Dim surroundings?

[JustiNIC]

Hey, this is my first post here, be gentle.

I got a Sony T-1 for Christmas, and wound up taking it back because I hated the quality of the pictures it took. Horrible red-eye and bad, BAD shots in low-light conditions. I got the Canon Powershot A85 after some research, all of which seemed to tell me that this was the camera I was looking for.

However, I'm not satisfied with it either. About 90% of the pictures I take look very noisy, especially darker colors, and if you don't use the flash... forget about it. I want a digital camera that I can take to concerts and get good shots with (they usually don't allow flash). I go to shows for the University's newspaper and write up reviews, I want to get good shots to go along with the stories.

Does anybody have an idea of a good camera I can pick up that will take good, clear shots with a fast shutter speed and no flash in dim conditions? My price range is around $300-$400.

[Trevor Ash]

It really doesn't exist in that price range. You might just have to learn to make due somehow. What you need is a fast (large) aperture in the lens. But even that doesn't always do it. You'll also likely need a high ISO such as 800, 1600, and even 3200. I am not aware of any camera's that have a fast aperture and high ISO that are also in your price range.

You might very well need an SLR along with a fast lens to get the kind of quality you want.

[JustiNIC]

That's what I was afraid of. =\

Thanks for the help though!

[another view]

Agree with Trevor. An SLR with fast lenses is hard to beat. For the price range, a 35mm film SLR with an 85 f1.8 lens would be the best bet for concerts. Load it with fast film, ISO800 or maybe higher depending on the situation.

The reason that a Digital SLR would be better is also because the sensor is so much larger. The sensor size has a lot to do with how noisy the shots will be.