What lens and film for stage dance?

[nec240]

My wife will be dancing at a big hula festival (Merrie Monarch) again this year, and I'll be taking pictures, like I did last year (http://leeandpat.com/merriemonarch2004). They liked my pictures and got me a press pass this year. This means that I can get close to the stage, and won't need to use the slow zoom that I used last year.

My question is, which lens should I get for this? I have a Nikon F65 (N65), and I'm looking at buying one of the following three lenses:

85mm f/1.4
90mm f/2.8
105mm f/2.0

I'm not too worried about getting wide shots of the group. What I want is sharp shots of a few of them at a time. Shots like this (http://leeandpat.com/friday-kahiko/aaf) show cool movement, but are too blurry. Do you recommend any of the above lenses, or should I go with something different?

The second question is what about film? Last year I used pro Fuji film, refrigerated and all, and it was fine. I think it was Fujicolor Press 400 and 800 - I was sitting far and using a slow 300mm lens. This year I'll have fast glass and I'll be right up to the stage, what film do you recommend?

Thank you for any suggestions,
Pat

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the Forum.

Selecting the right lens really depends on a lot of factors. How close will you be? How will the stage be lit? Can you use a flash? Can you use a tripod or monopod?

 

[nec240]

Big Mike said,
> Selecting the right lens really depends on a lot of factors.
> How close will you be? How will the stage be lit? Can you
> use a flash? Can you use a tripod or monopod?

I will be able to get to within a couple of feet of the stage, on the downstage corners. The stage is maybe 40' across (see last year's pics on the above URLs). The stage is lit for the live audience and TV, but not as brightly as I'd like. I will not be using a flash (not allowed to, but wouldn't anyway). I have a monopod I can use, but because I will be running around the place, this will probably be handheld all the way.

Thanks for your help,
Pat

 

[Rob]

I reckon that semi-telephoto is the most appropriate for this enviroment. Your list are all semi-telephoto length, so that's not really very helpful!!

In your list, you'll probably be best off with the fastest glass - the 85mm f1.4. Nikon also make an f1.8 105mm which is brilliant.

For concerts, I recommend no flash, high ISO/ASA tabular grain B&W film such as T-Max 3200.

Good luck!

Rob

 

[Shinnentai]

What does semi-telephoto mean, as opposed to telephoto?

 

[Rob]

It's arguable about the definitions, but I'd call standard 50-70mm, semi-telephoto 80-120mm and 180+mm telephoto. That's just my take on it, it's not official AFAIK and yes there are gaps there. What does anyone else think?