A good concert 35mm compact camera?

John Wiegerink said:

I love my Minox 35's (when they are working) and think they take real good pictures. The lenses focal length might not be long enough for this job. Unless,of course, you are on stage with the performer?

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True, but none of them are long enough to get tight views unless one is in the first few rows. Pocketable, fast, with a long lens isn't a very workable combination without some compromises. If you get the right flavor, a Retina can be equipped with a 135, I believe, but it's not a fast lens, though it's relatively compact. Another good candidate, but much more money, would be an Olympus Pen F (the original). Half-frame, so you get better composition out of limited focal length optics. Very pocketable, but a little dear to lose to a security inspection.

bdial said:

True, but none of them are long enough to get tight views unless one is in the first few rows. Pocketable, fast, with a long lens isn't a very workable combination without some compromises. If you get the right flavor, a Retina can be equipped with a 135, I believe, but it's not a fast lens, though it's relatively compact. Another good candidate, but much more money, would be an Olympus Pen F (the original). Half-frame, so you get better composition out of limited focal length optics. Very pocketable, but a little dear to lose to a security inspection.

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Yes, but even 50mm is much better than 35mm. I believe the Retina goes to 80mm with the accessory lens. Now, a Retina IIIS is different and goes to 200mm. I had one with almost all the lenses from 28mm to 200mm. It is a rangefinder camera that takes all the Retina Reflex camera lenses and is fairly compact. Offhand I can't think of anything small that has a long, fast lens.

John Wiegerink said:

It is a rangefinder camera that takes all the Retina Reflex camera lenses and is fairly compact

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If you're going that route, you could throw caution to the wind and get a Zorki 4 with Jupiter 9 85mm f2 and/or Jupiter 8 50mm f2! You'd still need much bigger pockets than for the truly pocketable mju-ii though. As you would for any of the other suggestions.

I wish my mju-ii worked! My agricultural Zorki, ironically (?), works fine

Personally in this instance I'd stick with an iPhone and keep film for more suitable occasions ;-)

klownshed said:

If you're going that route, you could throw caution to the wind and get a Zorki 4 with Jupiter 9 85mm f2 and/or Jupiter 8 50mm f2! You'd still need much bigger pockets than for the truly pocketable mju-ii though. As you would for any of the other suggestions.

I wish my mju-ii worked! My agricultural Zorki, ironically (?), works fine

Personally in this instance I'd stick with an iPhone and keep film for more suitable occasions ;-)

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Yes, I had a Zorki I and loved that little camera (still fit in a LARGE pocket) Now I have a Contax G1 with 28mm, 45mm and 90mm.

bdial said:

. Very pocketable, but a little dear to lose to a security inspection.

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Does this mean that if Security find a camera on your person before you enter the concert they can keep the camera and you never get it back? I can understand them giving you the option of returning it to your car or otherwise getting you to remove it from the concert but dispossessing you of it and keeping it constitutes theft by force, which is illegal surely?

Likewise if you are not stopped on entry but are seen taking pictures then the Security can insist you leave and eject you forcibly if you resist but cannot take your camera, surely?

Thanks

pentaxuser

You want, I think, too many things: zoom lens, tele, decent maximum aperture, not-professional looking.
If I were you, I would eliminate the zoom-tele requirement, and go with something like this:

https://www.cameraquest.com/canql17.htm

Large aperture. Focus once with accuracy, remember where the focus is, concentrate on the moment. Minimalist enough not to be considered a real "menace" to copyright, yet providing a good lens and a good pocketability. I wouldn't go past ISO 400 and accept some degree of "movement blur" which can be graceful in a theatre picture. If you have a backseat, you take pictures of the entire venue, the atmosphera including the public, the special effects which involve the entire stage.

Everybody present will take their smartphone out to take pictures, so nobody should be worried for an ancient "unprofessional" film camera with no flash and fixed lens.

You will have to set exposure by "exposure tables" probably.

If there is a metal detector at the entrance, have it in your hands. If they object at letting this camera in (that would appear strange to me) have an alternative such as somebody accompanying you at the venue.

Thanks for all of the replies!
Been really busy with school so havent had much of a chance to give my feedback.
I was actually able to find a Olympus XA at a thrift store while I was in town! Lucked out on that, so I think I'll end up bringing that. Like I've said before, not looking for any really great shots. Just enough to prove I was there. My current cell phone can't really take any usable pictures in the daytime, so I can't see it handling very well in a dark arena. Hopefully I'll get a new phone by then though, and I can use that as well.