Good camera choice for a concert?
I don't want anything amazing or too expensive, I normally just use my phone but I need more memory. So I've been looking and I really like the Nikon L840. It's on sale and it seems pretty good. I was just curious if anyone had any experience with this camera in a concert setting or if anyone knew of a better camera between $100-$200 that did well in a concert setting.
The L 840 may well be one of the worst cameras in the Nikon L8xx series. The L8xx series may go down in history as the worst camera series Nikon ever sold! There are NO &200.00 cameras that are "good" in a concert setting!
None.
Enjoy the concert with your own senses and scream out loud to death.
You don't state if the concert is indoors or outside under bright conditions.
If it's indoors, then no camera in the $200 is going to be good enough due to the super-small sensor (1/2.3") used in these cameras. I agree with Stan I, the L8xx are really bad cameras, and if they were the only that Nikon made, they'd have one of the worst reputations in the camera industry.
Indoor concerts require cameras with larger (micro 4/3, APS-C or 35mm) sensors because of the extreme low light. They also need lenses that allow in a large amount of light too. Unfortunately, these types of cameras would never be allowed into concerts because they look "too professional" to security guards. No camera with a lens longer than 3" gets into concerts these days.
What you want in a camera for concerts is one that has a large aperture such as f/2 or lower (smaller number = larger aperture). You also want to get one with the largest sensor. Unfortunately nothing new on the market sells for $200 or less. You'd have to buy used like a Canon G series, or a Canon S110. Both are good enough to take snapshots at concerts (day or night) and small enough to get in too.
Go to keh.com and check this one out: https://www.keh.com/search/list?n=131&stb%5B%5D=239
It's better than anything new at the $200 or less and would do an excellent job for those who are used to the poor image quality of a cell phone. It's also small enough to pass through security.
The point is they(we!) are looking for the best for what it is. No one is expecting stellar photos from a point-and-shoot, but obviously there are some way better than others. It is frustrating that no one understands that that is the question!