Which lens i should use? For fast moving dancers indoor?

[manuel87roma]

Hello everyone i have a Canon eos t1i and i would like to get a new lens, mostly to get nice photo of a fast moving dancers on indoor stage, from the booth distance more or less.

I've been researching around and i know that a good one could be the

• Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM L Lens

Now unfortunately i can't spend thousands of dollars and i need one even used one for a max of 700$ more or less

What do you guys suggest me?
Is there any other lens that could be good for what i need? Maybe lighter aswell? Other brands?
I need good aperture for sure and guess a telezoom.

Waiting for your answer
[emoji6]

 

[TCampbell]

Fast moving dancers on an indoor stage probably means the lighting isn't adequate to freeze action without flash and if these are public performances then you're probably not reasonably able to use flash.

The T1i is a fairly old body. It maxes out at ISO 3200 but even at ISO 3200 it's a very "noisy" image. While noise is noticeable at ISO 800, I find I can process it out with software and get a pleasant result. At ISO 1600 it gets harder and at ISO 3200 you're almost certainly going to want to use de-noising software to clean up the image.

Let me offer an example of a shot by a T1i using the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM at f/2.8 in poor lighting conditions at ISO 3200:

Ok, so sure we can see some noise, but it's not awful... I'd use that image. But not so fast... I cleaned this image up a lot in post processing (using the Noiseware Pro plug-in for photoshop).

Also of note are the exposure settings.... ISO 3200, f/2.8 and .... 1/125th sec exposure time (w/ image stabilization).

1/125th is not going to be fast enough for "fast moving dancers". For that you probably want a minimum of 1/500th (unless you're going for artistic blur)

If only you could shoot at ISO 12,800... then f/2.8 might work (even then it might be a challenge because 1/500th is pretty much a minimum to freeze action... fast action might require faster speeds.)

Canon makes a 135mm f/2 lens and even a 200mm f/2 lens (these are not zoom lenses - these are prime lenses). That would buy you another stop of light but at the trade-off of having an even shallower depth of field (fewer dances were be in sharp focus).

I combination of a camera body that can shoot at higher ISO, a lens with a lower focal ratio, and ... how much light in the theater?

If you're trying to freeze fast action, you want bright lighting, a camera that does well at high ISO, and a fast lens. Having the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens will certainly improve things (two full stops means the shutter speed can be 4x faster) but that may not be fast enough.

 

[petrochemist]

As Tim points out flash would be ideal but may not be allowed so I suspect artistic blur will be your best bet, but if you time the shots right you might get some at the top of a jump/balanced on toes etc. that just about allow you to stop movement. If flash is allowed second curtain flash with longer exposures will work very well for some shots

If you have the chance to visit the location in advance you should be able to get a better idea of which focal lengths are appropriate. Given your budget, I suspect you might need to go with primes to get fast enough glass. Perhaps a 50mm/1.8, a 135mm & something longer? I'd expect you would want to have shots isolating single dancers & others showing groups...

Stopping distant movement in poor light is always a problem, the best equipment for doing it is hideously expensive & needs lots of practice to get the best results. For us mortals we have to rely on large amounts of luck, perhaps aided by renting equipment.

 

[benhasajeep]

In most cases a "real" flash is probably frowned upon. And may not even have the reach depending on the seating. With your budget. You might find it better to use a wider very fast lens. And crop your shots in post. A 50mm f/1.4 will give you another 2-stops of shutter over the 70-200 f/2.8. And of course show up a little earlier to get better seating.

The Canon 85mm f/1.4 would be a good lens to have, but double your budget. The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 is more price friendly, but still more than your budget even used. But the longer 85mm and fast f/1.4 would be a very good lens to take your shots and crop in with.

 

[beagle100]

Hello everyone i have a Canon eos t1i and i would like to get a new lens, mostly to get nice photo of a fast moving dancers on indoor stage, from the booth distance more or less.

I've been researching around and i know that a good one could be the

• Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM L Lens

Now unfortunately i can't spend thousands of dollars and i need one even used one for a max of 700$ more or less

What do you guys suggest me?
Is there any other lens that could be good for what i need? Maybe lighter aswell? Other brands?
I need good aperture for sure and guess a telezoom.

Waiting for your answer
[emoji6]

I'd go with a cheap used Canon 85mm 1.8 or Canon 100mm 2.8 non-L ... ~ $200
www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

 

[Sports for Fun]

I bought a Tamron 70-200 F2.8 for soccer and football. I bought used and love it. I got mine for $550 in great shape.