Lens for Lowlight Situations Question

[Bugdozer]

HI,

Please bear with me I am very new to this owning a digital slr camera. I have the Sony Alpha100. I have 3 lens for it:

18-70 f/3.5-5.6- came with the camera

75-300 f/4.5-300- I bought separately

Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC- Just bought it other day


Now I am wondering if I should get one of the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-Aspherical-Aperture-Minolta-Cameras/dp/B00005RKSU

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...51&storeId=10151&productId=11033562&langId=-1

What are your opinions? I want to be able to take pictures in low lights rides like pirates and want to capture fire works and the electrical parade?

What type of lens do you recommend? Will what I have work or should i consider one of the 2 listed and if so which one.

We are going to DLR in april and want to get this all figured out before we go and have some time to practice.

Thanks for all your help,

Bug

 

[seashoreCM]

I would go buy the f/1.4 lens. You'll need it for the dark ride scenes such as in Pirates. Limited to choosing one, I would not mind the 50mm focal length of the f1/4. The old time standard focal length (in 35mm film camera equivalents) has been 50mm although most modern point and shoots have 35 to 38mm as "standard" and 28mm is still called "wide angle".

Take more than one picture. Your shutter speed will still be slow enough that not getting motion blur is a matter of luck.

Do not zoom. Zooming always reduces the maximum available aperture.

You might squeak by with f2/8, provided you have an ISO 1600 setting that turns out not to be so grainy. (On any camera, film or digital, higher ISO means more grain although the DSLR's are on average much better than the digital point and shoots.)

Digital camera hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/digicam.htm

 

[Bugdozer]

I would go buy the f/1.4 lens. You'll need it for the dark ride scenes such as in Pirates.

Take more than one picture. Your shutter speed will still be slow enough that not getting motion blur is a matter of luck.

Do not zoom. Zooming always reduces the maximum available aperture.

You might squeak by with f2/8, provided you have an ISO 1600 setting that turns out not to be so grainy. (On any camera, film or digital, higher ISO means more grain although the DSLR's are on average much better than the digital point and shoots.)

Digital camera hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/digicam.htm

Hi,

Thanks for your reply Is there a particular f/1.4 you recommend that would work with the sony alpha. I am doing some research on line and running into many things including some with a fixed range like 28mm, 30mm and 50mm. Then there are some with range 14-50mm or 35-70mm.
What is better? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Bug

 

[Bugdozer]

Hi,

Here is another lens I am considering anyone have any comments on it:

http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-30mm-Mi...r_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1199813698&sr=1-10

Bug

 

[We-Luv-Disney]

Hi,

Here is another lens I am considering anyone have any comments on it:

http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-30mm-Mi...r_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1199813698&sr=1-10

Bug

The Sigma looks like a good choice, I know there are many Canon owners that use this lens and love it. It should work out fine for your Sony. This fast lens matched up with your cameras high ISO levels can work out great for the dark rides.

 

[DueyDooDah]

The Sigma looks like a good choice...

I'd have to agree. Everything points to this one as your best bet, although I've never used either.

 

[AndrewWG]

Personally, I would steer clear of the 50mm. Not because it is a bad lens, but because of your intended use. I would get the 30mm 1.4. When I was in WDW in November, I found it difficult to take many good lowlight pics with the 50mm 1.8 that I have for my Canon. Many parades (if you get a good spot) pass right by your feet and the 50mm is just too much. I think the 30mm would be better suited to this type of photography. If you aren't right on the sidewalk, you can't take pics over everyones heads but if you are on the sidewalk, you need a bit wider lens. If you find that the 30mm is a bit too wide (I doubt it is) you can always crop the photo later. Many of my Spectro Magic photos don't even show the whole character as the lens was too narrow for that situation.

I would think that fireworks would be fine with your 18-50mm f2.8 as low light isn't a problem with those. You want an f-stop of f8 or f11 anyways. Shutter speed is the issue there, but you need a longer shutter speed (probabaly 2 seconds or so) and you can always have a longer shutter speed with any lens (it's the faster shutters that can be tricky) so I think the lens is fine for that.

 

[Bugdozer]

The Sigma looks like a good choice, I know there are many Canon owners that use this lens and love it. It should work out fine for your Sony. This fast lens matched up with your cameras high ISO levels can work out great for the dark rides.

I'd have to agree. Everything points to this one as your best bet, although I've never used either.

Hi,

Thank you both of you All this is a bit over whelming. With the 3 lens that i all ready have i hope to make this the last lens I buy for a long time. Then I need to learn how to use everything

If anyone else has comments I would be thrilled to hear them
Thanks,
Bug

 

[Bugdozer]

Personally, I would steer clear of the 50mm. Not because it is a bad lens, but because of your intended use. I would get the 30mm 1.4. When I was in WDW in November, I found it difficult to take many good lowlight pics with the 50mm 1.8 that I have for my Canon. Many parades (if you get a good spot) pass right by your feet and the 50mm is just too much. I think the 30mm would be better suited to this type of photography. If you aren't right on the sidewalk, you can't take pics over everyones heads but if you are on the sidewalk, you need a bit wider lens. If you find that the 30mm is a bit too wide (I doubt it is) you can always crop the photo later. Many of my Spectro Magic photos don't even show the whole character as the lens was too narrow for that situation.

