Would you recommend a Canon S5 IS for a concert?

Question

Planning on purchasing a camera tomorrow before a concert. I need one that is great with lighting and thats a point and shoot. Will be in the pit, so I'm looking to get as clear of a shot as possible. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer 1

The S5 is a good choice.

It has a good 12x optical zoom

High ISO 1600

image stabilization

You might also consider the G9, if you can fit it into your budget, as it also offers RAW format, which can be helpful in pulling out more detail in post processing.

I would check to make sure it is okay to bring a camera into the concert beforehand.

Answer 2

Your plan of buying a camera the day of a concert is a little risky.

Usually it takes a few weeks to learn how to use all the important features on a new camera.

If you are in the pit, you can shoot using one or two established  meter readings.  But to do that you will have to use a camera that has at least aperture and shutter speed priority modes on it.  The lighting on the stage will be good enough for video cameras to shoot, so the light should be consistent.   Look for a camera with those modes and that as a larger sensor and lower pixel count (8MP or less) to assure low noise, high ISO images.

Don't lose your venue media pass!

Answer 3

No, no...the S5's weakness is low-light shooting. You will need to use a high ISO (800, 1600) in low lighting conditions, and the S5 II (and many other point & shoot type cameras)have poor high ISO performance. It really starts to show the noise from around ISO 100-200 and anything higher produces a lot of noise in low light.

See test results below...