Fast lens for indoors

canon400d · September 18, 2007

I have a Canon400d and I was after a fast lens for taking photos indoors where the light is not too good. I have been reading up on this and I think I need a lens with a small F. stop. What type of lens would I need to do the job. You can see the lenses I have on my profile.
Thanks once again for all your kind help.
Bob

z_28 · September 18, 2007

As always it depends on money

You can chose very light expensive L lenses
or standard EF lenses - little darker but much cheaper.
Choice is always yours.

canon400d · September 18, 2007

z_28 wrote:

As always it depends on money
You can chose very light expensive L lenses
or standard EF lenses - little darker but much cheaper.
Choice is always yours.

Thanks for your reply. I see you have included in your list a 70-200mm F/4.0L. As you can see from my profile I have this lens but I find it takes great shots at a distance of 20' or thereabouts. I was wanting a lens to take shots at around 30' and down to portrait size.
Thanks
Bob

z_28 · September 18, 2007

I know that not fair, but if 200mm is too short for indoor portraits -
only one choice left - 300/2.8L IS

sirsloop · September 18, 2007

well... the minimum focus distance is 46' so you'll need to take a few steps back. Its also only f/5.6 so just tell your subjects to stop moving already!!!!

canon400d · September 18, 2007

z_28 wrote:

I know that not fair, but if 200mm is too short for indoor portraits -
only one choice left - 300/2.8L IS

Thanks for your reply. I was just looking at the thread above mine. "Looking for an indoor lens" I see the following have been advised 17-55 2.8 IS 50mm 1.8 and an 85mm 1.8. What do you think about these lenses would they suit me for taking good clear crisp shots from portrait to around 30' ?
Thanks
Bob

Khaos · September 18, 2007

35L and/or the 50 1.4

The 35, while not tack sharp wide open is still very good and sharp 1.6 and lower.

The 50 really needs to be stopped down to around 2.0

I recently used both indoors with indirect lighting at ISO 800 and at times 1600 with apertures varying from 1.4 to 1.8 with excellent results. This was on a 20D.

canon400d · September 18, 2007

Khaos wrote:

35L and/or the 50 1.4

The 35, while not tack sharp wide open is still very good and sharp 1.6 and lower.

The 50 really needs to be stopped down to around 2.0

I recently used both indoors with indirect lighting at ISO 800 and at times 1600 with apertures varying from 1.4 to 1.8 with excellent results. This was on a 20D.

Thanks Keith I will look at those two lenses.
Cheers
Bob

z_28 · September 18, 2007

So you need wide lens to shot portaits from 30' ???
I didn't get it

Duffy Pratt · September 18, 2007

Start with your macro lens. At 2.8 its not really fast, but it should do OK indoors, if you are willing to go with high ISOs. From there you will be able to tell if you need something even faster, and whether you need a wider angle.

If you need faster, the best options for you are the 35L, the 50 1.4 (or 1.2 if you can afford it), or maybe one of the 85s. If you need to get faster and not L-expensive, then you are probably looking at the 50 1.4 and the 85 1.8.

If 2.8 works well enough for you, you might look at the 28-70L. Its expensive, and fast for a zoom.

What you ultimately need will be up to you. Using the 60mm you already have will tell you alot about your needs/desires. The good news is that, no matter what you need (with the excpetion of a good fast wide angle for the 1.6 crop camera), Canon will probably have a product that fits your requirments. Fitting your budget is another story, and I can't help you with that.

Duffy

LiquidAir · September 18, 2007

canon400d wrote:

Thanks for your reply. I was just looking at the thread above mine. "Looking for an indoor lens" I see the following have been advised 17-55 2.8 IS 50mm 1.8 and an 85mm 1.8. What do you think about these lenses would they suit me for taking good clear crisp shots from portrait to around 30' ?
Thanks
Bob

Personally I prefer shooting portraits at around 6-8 feet from my subject. On a 400D you want coverage from around 24mm to 50mm for portraits at that range. The 50/1.4 is a great lens for headshots at that range.

If you really want to shoot headshots from 30 feet away, you'll need something between 200mm and 300mm. The 200/2.8L is a great lens and won't break the bank. The 300/4L IS is another good choice.

colourbox · September 18, 2007

canon400d wrote:

I see the following have been advised 17-55 2.8 IS 50mm 1.8 and an 85mm 1.8. What do you think about these lenses would they suit me for taking good clear crisp shots from portrait to around 30'

I have both. The 50mm 1.8 is an easy decision and the one I bought first, because it's so cheap and fast and good quality, and it does do the job in low light, except for occasional slow focusing in very low light. The problem is that at 50mm, on a 400D (I have the 350D), it's hard to get much more than a head shot in small room. If that's what you want, then the 50mm is great. But if you want full-body portraits or groups, you may not be able to stand back far enough indoors.

So I got the 17-55 2.8 IS. A very nice lens; you'll notice the image quality improvement compared to the 50mm 1.8. Of course, for the same price, you could buy at least 10 of the 50mm 1.8 lenses! But you can do much more with 17-55, and use it as a general-purpose lens. The wide end gives you more possibilities for indoor portraits, other than the usual headshot.

canon400d · September 19, 2007

Duffy Pratt wrote:

Start with your macro lens. At 2.8 its not really fast, but it should do OK indoors, if you are willing to go with high ISOs. From there you will be able to tell if you need something even faster, and whether you need a wider angle.

If you need faster, the best options for you are the 35L, the 50 1.4 (or 1.2 if you can afford it), or maybe one of the 85s. If you need to get faster and not L-expensive, then you are probably looking at the 50 1.4 and the 85 1.8.

If 2.8 works well enough for you, you might look at the 28-70L. Its expensive, and fast for a zoom.