I would think that fireworks would be fine with your 18-50mm f2.8 as low light isn't a problem with those. You want an f-stop of f8 or f11 anyways. Shutter speed is the issue there, but you need a longer shutter speed (probabaly 2 seconds or so) and you can always have a longer shutter speed with any lens (it's the faster shutters that can be tricky) so I think the lens is fine for that.

Thank you so much!! You all are great for taking the time to help me out. Looks like it is 3 votes for the 30mm f/1.4. Time to dig deep in the pockets
Thanks for all your help,
Bug

 

[ukcatfan]

I agree with the 30mm. Many people on here talk about 50mm lenses b/c they are the most affordable prime option for Canon, Nikon, and Pentax. For the other DSLR brands, the prices of 50mm primes are usually as much as the shorter focal lengths.

Kevin

FWIW - that Sony SAL-50F14 looks almost exactly like my Pentax FA-50mm f/1.4. Is it possible that they are the same lens?

 

[Bugdozer]

I agree with the 30mm. Many people on here talk about 50mm lenses b/c they are the most affordable prime option for Canon, Nikon, and Pentax. For the other DSLR brands, the prices of 50mm primes are usually as much as the shorter focal lengths.

Kevin

FWIW - that Sony SAL-50F14 looks almost exactly like my Pentax FA-50mm f/1.4. Is it possible that they are the same lens?

Hi,

Thanks for your input. Sounds like I get the 30mm f/1.4 lens. I am so happy I asked here. You all have great information and thanks for sharing it with us.

Bug

 

[Groucho]

FWIW - that Sony SAL-50F14 looks almost exactly like my Pentax FA-50mm f/1.4. Is it possible that they are the same lens?

Definitely not... here they are side by side.

Similar, but not the same. Some differences that I can see with quick checking...
The Pentax has an aperture ring, the Sony doesn't.
The Sony is a hair "fatter" (2 9/16" vs 2.5")
Pentax has 8 aperture blades, Sony has 7
Pentax has 49mm filter size, Sony has 55mm

Oh, and the Sony is $150 more expensive.

 

[handicap18]

I have the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens. I used it A LOT! on our trip to Disney last month. I took over 1000 images with it. Not all of them for low light situations. I used it almost exclusively while at EPCOT after my 18-135mm lens broke apart. The 30mm on a Nikon or in your case the Sony has the field of view of a 45mm lens on a film slr. This is a pretty standard focal length. It preformed very well for me. You can see images by clicking on the My Disney Photos link in my signature. Then click on the 2007 Trip Photos link, then EPCOT. I would say 90-95% of the images there were with this lens.

I also used it at MK a lot at night when we were together as a group and I had NO time to stop and setup a tripod. Got a lot of use with it for the parade at MVMCP and then again for Spectromagic.

As for fireworks, it would be a good focal length depending on where you find your spot, but idealy you'll want a tripod and use a low ISO like 100 or 200 and an aperture of around f/10 or so. This will enable to you get long shutter speeds like 3-6 seconds to get the great trails and giant colorful bursts.

I did use this lens for fireworks at f/1.4 and ISO1600 with a shutter of around 1/25th and the results were maybe ok at best, but nothing I would bother posting. My shots with the tripod came out MUCH better. I would say your 18-70 or 18-50mm lens would be perfectly fine for the fireworks.

Also for PotC, even with the f/1.4 at ISO1600 your still going to have a hard time getting really good shots. I got about a dozen or so usable shots (still need to adjust white balance) and also got a lot of blurry shots. That ride is VERY dark. I did get some real nice shots on The Great Movie Ride and Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and 1 or 2 usable shots on Haunted Mansion. Peter Pan is just way to dark unless you can get ISO6400. I didn't do IASM or Snow White on this last trip.

 

[Bugdozer]

Hi,

Thank you everyone for all your great help and advice. I finally made a decision and ordered my lens. I got the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HMS Autofocus Lens.

I am also reading the book understanding exposure. I hope I can learn by April how to correctly use this camera and the lens I have bought for it.

Bug

 

[ducklite]

I think you made a very wise choice. Something you might want to consider in the future is simply moving to a high quality f/2.8 zoom lens.

With fast glass at f/2.8 you do not need to bump to 1600 ISO using an aperture priority setting, you should be more than fine at 800 in Pirates--besure to set your white balance properly, which might require a first trip through to get it set, and a second trip to shoot. One trick that nobody bothers to tell people is to stabalize your camera, even if using a VR lens. Keep your arms/elbows tucked in as close to your body as possible, take a breath and hold it, then depress the shutter button.

