I’ve recently started taking my Sigma DP1 Merrill to concerts. It’s just about the worst option from a technical standpoint. It really can only shoot at ISO 100 before the image starts to degrade. It has a fixed 28mm equivalent f2.8 lens, which is neither fast enough to compensate for the low ISO nor gets you close to the action unless you’re on top of the stage.

And yet, I keep bringing it. It helps that it’s the only really pocketable(ish) digital camera I have. I’ve brought my much more appropriate Sony A7r2 to shows, and while it is leagues better, it’s kind of a pain. You really need to bring a dedicated bag for it. But the Sigma I can either have it hang off my wrist or awkwardly put it in a back pocket.

Shooting with it is… an adventure. Even with good stage lighting, you’ll never be shooting faster than 1/50th of a second. The quiet leaf shutter makes it easier to hold steady at slow speeds, but that only goes so far. The autofocus in good light isn’t great, and in dark venues, you’re 100% guessing. The back display resolution is also not high enough to judge focus. There have been plenty of shots I thought I didn’t get, only to get hope and they are perfectly sharp.

Despite being terrible for the task at hand, the little DP1 is fun to bring to shows. In some ways, the limitations means I don’t have to worry much, there aren’t many settings I can change, there isn’t much skill to apply that can improve the output, and despite all that I still get some fun results. I just need to get a better flash. I bring my tiny Reflx Labs flash, but once you’re outside of 10 feet it really runs out of juice. Not sure if there’s anything that’s still pocketable that will be better.