What you ultimately need will be up to you. Using the 60mm you already have will tell you alot about your needs/desires. The good news is that, no matter what you need (with the excpetion of a good fast wide angle for the 1.6 crop camera), Canon will probably have a product that fits your requirments. Fitting your budget is another story, and I can't help you with that.

Duffy

Thanks Duffy,
Your reply has really been so helpful and I will see exactly how my 60mm Macro does and as you say I am sure I will be guided by this. I am a wee bit reluctant in spending so so much for a really expensive lens when it is only on special occasions when I will be using it in these circumstances.
Thanks again
Bob

claudermilk · September 19, 2007

I'll second the recommendation that you start with the 60mm macro. It should give you a good idea of what will work--who knows it may be all you need. If the f2.8 is too slow, then ignore all the zoom recommendations, because that's as good as it gets for zooms. For fast primes, you cannot go wrong with the 50/1.8--it's $70. The 85/1.8 is also supposed to be a very good budget lens.

BTW, it would help to give us an idea of how much you're willing to spend here. That might eliminate some of the over-$1k L lens recommendations.

Jane B. · September 19, 2007

LiquidAir wrote:

Personally I prefer shooting portraits at around 6-8 feet from my subject. On a 400D you want coverage from around 24mm to 50mm for portraits at that range. The 50/1.4 is a great lens for headshots at that range.

If you really want to shoot headshots from 30 feet away, you'll need something between 200mm and 300mm. The 200/2.8L is a great lens and won't break the bank. The 300/4L IS is another good choice.

I wonder if you have missed something in the question. Here is what was asked with emphases by me:

Originally Posted by canon400d
[Thanks for your reply. I was just looking at the thread above mine. "Looking for an indoor lens" I see the following have been advised 17-55 2.8 IS 50mm 1.8 and an 85mm 1.8. What do you think about these lenses would they suit me for taking good clear crisp shots from portrait to around 30' ?
Thanks
Bob]

This comes through to me as meaning FROM normal portrait distance TO around 30'. And maybe not just for portraits.

Jane

LiquidAir · September 19, 2007

Jane B. wrote:

I wonder if you have missed something in the question. Here is what was asked with emphases by me:

Originally Posted by canon400d
[Thanks for your reply. I was just looking at the thread above mine. "Looking for an indoor lens" I see the following have been advised 17-55 2.8 IS 50mm 1.8 and an 85mm 1.8. What do you think about these lenses would they suit me for taking good clear crisp shots from portrait to around 30' ?
Thanks
Bob]

This comes through to me as meaning FROM normal portrait distance TO around 30'. And maybe not just for portraits.

Jane

You are right. I don't understand what he is asking. The lenses I use for taking pictures of people with indoor ambient light are the 35/1.4, 50/1.4, 85/1.8 and 135/2 and they all work great in that distance range. Personally I rarely use a zoom for people photography because I prefer to have the option of shooting a f/2.

canon400d · September 20, 2007

Jane B. wrote:

I wonder if you have missed something in the question. Here is what was asked with emphases by me:

Originally Posted by canon400d
[Thanks for your reply. I was just looking at the thread above mine. "Looking for an indoor lens" I see the following have been advised 17-55 2.8 IS 50mm 1.8 and an 85mm 1.8. What do you think about these lenses would they suit me for taking good clear crisp shots from portrait to around 30' ?
Thanks
Bob]

This comes through to me as meaning FROM normal portrait distance TO around 30'. And maybe not just for portraits.

Jane

Sorry if I sound vague Jane, but yes I would like to shoot from portrait to say 30' wide in the room.
Thanks
Bob

canon400d · September 20, 2007

LiquidAir wrote:

You are right. I don't understand what he is asking. The lenses I use for taking pictures of people with indoor ambient light are the 35/1.4, 50/1.4, 85/1.8 and 135/2 and they all work great in that distance range. Personally I rarely use a zoom for people photography because I prefer to have the option of shooting a f/2.

I apologise if I sound vague but I was wanting to shoot portraits and also shoot say 30' away wide range.
Thanks
Bob

LiquidAir · September 20, 2007

canon400d wrote:

I apologise if I sound vague but I was wanting to shoot portraits and also shoot say 30' away wide range.
Thanks
Bob

What kinds of photos are you thinking of taking at a distance of 30 feet?

The classic lenses used for weddings, events and photojournalism are the 24-70/2.8 and the 70-200/2.8. They are both on the large side, heavy and expensive, but they are fast enough to use in low light and very high quality. 70mm is a good focal lenght to use for portraits so both will serve that purpose. If you want to fill the frame with a person 30 feet away, the 70-200 is the right lens. If you are looking to take group shots or show people in context, the 24-70/2.8 is the better choice.

canon400d · September 22, 2007

LiquidAir wrote:

What kinds of photos are you thinking of taking at a distance of 30 feet?

The classic lenses used for weddings, events and photojournalism are the 24-70/2.8 and the 70-200/2.8. They are both on the large side, heavy and expensive, but they are fast enough to use in low light and very high quality. 70mm is a good focal lenght to use for portraits so both will serve that purpose. If you want to fill the frame with a person 30 feet away, the 70-200 is the right lens. If you are looking to take group shots or show people in context, the 24-70/2.8 is the better choice.

Thanks for your sound advice I will go right away and get the 24-70/2.8 it sounds good to me from what you say.
Thanks ever so much
Bob

LiquidAir · September 22, 2007

canon400d wrote:

Thanks for your sound advice I will go right away and get the 24-70/2.8 it sounds good to me from what you say.
Thanks ever so much
Bob

If you want a similar but less expensive and heavy lens, Tamron makes a 28-75/2.8 that is well regarded.

Fast lens for indoors

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