i am a frequent concert-goer. i love to take pictures of the bands that i go see. i own a DSC-P93A Sony cybershot. i am really pleased at its user-friendliness. what kind of a sony cybershot or any other reputable branded digital camera can i purchase for under $250 (in a store)? i usually take pictures [in the dark] without flash. should i be more concerned with the optical zoom or the digital zoom? what's the difference? DSLR cameras are much better for taking high ISO / low light shots than the point n' shoot variety digital cameras. The difference is... well... night and day. LOL. It'll cost you a little more than $250, but you'll be happier in the long run. I have a Nikon D50 and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I dont think you will find what you are looking for under 250. My suggestion is you look at which camera performs best on ISO 800 and 1000 and then make your choice. The zoom will not be very useful if you do not use the flash. Again the ISO speed is the one you should be concerned about in your situation May 21st was at concert with my Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H2. It's 12X optical, most of my shots were very acceptable and some were very good. I left camera on auto for everything figuring it knows better than I for lighting. I was right. When left on auto most of my photos were taken at ISO 320. I had good seats at 5 rows back. One thing to remember is to get the performer standing still, to get the sharpest image. That's guess work and you have to be lucky. I took 130 shots maybe I should have taken more, my advice , take a lot just delete the horrible ones. No one will ever know the difference,haha.
In answer to your last question, ignore digital zoom, optical zoom is what counts. My camera runs about $180- now. I paid more. | 