Concert photographer looking for a new lens

insideoutoflove · April 4, 2008

So I've been shooting for a few years now, and have gradually built up my lens collection..I'm looking to buy a fast lens for concert photography, and am considering the 50mm f/1.4 which is recommended by many. however, im also looking for something that will compliment the lenses i already have--

18-55mm (kit lens)
16-35mm f/2.8
70-300mm f/4-5.6

is there another lens you'd recommend over the 50mm? would it be more beneficial to spend that money on a mid-range zoom right now? i'm trying to cover all my bases lens-wise...though my main concern is concert photography, id like a versatile lens that will get a lot of use other than just at shows

any recommendations would be wonderful!

ziggy53 · April 4, 2008

I think you might want to consider the Canon EF 85mm, f1.8:

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=11413

Art Scott · April 4, 2008

A few years ago I spent nearly every thurs and fri at either the ks coliseum or century 2 or the cotillion ballroom (or out ot town or state) shooting concerts.....you have a great collection of lens but my fav of all time and I still use it more now than any other is the 70-210f2.8.......I was shooting concerts with a Vivatar 70-210f2.8-4....then I moved to Siggy's when that camera kit was stolen and I went to Nikon....went digitasl with Konica Minolta dues to the built in AS and have one boddy with siggy 70-210 f2.8 and other body with a siggy 24-70f2.8....I hate switching lenses in clubs or at concerts so this suits me perfectly.....

So in answer to you question I would trade the 70-300 f4 for a 70-200f2.8.....

There is a 17-70 f2.8-4.5 out there and that would be another good choice....

Tee Why · April 4, 2008

I hate to say it but for concert photogrpahy fast primes are the best in my view. Now if you want versatility then a zoom may be better but they are slower.

If you intend to do mostly concert photogpraphy, then I'd go with a fast prime like a 28mm 1.8, 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.8 depending on the focal length you need. If you intend to use the lens for mainly general purpose and some concert photogrphay, then a 17-55mm f2.8 IS may be a good but expensive option. Another option is the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. Not as good in terms of AF performance and it lacks IS, but it's about half the price as well.

Photoskipper · April 4, 2008

I just started trying to shot the indoor performance. I found both my 24 -105 F4 and 70-200 with IS work well depend on the distance from the stage.
Please check out more samples in www.flickr.com/photos/photoskipper/

SavedByZero · April 4, 2008

70-210/80-200 F2.8 cause you never know how far back you'll be from the stage or how big the stage will be.

jonh68 · April 5, 2008

I would disagree about getting a 2.8 zoom lens if you know you are going to be close to the stage. A 1.8 or faster prime would be better.

Art Scott · April 5, 2008

on the 2nd page of my PORTFOLIO the center row shows 4 pics all taken with a SIGGY 70-210 f2.8 zoom lens the first 2 were shot on film using a Nikon and the 2 dance photos were with a KM7D at 1600 iso ...the exif is entact for all digital DSLR unless I made the mistake of saving for the web..which I did at first not knowing any better.......

SavedByZero · April 5, 2008

jonh68 wrote:

I would disagree about getting a 2.8 zoom lens if you know you are going to be close to the stage. A 1.8 or faster prime would be better.

Yeah well that's the problem, you never know how close to the stage you're going to be every time if you goto different venues and clubs. And some times you might want to shoot from the back of the house too.

F1.8 or F2.8 thats like what 2/3 of a stop slower, so just wait for the spot lights to come on or the stage lights to come up and shoot with them instead of the blues and red ones. Besides that you may also want an extreme close up of the drummer in the back, the bass player way off to stage left or the guy on keyboards they always hide in the bake.

This is pic of the Soup Dragons I shot back in 89 with a mf 135mm f2.8 lens, 400asa color neg. The stage was above my height and from inside the barrier this is what I shot.

F2.8 zooms work just fine IMHO.

:hung

jonh68 · April 5, 2008

Yeah well that's the problem, you never know how close to the stage you're going to be every time if you goto different venues and clubs. And some times you might want to shoot from the back of the house too.

I think for best results, you need both of them to be ready for for anything. My approach is more spend less on a fast prime and then step up with more money on a good 2.8 zoom if money is an issue. An 85 1.8 you can use your feet for zooming. Of course, it does depend on the type of venue and access.

A 50 1.8 can be had for $100 and a 85 1.8 can b had for $300. The 70-200 2.8 would be more versatile for other events which meets the criteria of the OP.

F2.8 zooms work just fine IMHO.

I think they do to. However, in low light which concerts take place, a 1.8 is better, but it's up to the individual shooter to decide what works best for them.

mrcoons · April 5, 2008

I'm going to shoot a jazz festival later today and I have 4 lenses in my bag, a 70-200 f/2.8, 135mm f/2, 50mm f/1.4 and a 28mm f/1.8. I probably won't need the 50mm but you never know.

insideoutoflove · April 5, 2008

thanks for the advice all. i think ive narrowed it down to the 50mm f/1.4 or the 85mm f/1.8...im going to try and find a store that has them in stock and play around for a bit. i may consider the 70-200mm f/2.8 in the future, but for now im going to go with a prime--i think ill get a lot of use out of it

thanks again for the help!

claudermilk · April 7, 2008

Those are good starting points. So much depends on where you are. In my shooting theater performances, I'm usually in/nearthe lighting booth at the back of the house, so the 70-200/2.8 is my workhorse for the typical size venue I find myself at. At smaller ones & the couple of shows I can get to the front of the stage I switch to the 24-70. I have the 50/1.8 & keep thinking about witching to the 1.4 for the better AF motor. The 85/1.8 is on the shopping list--both primes for whan the light gets really low.

Concert photographer looking for a new lens

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