Low light action photos

[Aquaman]

I have a Canon S400 point & shoot that I used at a recent concert. During daylight the pictures were great. After dark, the camera delayed in shooting and the pics came out blurry. Other people with similar cameras did not have that problem. What can I do to remedy this: change ISO, shutter speed, and/or other settings? Thank you.

[another view]

Low light and action can be a very tough combination. Usually ISO800 is a good starting point for concerts, assuming that it's a well-lit stage. But the problem is that smaller digital cameras don't handle high ISO speeds like that too well. It will probably take some trial and error - start by increasing the speed maybe to 400 and see how that works.

[Michael Fanelli]

I have a Canon S400 point & shoot that I used at a recent concert. During daylight the pictures were great. After dark, the camera delayed in shooting and the pics came out blurry. Other people with similar cameras did not have that problem. What can I do to remedy this: change ISO, shutter speed, and/or other settings? Thank you.

The S400 is an automatic camera. When it sees low light, the camera shifts to a slower shutter speed to let more light in. The slower shutter speed causes the blurring of moving subjects. There is no way to change that. Concerts are tough regardless of camera type.

[Aquaman]

The S400 is an automatic camera. When it sees low light, the camera shifts to a slower shutter speed to let more light in. The slower shutter speed causes the blurring of moving subjects. There is no way to change that. Concerts are tough regardless of camera type.

Thank you, but why did so many other compact cameras around me not have that problem?

[Aquaman]

Low light and action can be a very tough combination. Usually ISO800 is a good starting point for concerts, assuming that it's a well-lit stage. But the problem is that smaller digital cameras don't handle high ISO speeds like that too well. It will probably take some trial and error - start by increasing the speed maybe to 400 and see how that works.

Thank you. ISO 400 is the highest this camera can go. If that is not sufficient, is there anything else that can be done with this camera?

[another view]

If that is not sufficient, is there anything else that can be done with this camera?

Short answer: Probably not, sorry to say. There could be a lot of reasons why other cameras work better though.

Try it out at 400 for a few shots to see if there's too much "noise" (looks like film grain). Small digital cameras have very small sensors and are prone to noise. Digital SLR's have larger sensors which will have much less of a problem - ISO800 is usually fine for most DSLR's.

Low light and action is very difficult. I've photographed some concerts and usually use my DSLR on ISO800 with really fast apertures - like f1.4 and f2. Even then you have to be careful to time your shots right so the subject isn't moving too much or you'll get a blur. It's also very difficult for the camera to autofocus in low light. It's just a tough situation to work in.

[Photo-John]

It's hard to say why other people might have had better results. It might just be dumb luck. To really figure it out I'd need to see the photos, know what the cameras are, and probably talk to the photographers. But it is next to impossible to consistently get good concert photos with a camera like yours. You could probably refine some techniques to get better results. But it it were me, I would either use a different camera or lower my expectations. There's a reason why the professional concert photographers are using SLRs with fast, lenses.