Low Light Performance?

I usually carry a 40D and decided to purchase a Fuji J30 about a year ago for the gigs I can't get into with my SLR, it was a huge huge mistake the quality is just atrocious and I read umpteen reviews before buying, so now I'm replacing that monstrosity with a Canon and I'm struggling to choose an alternative, obviously I just don't want to end up shelling out for a camera I hate the sight of.

I like the idea of the sx10 as I used to own the S5 and loved it, although again I don't know how well it performs in a gig environment and if the s5 and sx10 are really comparable, but i'm leaning heavily toward the sx130 but I've heard the low light isn't that good on this model - also I've ordered a A3200 which I cancelled as soon as I found out it didn't have full manual control, but i've read great reviews for it in terms of quality and low light performance - I can't seem to find any images representing the type of stage lighting I'd be looking at on flickr or google for any of these models, it's mainly portraits or well lit outdoor shots.

I'm not overly concerned with MP or video quality [although it would be nice] really I just want to have a go to camera on me all the time and know I'm not going to end up with a blurry mess. any help is gratefully appreciated, I've got 36 google pages open and not a single one has actually helped with answering my question.

According to the camera models you specified, your budget is somewhere between $100 and $200.
You mention you are looking to shoot in low light conditions and you want full manual control.
There's no camera I know of which has that combination and costs $200 or less.
Your best option could actually be a Nikon, in the shape of the P300 - but that's closer to $300.
Another option is the Canon SD4000, which is much closer to $200, has an f/2.0 max aperture,
but only has shutter/aperture priority modes and not full manual control over exposure.
If you waive manual control, you could go for the new ELPH 100. Not a true low light performer,
but decent enough for less than $200.

-eyalg

You are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment trying to shoot a gig with a $200 pocket camera. You have a 40D so you know what it takes to shoot in the dark and you just can't get that in something so small and cheap.

Even the cameras eyalg listed above are only fast enough for marginal results at the wide end, and so unless you are front row, you are hosed. Zoom in to 100mm on the SD4000 and you are f5.3!

tkbslc wrote in post #12743661
You are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment trying to shoot a gig with a $200 pocket camera. You have a 40D so you know what it takes to shoot in the dark and you just can't get that in something so small and cheap.

Even the cameras eyalg listed above are only fast enough for marginal results at the wide end, and so unless you are front row, you are hosed. Zoom in to 100mm on the SD4000 and you are f5.3!

Oh no I get that, I know to expect the same quality as an SLR I'd have to spend megabucks, I mean I struggle with a 30mm f1.8 shooting a whole gig so I know expecting the same from a point and shoot would be a borderline miracle in this price bracket, I'd just like something I could pull out for a few snaps in the larger well lit venues which would be of a reasonable standard and in focus, I wouldn't be expecting to shoot shots back to back for any prolonged lenght of time, just decent snapshots to remember the larger gigs by.

I found the s5 to be a really good camera in large venues I think I was secretly hoping the SX130 would be of similar quality in a smaller body.

eyalg wrote in post #12743585
According to the camera models you specified, your budget is somewhere between $100 and $200.
You mention you are looking to shoot in low light conditions and you want full manual control.
There's no camera I know of which has that combination and costs $200 or less.
Your best option could actually be a Nikon, in the shape of the P300 - but that's closer to $300.
Another option is the Canon SD4000, which is much closer to $200, has an f/2.0 max aperture,
but only has shutter/aperture priority modes and not full manual control over exposure.
If you waive manual control, you could go for the new ELPH 100. Not a true low light performer,
but decent enough for less than $200.

-eyalg

The p300 does look like it could be a winner, admittedly more expensive but I'd probably be picking it up secondhand anyway so I might be able to stretch further, thanks for the recommendations I'm going to look them up on flickr and see if there are any low light examples to go by.

Well...the s95 is the current quintessential "dslr compliment" camera. It's lens isn't great for low light as you zoom - though nothing in it's size is, period.

I didn't like the auto mode choices the p300 made when I tried it out (twice) in the store, but otherwise it's not a bad choice either.