Nikon D3100 for concerts & music festivals?

danivilla

I just recently bought the Nikon D3100 and for years I have used my Kodak Zi8 at concerts and music festivals to simply just record video for my own recollection, but I was thinking the other day if the D3100 is fit for the job?

The incredible heat, the lengthy day, having enough memory? I have a 16GB SDHC memory card, it works fine. If I take it to a concert will last me the whole day? Gates open 11 am and I'll probably leave around 9 pm. I don't plan on taking many pictures, but many videos. When I'm there I'll probably end up taking many pictures, I don't know.

The music festivals I attend usually have crowd surfing and mosh pits, so I was wondering if the D3100 is sturdy and can take a little bit of extra force. Do you recommend it? Should I take the Zi8 just in case?

With the auto-focus and such will I be able to hear it while recording or will the loud music drown it out?

robbo

Maybe. I'm not the best person to answer this, as I didn't even know what a 'mosh pit' was until I looked it up. I would say...no...your camera would definitely not stand up to that sort of treatment.

Apart from that, the D3100 is not a dedicated video camera and it has its limitations. For example, it can only record up to 10 minutes of video at a time (apparently to avoid overheating).

There might also be issues regarding the lighting at a concert. Anyway, I would advise leaving your D3100 at home where its safe and take your Zi8.

dino

I wouldn't take a DSLR anywhere near a mosh pit as they make a riot look like a quiet sunday outing.

Moose

Howdy @danivilla - It all depends on how close to the action you intend to get. If you have a telephoto lens, you could zoom into the mosh pit without actually having to duck elbows and fists.

As for your memory card, you can get a sense of how much video and images you can take by checking out my D3100 memory card write-up (I have a section related to estimated image and video capacity).

In regards to rough handling...the D3100 can take some abuse, however, I'd be more concerned about the lens getting damaged. If you're right next to the action, you run the risk of someone damaging the glass and/or focusing mechanism.

I don't believe you'll hear the autofocus in your movies at a loud concert/festival, but it really depends on the lens and how active the subject is.

Hope that helps and happy shooting! :)

danivilla

Thank you @Moose, just one last thing...for one set I intend on being all the way in the front against the barricade and was wondering if my D3100 would be safe there?

I'm no where near the action, but near the front is (obviously) where the crowd surfers end up and get picked up by security to help them land safely. Should I just be cautious of crowd surfers or should I leave my D3100 with a friend for that set?

jrizal

I would also take the the advice of @dino regarding not bringing any kind of DSLR near mosh pits and crowd surfers unless it's your job. If it isn't don't take the risk. Also, @robbo is right regarding heat issues.

Izzy670

I took my camera all over last summer to general admission U2 concerts and got some great shots. I never worried about anyone bumping into me or the camera. It hung on my shoulder and even though a girl spilled a bit of beer on it, nothing really happened to it. I wiped it off and carried on. I take my camera to a lot of places all the time. It's sturdier that it seems.

Moose

@danivilla - Just use your judgement. If things are getting crazy and you're afraid something or someone might damage your lens/camera...get out of there and wait till things settle down. Best of luck! :)