"Rock" <1940@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:47c34000$0$22095$afc38c87@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Dudley Hanks wrote:
>> "Rock" <1940@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>> news:47bc970f$0$4471$afc38c87@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I'm looking for a good small pocket camera, (not the SLR style)which
>>> will take good crisp reasonably hi resolution stage shots of shows.
>>>
>>> Naturally good ****trait shots as well.
>>>
>>> Another concern is battery charging (I like the usb + power idea) good
>>> size storage card to hold a few hi res shots)
>>>
>>> I am in Sydney Australia so will buy here or going to
>>> Singa****e,Europe,US soon so maybe buy there if much cheaper than
Sydney.
>>>
>>> Thanks for the help
>>>
>>> rock
>>
>> I like the Canon 'A' series of point-and-shoots. Almost any of the
>> various models fit your requirements, with the exception of the A460 --
>> stay away from that one.
>>
>> My favorite is the Powershot A720 IS. It has a 6X image stabilized
>> optical zoom that results in a 35 to 210mm equivalent telephoto, with
the
>> added boost of a 4X digital zoom that yields quite good results in
>> certain cir***stances. Counting the digital zoom you have a whopping
>> 35 - to 840 telephoto zoom with f-stops of 2.8 to 4.8 -- quite
>> respectable.
>>
>> Also, you get full manual control in addition to a large number of
>> automatic and scene modes. The VGA video modes work well also.
>>
>> ISO settings run from 80 to 1600, and noise is quite acceptable up to
the
>> 800 range for up to medium sized enlargements (up to ISO 400 for larger
>> prints). Even smaller prints at ISO 1600 are not bad.
>>
>> The LCD gains up for low light situations, which would probably be
>> im****tant for stage shots.
>>
>> The ccd sensor is of high quality and 8Megs in size. It does a good
job
>> of rendering colours naturally, and it's auto colour balance works
>> flawlessly. And, just in case you encounter a scenario where the lights
>> are so weird the cameras processor can't figure it out, you can set a
>> custom white balance to ensure accurate colour reproduction.
>>
>> As for storage, SD cards of up to 4Gigs work, so you can get over 1000
>> shots at large size (roughly 3500 X 2400) with lower compression ratios
>> (super-fine detail setting).
>>
>> Given that I am legally blind, with only about 2% vision, and I'm able
to
>> produce some respectable shots in low light conditions, I think that
that
>> says something about the versatility of this camera.
>>
>> Good Luck,
>> Dudley
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> Hi again Dudley,
>
> Well I have looked at some Canon and came up with these three.
>
> Have any thoughts on the 'best' amongst these?
>
> I did not mention this before but for what I need it for, but one that
> will do fast shots of a movement would be beneficial as some of the best
> shots are done when stopping movement.
>
> Canon PowerShot A720 IS
> Canon PowerShot SD950 IS Canon PowerShot S5 IS
>
> Thanks
>
> Rock
Are you going to be shooting during actual performances? Or, mainly in
rehersals?
I ask this because I'm wondering whether you will be doing mainly existing
light, or whether flash-fill will be used. Also, how far away will you
be?
Ie. on stage? Front rows? Backstage? Rear of auditorium? Balconies?
Other factors to consider:
Are you going to be printing large prints? Just for web?
Will the prints be reproduced lithographically? For instance, will they
be
used in a program?
Will they be retouched? (Photoshopped or hand painted)
Do you want to shoot video clips in addition to stills?
Do you want to carry it in a ****rt / jacket pocket, or will it be kept in
a
bag?
Are you comfortable shooting from the LCD, or do you want an accurate
optical finder?
When you say you need one that is good at stopping fast movement, do you
mean you want one that will shoot a series of shots continuously, or do
you
mean you simply want a fast shutter speed to freeze action in stage
light
conditions?
Some of these conciderations might not seem to im****tant, but I used to
shoot a lot of concerts, and climbing around all the cables and stacks
back
stage and in the wings often had me cursing at the large bag of stuff I
initially toted around.
Take Care,
Dudley
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