Lens recommendation for low light, clubs photographing bands

[jeniferrice]

Very amateur here...only have the kit lens 18-55, 28-80 and 75-300.

Significant other is a drummer and plays in lots of clubs/bars with low lights...lots of colored stage lighting. I'm all over the place...stage, floor.

Would like recommendations for an affordably priced lens that would work well in those conditions.

Thanks in advance.


Jen

 

[annnewjerz]

What brand are you shooting with? A lot of brands will have an inexpensive 50mm f/1.8 prime lens that could do the trick---depending on how close/far from the stage you are shooting. For Canon & Nikon, the 50mm f/1.8 runs around $125 new, I believe.

 

[jeniferrice]

I guess that might help - Canon XT.

 

[boBQuincy]

I guess that might help - Canon XT.

In that case Canon's 50mm f/1.8 is just under $100 at Amazon (and other places). This is the least expensive low-light lens for Canons, and it is quite a deal!

 

[disneyboy2003]

I know you mentioned "affordably priced", and I'd also agree with the 50mm f/1.8 lens--a great lens for a great price!

If you're willing to go higher on your budget, you could also consider either the 50mm f/1.4 lens or the 30mm f/1.4 lens for under $400 each. Both lenses would let in almost double the amount of light into your camera (compared to the 50mm f/1.8), allowing you to shoot in even dimmer situations with faster shutter speeds. Probably ideal for concert situations.

The only thing to watch out for, however, is the extremely shallow depth of field with these lenses at f/1.4 (ie. your subject's eyes might be in focus, but the nose would be a little blurred).

 

[Frantasmic]

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Canon-Indoor-Sports-Lens.aspx

This is a good review/recommendations article about the various Canon lens that work well in indoor situations.

Since you brought up "inexpensive" the best options appear to be the Canon 85mm f1.8 and the Canon 100mm f2.0. Both do a decent job with indoor type stuff, provide some reach for you, and aren't the budget busters the L lens are. I have the 85mm f1.8 for my daughter's choir performances. I'll link to some pictures I've taken with that. These are about $400-$450.

If you could swing it, the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 is supposed to be a good indoor lens. It's not Canon L quality, but pretty close by most reviewers. It's about half what the Canon lens cost, but it's still fairly expensive at about $700-$800.

Here's a couple with the Canon 85mm f1.8 lens. No flash, about 40 ft away.

Here was one of my most challenging venues. It was a cruciform church with high ceilings and that was about the only ambient light coming in. I wasn't as close as I'd like, but still got a decent shot without flash.

 

[zackiedawg]

Also, just wanted to mention too - since you described yourself as 'very amateur', I just wanted to make sure you knew the basic settings for this type of photography. The low light lens will obviously help as it is much more sensitive in low light, but also will be a little harder to handle with the extremely shallow depth of field on the focus. Remember too to shoot with a higher ISO setting - I'm not sure if you already knew this. ISO800 should still be pretty usable in those conditions with your camera, and even ISO1600 though a wee bit grainy will still give good results and get you the faster shutter speeds you need to shoot moving people in low light. This way, you may be able to move the aperture a few stops down, to F2.2 or 2.8, and still get fast enough shutter speeds plus a wider depth of field for getting someone in better focus.