My rule when taking photos in general is to not limit yourself with rules.

Dont be afraid of shooting grainy photos. Dont be afraid of shooting out of focus photos. Dont be afraid of shooting motion blurred photos. Dont be afraid of lens flares

All these when combined with good facial expression and movements will make a very interesting composotion.

That shutter speed seems really low to me. I wouldn’t push it below 1/500, and 1/1000 is even better for dynamic, energetic performers.

The banding example that you posted looks like the result of using the electronic/silent shutter - try switching to the manual shutter if you haven’t already.

1. Are you using silent shutter?
2. Not sure what you’re seeing. Auto focus is probably alright, auto exposure (auto ISO) is probably not.
3. you do you. There is a lot more you can do that auto.

I would never shoot auto ISO

No Auto ISO - stick to 800 - 12500 - 3200 and adjust your shutter. / next

Hard to say without examples.

1/200 depending on the genre seems low to me. For rock shows I usually do at least 1/500.

Are you on slinet shutter? If not you have to play with your shutter speed so you don’t get banding.

Again, hard to say what “not super clear” is.

You could surely do more than auto in editing, but it’s up to you.

Next time you have a concert that you really want to kill the shots, try renting a gmaster series lens… (that’s the best Sony lens series right?)

I have a Tamron lens a bought a few years back… and I was never really to happy about the photos I got out of it. It should I help with clarity and the look of your photos.

I’m also curious what your specs are for the image meta data? What the bit rate is, color space, raw? Compressed? This will effect the look a lot.

I would stay away from auto exposure… unless it’s just to get something quick out.

I’d look into processing in photoshop… I recommend dodge and burn… find some free or cheap actions so you can speed up the process.

Hopefully this helped!

I shoot a lot of concerts. My tips to you.

Sensitive AF tracking

Shutter @ 1/125-200 only

Aperature f/1.8-3.5

Shoot in manual with auto iso capped at 6400.

Be patient and wait for the shot

I used to shoot concerts back in the day. Mostly small ones but a few alternative festivals too. It was amazing.

First, I’d suggest just pick an iso manually. Inspect the setting and just choose it yourself. Light changes a lot during a show and that may confuse the camera metering.

Observe what’s happening, where the lights are. Don’t just shoot whatever to get the most photos. Zero in on the subjects, find that emotion, that connection between the artist, the music and the audience. Always with your finger on the button, even when you’ve lowered the camera, ready to click. Be like a hawk, looking for That Moment.

Not sure which concerts you shoot, if you’re already doing the ones with 3 song rule. But, my experience is the beginning of the show may be a bit meh - artists and audience is warming up. The best moments actually come later during the gig… So if you can hang out the whole gig, do that but also be patient, constantly on the lookout of the magic to appear. It’s always there.

Check out my good friend /u/shootthesound YouTube channel, he’s one of the Sony ambassadors and he’s made a series of videos on this subject with experience in working for some of the biggest global acts directly. https://youtube.com/@ShootTheSound

I shoot tons of concerts at a wide variety of venues, and while plenty of folks will assert some universal rules, there aren’t any beyond “frame your shot and shoot”. My shutter speed (and ISO) fluctuates depending on the act, the lighting, the venue, and the shot I’m targeting (e.g., shutter drags, zooms, etc.).

Generally, though, I’ve found the following to be a helpful baseline: (1) ISO maxed at 6400 with larger sensor, 2500 with most APS-C sensors (esp. older cameras), (2) if you have IBS or lens stabilization, can go with lower shutter speeds, otherwise stick closer to 1/200 as best as possible and if it’s a well-lit show, climb to 1/500, (3) shoot wide open as much as you can (at least 2.8) (4) if ready for it, shoot all manual for the camera but autofocus for the lens so you can rapidly control shutter speed and ISO independently, and (5) if you’re not being paid, make sure you fuck around and have fun. If you are being paid and they like the playfulness, well the , by all means, have a blast!

Silent shutter can cause banding and so can the mechanical shutter. Anti-flicker setting helps with a mechanical shutter.

Banding comes from not having anti flicker on

If you have the first gen Tamron, make sure it has the firmware update that fixes Autofocus. I use that lens often shooting shows and get great stuff. The way more expensive Sony GM is better at handling stage lights, but the Tamron is plenty sharp.

As far as banding, make sure you aren’t in silent mode and electronic shutter, use mechanical.

My go to exposure settings are pretty close to yours, but I use 1/250th, and that makes a difference. A static singer-songwriter, I may go much lower. A very energetic performer, I may bump higher. I just let auto-ISO do its thing these days. I’ve had amazing shots at crazy high ISO, and Lightroom’s Denoise AI cleans then up well.

I generally use AF-C, low, with subject tracking.

I never use Auto in Lightroom. I tweak all the sliders to taste by hand. I‘ll use Auto White Balance as a starting place, but that’s it.

Outside that sort of technical stuff, mostly the difference between good and great is going to come from capturing the right moment, the framing, etc. that is more about the photographer than anything else.