Shutterbug Strasse

Posted by Tubo (A) on May 26, 2009 at 19:39:14

In Reply to: RE: Camera advice for someone who knows next to nothing about cameras... posted by jamesgarvin on May 26, 2009 at 09:43:44

is my advice as a former professional photographer. If you can afford the first row, nobody is going to block your view!

The best current compact IMHO is the Panasonic LX3 which sports a fast f2-f2.8 Leica lens and very effective image stabilization. Unfortunately, its zoom range is small, so you have to be close. But it will perform admirably in concert conditions. It is so highly desired that it has been backordered for months. List price is $500, street $430 when available. (The Leica D-Lux 4 is virtually identical, available, but retails for $700.)

The next-best low light camera is probably the Fuji F200EXR which allows you to optimize low light capability, dynamic range, or resolution. (It has replaced the other Fuji's mentioned by another poster below.) Its zoom range, however is only 5X which is more than the Panasonic LX3, but half your desired 10X. About $350 and readily available.

I think you begin to see the problem with these two examples. The longer the zoom range, the worst the low light capability! Panasonic (and others) does in fact make an ultra zoom compact, the TZ7: 12X zoom! But its low light capability is mediocre at best.

Good luck! (Don't the compromises involved mirror audio equipment?)