What kind of lens?

[arsondesign]

So I've had my own graphic design business for about two years now. I do mostly stuff for bands such as album artwork, magazine advertisements, etc. Well I've begun to run into more and more problems with finding photographers to send the bands I'm working with to who will get the shot I need. I've always loved photography but have been too frustrated by all the technical stuff I do not understand, like aperture, f stops, and ISO for example. I decided to start working on it and learning all that I can so that I can take the shots I need to save time and the bands some money. I recently purchased a Canon 40D that came with a 18-50mm f/3.5-5/6 auto focus lens and a 55-200mm 4.5-5.6 auto focus lens. I will be doing some indoor concert photography (it will be dark with the light sources being random and dim) that will be very high action and wanted to know if these lenses will be sufficient and which would be better for what. And if both of these lenses aren't too good for shooting in these conditions, what would be? I don't understand f stops or any of that for that matter. I haven't received the camera yet, but those are the lenses it came with and would like to know as much about all of it as I can before it actually gets here. I'll also be shooting outdoor promotional photos and was wondering about the clarity those two lenses would offer for that?

I appreciate any help in understanding this that I can get!

 

[lordson]

you're manual will explain a little bit about your camera's function. read that first.

then read these three:

http://www.morguefile.com/archive/classroom.php

http://www.shortcourses.com/use/

these two are the only free comprehensive courses i could find on the net, and belive me, i've looked long and hard.

if you dont know anything about apeture and ISO and shutter speed, then those two are essential reading

if you're feeling lazy:
http://tiberius47.deviantart.com/art/Basic-Exposure-Settings-52556187
follow the links and theres a whole lot more

hope that helps. helped me alot

 

[JIP]

You are correct in assuming that the lenses you will be getting will not be the best thing for concert photographs. What you choose depends on the results you want to achieve. There are wide lenses and short lenses depending on where you intend on shooting from There are wide to short zooms that will give you a good look if you are close and zooms if you are a little further away.

Slightly wide if you are shooting close

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12119-GREY/Canon_2507A002_Wide_Angle_EF_35mm.html

"Normal" lens for 35mm good if you are a littlle further away. This is very popular because it is a fast lens and still relatively cheap.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12142-USA/Canon_2514A002_Normal_EF_50mm_f_1_8.html


These are but a couple of suggestions. For your uses look for a lens that is a 2.8 lens that will give you enough light gathering capability for concert shooting also as a bonus they will be very sharp for your general photography needs. I suggested the ones I did because they are a cheap way to get into fast lenses.