spent a good deal of yesterday and today just mucking about with the various settings and doodads, and came to the conclusion that the ISO sensor on this is absolutely fucking terrible. Anything above 200 just looks like garbage. I was expecting it to be pretty bad, based on reviews, but damn.

Anyway, I don't know THAT much about photography, but I do know that higher ISO allows you to shoot quicker in low-light situations, most notably (at least for me) at concerts. Given that I can't shoot anything above ISO 200 without there being an unfortunate amount of noise, how do I take decent photographs at concerts? (without using the flash)
>> Anonymous
well, all you really can do besides biting the bullet and dealing with noisey shots is setting the aperture as wide as possible and hoping your shutter speed is fast enough to not make a giant blur. I do fear, though, that you'll just have to deal with lots of noise b/c to take concert pictures (dark + motion) you need to have a rather quick shutter speed. Who knows, maybe someone will think they are artsy and give you a blowjob.
Sorry :[
>> Anonymous
I've been doing test shots while messing with aperture and shutter speeds, but if that's all I can rely on, I'm definitely screwed. Even at the widest aperture setting (F2.8), I still need to set the shutter speed at something annoyingly low, like 1/2 second to get clear shots indoors, and that's with a lamp on. I guess I'll just have to try it. I might just have to suck it up and use the flash.

Though if anyone else knows of anything I can do, it would be appreciated, of course.
>> Anonymous
>>104814Though if anyone else knows of anything I can do, it would be appreciated, of course.

Buy a real camera.
>> Anonymous
>>104913
As much as I would love to spend $800 buying a DSLR and lenses for it so that I could use it once or twice a year at concerts, somehow I feel that my money is better spent elsewhere.

However, I do understand where you're coming from, as I laugh at people who say they have [insert mediocre computer here] and tell them to upgrade if they have anything less than an 8800GT and a 3GHz dual core processor.

Despite that,>>104786was helpful even though he didn't offer any solution, and I'm asking this question completely in earnest, and like I said, I'm not going to waste my money on a DSLR, as I just don't do enough photography to justify such a purchase, especially at this point in my life.

So seriously. Is there anything at all I can do, other than cranking up the ISO and hoping for the best?
>> Anonymous
>>1052278800GT and a 3GHz dual core processor

lol

That's still mediocre by any standard.
>> Anonymous
>>105227
No, there's absolutely nothing you can do outside of a monopod or something similar.
>> Anonymous
i use my girlfriend's fz8 all the time, and yeah, it sucks indoors. most (99%) cameras do. so find ways to work around it, like bracing it on tables and other hard surfaces.

but if you're shooting by lamplight, i would suggest avoiding it anyway. lighting in houses is usually designed for maximum utility, rather than aesthetics. function before form. that usually means that all of your photos, even if you get a tripod and get everyone to sit perfectly still like it was 1870, are going to look ugly and bland.

so give up on it, go shoot somewhere more interesting, or use the flash.