Select a continuous shooting mode. Your first photo in the series will always have a little blur as a result of depressing the shutter button, the second should be perfect, the third will again show some blur. (Unless you are using a tripod with a wireless of course) That was one of the best tips ever given to me, and it really works.

 

[handicap18]

I think you made a very wise choice. Something you might want to consider in the future is simply moving to a high quality f/2.8 zoom lens.

With fast glass at f/2.8 you do not need to bump to 1600 ISO using an aperture priority setting, you should be more than fine at 800 in Pirates--besure to set your white balance properly, which might require a first trip through to get it set, and a second trip to shoot. One trick that nobody bothers to tell people is to stabalize your camera, even if using a VR lens. Keep your arms/elbows tucked in as close to your body as possible, take a breath and hold it, then depress the shutter button.

Select a continuous shooting mode. Your first photo in the series will always have a little blur as a result of depressing the shutter button, the second should be perfect, the third will again show some blur. (Unless you are using a tripod with a wireless of course) That was one of the best tips ever given to me, and it really works.

Having used the 30mm f/1.4 on my D50 last month while riding Pirates I can tell you that I didn't get a lot fast shutter speeds while using Aperture priority at ISO1600 at f/1.4. On average for this ride I got a 1/30th shutter speed. Pirates is VERY dark. I don't see how ISO800 at f/2.8 would give you usable shutter speeds.

I do agree about the white balance. If you don't shoot in RAW then you'll probably want tungsten.

 

[NostalgicDad]

We had the same sort of discussion over on the DL board a short while ago and I posted some pics with EXIF data from POTC. For me, I find that spot metering works best in this situation as well. Now, they weren't as tack sharp as I would prefer but happy nonetheless based on the slow shutter speeds and the ride movements. I was using my D80 w/Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 at ISO1600.......

CLICK HERE FOR THE THREAD AND PICS

 

[handicap18]

We had the same sort of discussion over on the DL board a short while ago and I posted some pics with EXIF data from POTC. For me, I find that spot metering works best in this situation as well. Now, they weren't as tack sharp as I would prefer but happy nonetheless based on the slow shutter speeds and the ride movements. I was using my D80 w/Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 at ISO1600.......

CLICK HERE FOR THE THREAD AND PICS

You did pretty good. The point I was making was the ISO 800 with f/2.8. You used 2.8 at ISO1600 and the fastest shutter you have posted is 1/25th. If you dropped down to ISO800 then that 1/25th shutter slows down to 1/10th.

Now if the ride stops a lot then it might be easier to get away with shutter speeds below 1/30th. I have a few that came out decent. You have some too. You can also see in that same thread someone who used ISO3200 and was getting 1/60th, 1/90th and 1/80th shutter speeds with f/2.

Here are a few of my better ones.

ISO1600 f/1.4 1/80th (also added 2/3's Exposure Compensation in PP)

ISO1600 f/1.4 1/25th (also added 2/3's Exposure Compensation in PP)

ISO1600 f/1.4 1/50th (also added 2/3's Exposure Compensation in PP)

ISO1600 f/1.4 1/30th (also added 2/3's Exposure Compensation in PP)

I had a few others that were exposed pretty good, but I missed the focus. I have a nice shot of just the dog from the jailhouse scene but the dog is out of focus and the wall behind him is what got the focus.

I also found that even with these small apertures getting a quick focus is tough at times. Again, its a very dark ride, its moving and your in a boat that is on water.

 

[ducklite]

I'd like to see photos taken from the same camera/lens at 800 and 1600 on that ride. I think it's going to depend on the camera, lens, and photographer. I do 99% of my work in low-light under less than perfect conditions, maybe it's a matter of practice.

Next time I'm at WDW I"m going to give this a try and I'll post the results.

 

[NostalgicDad]

You did pretty good. The point I was making was the ISO 800 with f/2.8. You used 2.8 at ISO1600 and the fastest shutter you have posted is 1/25th. If you dropped down to ISO800 then that 1/25th shutter slows down to 1/10th.

Now if the ride stops a lot then it might be easier to get away with shutter speeds below 1/30th. I have a few that came out decent. You have some too. You can also see in that same thread someone who used ISO3200 and was getting 1/60th, 1/90th and 1/80th shutter speeds with f/2.

I had a few others that were exposed pretty good, but I missed the focus. I have a nice shot of just the dog from the jailhouse scene but the dog is out of focus and the wall behind him is what got the focus.

I also found that even with these small apertures getting a quick focus is tough at times. Again, its a very dark ride, its moving and your in a boat that is on water.

Those are pretty good as well. I was also just reinforcing what you mentioned about f/2.8 at ISO800. Even with mine being f/2.8 at ISO1600, there is still some blurriness. I definitely like yours using the f/1.4 lens. Although it can be done using an f/2.8 lens, it takes a very steady hand and also some luck from the moving boat and characters. The technique that ducklite mentioned earlier definitely works for me and is good advice.

I think the OP made the right decision in purchasing the 30mm f/1.4 lens. Have fun!