Lens for gigs/concerts?

Muss

Muss

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Dan
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Ok, ive read up on the recent posts and links to the general 'how to's' and 'top tips' etc but still cant make my mind up. :thinking:

Im taking my 1000d to gigs and i know its not a great choice but id rather take that then my other camera.

Ive got a 50mm 1.8 which i have used before at gigs and concerts and is generally nice to work with, I also have a sigma 18-200mm 3.5-5.6 which works when theres good light.

Im currently on the look out for something thats going to be quick and good in the low light, has some sort of range.

Ive read that something about 20-70 is good but expensive. i was also told for the full length shots with a fish eye feel, a 10-20mm would be great.

I suppose id like something that would give me a choice of full length but im open to opinions. :shrug:

I dont have a lot to spend so am def looking maybe second hand or sale stuff. Im not going to say a budget as i want to see the general opinion on what to get.

I am going to be photographing a Faithless gig on Wednesday and its possible il be getting some sort of future deal with the venue to photograph more big acts that they have.


sorry for babbling on. :bonk:
 
Hi,
Generally speaking a fast lens is best. Often even with this you will be shooting with very high ISO's. I use a 1.4 lens mainly on 1200-1600 ISO. The real issue is what light is chucked at the peformer and what colour!
Unless you have a really good perfoming camera a high ISO's, like a 5d or 5DII you would struggle with a 24-70 2.8 unless the light was good! When the lighting guys use the whitish spots you have a great deal more flexibility but little time to make use of.
My recommendation would be the 50 1.4 as a low cost fast lens and be perpared to move quickly to take what ops come your way.

Dunc
 
I'd stick with the 50 f1.8.

Heres what I'd be looking at:
11-16mm f2.8
17-50mm f2.8
20mm f1.8
28mm f1.8
30mm f1.4
85mm f1.8

My personal preference from that would be to buy a 20mm f1.8 and an 85mm f1.8 at a later date. I think your going to want f1.8 or faster to cover every opportunity that you could have.

If you want wide-angle shots 11-16 is your only choice. If you want a zoom than the 17-50 or similar is ideal, but IMO primes are the way forward for you.

The 30mm f1.4 might be a good choice but I think perhaps the drama of shots with the 20mm would be more appealing than a standard look you would get with the 30mm lens.
 
Thanks for the info guys.
Do you think id have much problems with 'EF' lenses. I know they are for the older model cameras, and i see alot of them wont have autofocus, but theres some damn cheaper alternatives in the sizes listed in the previous post.
 
EF lenses will work with both EF and EF-S lens mounts. The white dot on a mount is the EF-S alignment. The red dot is EF. Cameras with larger sensors or 35mm film don't have a white dot because EF-S lenses only work with EF-S camera's, unlike EF which is both EF and EF-S compatible (Sorry if I have misinterpreted your question).

Oh and EF lenses are all auto-focus (apart from a few non-canon exceptions) since EF stands for electro-focus.
 
Just one final comment, on a crop camera a 85mm is no good if you are in the 'pit', you simply won't get enough of the perfomer in! You will struggle with a 50mm, I do even on FF.

Dunc
 
JEmerson said:
I'd stick with the 50 f1.8.

Heres what I'd be looking at:
11-16mm f2.8
17-50mm f2.8
20mm f1.8
28mm f1.8
30mm f1.4
85mm f1.8

My personal preference from that would be to buy a 20mm f1.8 and an 85mm f1.8 at a later date. I think your going to want f1.8 or faster to cover every opportunity that you could have.

If you want wide-angle shots 11-16 is your only choice. If you want a zoom than the 17-50 or similar is ideal, but IMO primes are the way forward for you.

The 30mm f1.4 might be a good choice but I think perhaps the drama of shots with the 20mm would be more appealing than a standard look you would get with the 30mm lens.
Click to expand...

One of my friends does a lot of gig photography and this is pretty much the approach he takes. He goes to a gig wearing a sort of bat utility belt with loads of lens pouches hanging off it - 20/1.8, 28/1.8, 35/1.4, 50/1.4, that sort of thing.
 
Ive not struggled with a 50mm at the places ive been. always been just enough space to get decent images.

I really want to get something wide though to capture the bigger feel. Unfortunately my next gig is on Wednesday so im struggling to get anything with the amount of money ive got available.

I like the look of something around the 20mm 1.8 and similar. dont want to go past 50 really as ive got that covered.
 
30mm and 50mm 1.4 are good lenses for pit work :) but i would always throw in a 70-200 range lens... some artists love the closer shoulders/head shots :)
 
fallen_mathi said:
30mm and 50mm 1.4 are good lenses for pit work :) but i would always throw in a 70-200 range lens... some artists love the closer shoulders/head shots :)
Click to expand...

agreed
i allways come back to my 50mm in the end
light and fast :thumbs:
 
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