Choosing between 2 Sony Cameras for taking photos at concerts

[ameeps]

This is my first post here so hi everyone!

I go to a ton of concerts and I love taking photos while i'm there (shameless plug: Flickr: ameeps' Photostream). I've been using a cheap little DSC-WX150 for the last few months, and while it actually produces pretty good shots, i've been looking to upgrade. I need something that DOES NOT have a detachable lens, because most concerts prohibit those unless you have press/photo credentials. The camera will be used mainly for concerts. I've come up with the following things the camera needs to do well:

-Low light capabilities - Most concerts are at night time
-Dealing with flashing lights - One thing the DSC-WX150 struggles with is taking good shots while the lights are flashing and changing colors, which is a lot of the time
-Capturing motion - The best shots at concert are action/motion shots
-Zoom - The DSC-WX150 goes up to 20x digital zoom, and that has been sufficient for all my needs

I've narrowed it down to these two cameras:
DSC RX100MII
DSC HX50V

The RX100MII seems to be considered the best handheld digital camera on the market, which is why i'm leaning towards that one. However, the HX50V goes up to 60x digital zoom, and zooming is important when i'm not right at the front (though i'm usually pretty close). The RX100MII goes up to 14x with digital zoom, so it is less than the 20x i've grown accustomed to on my WX150. 60x is clearly overkill, and while 14x is a decent amount, I worry there could be times when I wish it was more. Could I overcome this by going 14x and cropping? Im not sure. But the RX100MII seems to be considered a better camera.

So, not considering price, which camera do you guys/girls think would be the better one for me to get.

Thanks in advance

 

[Ilovemycam]

I have a DSC RX100 I got one museum quality shot from it. But I've only had it a month.

Fantastic little cam...but just with high ISO. It is not my 'go to' cam. Just the best pocket 'go to' cam I ever had.

Daniel Teoli Jr - Current Work: Photo

Daniel Teoli Jr - Current Work: Photo

I show both versions of the 4th, just depends what day of the week it is.

 

[ameeps]

Thanks for the response. Yea, I would love to bring in a high end Digital SLR but it's not allowed at concerts, so I'm stuck with digital pocket cameras. The main thing I'm trying to ascertain is if it's worth giving up an overall better camera (RX100) to get more zoom (HX50V). 20x zoom has always been enough for me, but will 14x? Zoom is fairly important because sometimes the stage is set back 10 or 15 feet from the crowd.

Ill mark down 1 vote for the RX100.

 

[RobbieA]

Why not consider the NEX range? The sensor size determines image quality and the NEX's have APS-C size sensors. They are small and compact and can easily be used in concerts.

 

[ameeps]

Why not consider the NEX range? The sensor size determines image quality and the NEX's have APS-C size sensors. They are small and compact and can easily be used in concerts.

They have interchangeable lenses and are therefore not allowed in concerts.

 

[DiskoJoe]

I heard the rx100 a pretty sweet p&c. Really sharp too.

 

[Kolia]

RX100 is great !

 

[Helen B]

I've had an RX100 for about nine months now and I think it's a great camera for the size. I've used it for commercial work as well as personal work. It seems to produce the best results when used with DxO Optics as the raw converter. Hopefully my RX100 II will arrive on Thursday. From the tests I've seen so far, the high ISO performance has been improved because of the sensor change. The lens is a little slow at the long end.

 

[brunerww]

Hi ameeps, sadly, both of these cameras are a little slow at the long end (f/4.9 for the $598 RX100; f/6.3(!) for the $388 HX50V). For concerts, you'll need something faster. If you are open to a non-Sony camera, I recommend the $538 Panasonic FZ200 with its constant f/2.8 24x zoom lens. It is a fixed lens camera, so you should be able to get it in.

Here is a photostream of images produced with this camera at a Madonna concert from the nosebleed section (not my work, but illustrative of what the camera can do): Madonna - Xcel Energy Center - 11-4-2012 - 29-016 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Hope this is helpful,

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution