I was watching this TV program on Australia's ABC channel where a few selected a candidates who were photographers of other genres to test their skills on something they have never done. 

Fortunately for me, I have done a whole load of different genres in my lifetime so coming across these challenges weren't a problem. 

What struck me was that the candidates weren't sure if the ISO handling would hold up in a shoot with a Canon DSLR, something they could have found out using the Internet. 

For me at least, I knew that any present day DSLR worth it's grain in salt would be able to handle 3200 ISO without breaking a sweat. High ISO grain should not pose a problem but lighting or White Balance can. However you only find that out during an actual shoot when the lighting comes on. 

Besides these expected challenges, shooting in concert or stage scenarios is pretty much like shooting motor sports. Let's examine the details. 

Telephoto Lens with a Wide Open Aperture

Yup. Without it, you're done for. You need a minimum of 200mm with a f/2.8 aperture. Any less would warrant problems. This has to do with how far or how close you are from the stage. Fast shutter speeds allow you to free movement, slow ones blur it. This is the same creative methods used by sports photographers. The aperture is used not only for bokeh effects but also for shutter speed control. A higher shutter speed used in a wide open aperture will compensate for low light conditions. 

Bring along a Wide Lens

For environment shots, you need a wider lens. How wide depends on the stage. In large scale stadium style a wide area shot captures the mood and audience during performance while in the pit area (official photographer's pit access) the wider lens will also go some way to capturing the whole performance on stage. To capture the full breath of the performance, you need to include as many scenarios as you can within a short time frame. 

Use higher ISO to compensate for higher Shutter Speeds

Shutter speed is a tricky subject, how fast do you need to shoot depends on how much action you need to freeze. In most cases a 1/250 shutter speed should be enough to freeze human movement. But in order to achieve that, you also need to know how much light you need to get it properly exposed. In the old days, when using film, you could only make a guess on the speed and make several shots without knowing if you hit one. This is called bracketing. With digital, bracketing isn't really necessary as a frame can be developed with up to 1 stop in exposure either way using RAW files. What you need to know is how much of the highlight, and shadow areas of the scene can be captured. 

Monopod use is Encouraged

The last trick in the book is to bring along a monopod. This allows you to spin the camera on its monopod axis to ensure as little movement as possible when capturing the pictures. If you do not have a monopod, you can use your normal tripod but use it only with only ONE leg fully extended. Professional tripods are an absolute pain to carry around, they are bulky and heavy but as photographer, you need to be prepared for every shooting situation and being lazy isn't one of the traits that will help you in the end. 

Be creative while you are at it....

Not all staged events takes place in dark or low light environments, the key here is using available light to your advantage within the confines of the setting. Being able to think on the move is crucial, so is find the right angle for composition. Mix lighting in concerts are very difficult to manage and plays havoc with your WB settings. It is up to you to use your creativity to manage the situation. 

You have to be selfish and mindful at the same time. 

Selfish. Because you need to get the picture you want at the opportune moment. The best angle is often hogged by numerous photographers and you can't afford to be stuck in one place too long as all your shots will look the same.

Mindful. As you might be block the audience when you shoot the picture so be courteous about it. In free public concerts, there are no restrictions on what you bring along and you don't need a press pass to shoot the event. So this means you can position yourself somewhere until the opportunity comes. Sometimes you have to quick and mindful of where this will be and how you might affect the audience. 

Now go out and have fun while you're at it.....

By now, everyone would have heard of the XT-1, the new DSLR camera from Fujifilm. Its retro look is positively amazing and the dials make it easy for you to select exposure options while wearing a glove, but is it really a new camera?

For those who have some technical background, you'd realise that this is the Xpro-1 in a different costume. The Xpro-1 has a rangefinder style jacket while the XT-1 will wear a DSLR outfit. 

I hate to say this but the innards, regardless of what they sell you on the features, is the same thing. Underneath it all, the camera uses the same 16 megapixel sensor. 

Why the same sensor?

Good question. But the underlying reason is still the cost that went into developing the sensor. Those of you who know how much effort is spent into R&D will understand that Fujifilm has to make money from this. Selling a million units a year isn't going to claw back the investment made and photographers have to stick around to buy the same camera twice before you see any significant changes to the specification. 

Developing new tech is an expensive affair. Fujifilm also charges a premium over its models and this means that it won't sell that many units. As of 2013, none of the DSLR manufacturers were actually seeing any increase in profits. The stagnating market has been due to Smartphones taking over most of the market for cameras. 

So when you put the same sensor into a variety of models, your amortize the cost of development and hopefully claw back the dollars poured into development. Sony does the same thing with its range of sensors as it sells it off to different manufacturers. 

Performance versus the Price

There is no denying that there will be a demand for performance in the professional circles and this is where the XT-1 will come in handy. Having seen the test performances of Fuji's X-trans CMOS sensor, you will be impressed by its noise handling in low light at 1600 ISO. In fact, it kicks most of Nikon's and Canon's Professional line up at that ISO range. Price performance wise, it can't be beat. I love seeing the details and if I ever wanted to shoot in low light, I would use a tripod to hold the camera steady. No point trying to make a statement by hand holding and pushing the ISO handling right up to 6400. This is where Nikon and Canon's line up will truly show its colors—a feat which I have little use for. Take for example the D4 or the Df. Fitted with a 16 megapixel sensor, it goes head to head with the TX-1. From ISO 1600, you won't notice much difference until you up the ISO to 3200. From here, you'd see how the large sensor DSLRs will shine. 

Dynamic range wise, there isn't much difference. That is until you throw in a large sensor unit (full frame) into the arena. 

Comparison made from dpreview.com

Body alone, the Xpro-1 sells for about US$1100 online. This is just a tad cheaper than the US$1300 selling price of the XT-1. The Olympus EM-5 sells for roughly US$800. Both the Nikon 610 (uses the same 600 sensor) and D4 are way out in the US$2000 ballpark. 

Then you have daylight capture which can already be handled with a smartphone. Not a good thing all the time since it doesn't give you the 'bokeh' quality everyone is crazy about but heck, I got a work around that keeps me happy. So daylight shooting isn't a big thing. 

I would love to have the XT-1 but I reckon the Xpro-1 is a far better deal. Since it is officially being replaced, stocks will be aplenty and price would be cheaper too. And you can't be looking at a significant improvement in image handling between the two. They have the same sensor and performance won't be far apart. 

The Olympus EM-5 has even better value for money if you're not too fussy but when it comes to high ISO, this is where it loses out to the Xpro-1 and XT-1. 

Now that the prices are sorted out, you have to ask yourself on what you'd be using the camera for. Semi-pro or Pro users will find the XT-1 a good buy, but casual users are really better off with the Olympus EM-5 which at US$800, is a hefty discount from the XT-1. You have to justify that price with better dynamic range and high ISO handling found on the XT-1. That said, unless I really find a paying market niche in photography, I won't be getting any of them soon.