Wide aperture vs. high ISO... Is my reasoning good here?

[splproductions]

I think we need more information to really answer your question. What body are you using and what ISO are you comfortable going to and what are your plans on displaying these images? If you are determined to have no noise in the images and want to stick to low ISO, then the flash advice may be relevant. I don't think you need to bring one though, but instead learn to work the light that is there. The buildings may be dark, but I bet they have some windows that let light in. Stay near them and shoot stuff that happens nearby heavily.

As far as equipment goes, It seems like you already have the 50 and are thinking about getting the 40 for this trip. If that's true, I think you'd be better served with the added flexibility of something like the 28 1.8 or 35 f2 (they're a little more expensive though).

I'm using a T1i. These photos will be used primarily for a website I am building for this charity. I want them to look top-notch, but I'd certainly be comfortable going to 800 or 1600 and reducing noise afterwards. I doubt any of these will end up as prints.

I'm probably not up to par with many people on this site, but I do feel like I have a decent handle on bouncing flash indoors. Here's one possible problem though - a lot of the schoolrooms we worked in last year were painted those pastel colors you see in Caribbean countries - greens, yellows, etc. I wasn't paying attention to the ceilings last year - so I don't remember if those were white. Using a card in front of the pop-up flash might be a better bet - that way I'm not relying as much on the walls or ceiling.

I know 40mm and 50mm on a crop-sensor is pretty tight for indoors, but I'm envisioning a lot of head and shoulders shots. We're doing dental work, so we'll be focusing on smiles and happy faces anyway.

The reason I was leery on bringing the Speedlite is just due to bringing more bulk. I'm going to be working in people's mouths, and taking pictures throughout when I'm not working on someone. I was hoping to keep my camera on my person while I worked. We do stash our bags in a corner while we work, and there is a security guard supposed to be watching that corner, but that didn't happen 24/7 last year. I do have two 580EX ii's, and I rarely use both at the same time, so I guess if one got stolen I wouldn't absolutely need to replace it.

Anyway - there's some more info.

 

[Patrice]

..... give it away at the end of your trip.

Just a quick margin note:

I was attached to a World Bank project in a country struggling with a failing economy and emerging democracy, we found out that the best things to 'forget' while leaving were Levi's, soccer balls, toilet paper and peanut butter. Electronic toys were pretty useless with no reliable power, no stores for batteries and no money for computers.

Kudos for donating your time to a humanitarian effort.

 

[Vautrin]

Why exactly do you feel like you need a dslr?

It sounds to me you might be better off with a point and shoot

Ok, maybe you could have more control with an slr, but you apparently cant use a zoom lens or a flash. and youre worried about something flashy that could get stolen?

a $100 point and shoot will give you good enough pictures, and if it gets stolen, youre only out $100

 

[splproductions]

I took a point and shoot last year and the pictures were point and s___.

I guess I'm asking for the holy grail of photography - awesome IQ, lots of options, sufficient light, but no bulk.

The 40mm pancake came today so I'm going to start playing with that and experimenting with a 3"x5" note-card in front of the pop-up flash.

 

[splproductions]

Several people have said I should just bring a speedlite. Instead of bringing a 580, I was thinking... has anyone used the tiny little 270 EX II? I could buy one used on eBay for $100. It doesn't swivel, but I could bounce 90 degrees straight up.

 

[enzodm]

Look also at Yongnuo flashes. Less powerful than equivalent Canon, but do their job for cheap.

 

[rambler]

I worked indirectly with a pro photographer in the DR. He had a huge telephoto. The only time he had a problem was once when he pulled it out of its case to take a photo of the President in a motorcade, the cops thought it was a bazooka, and he was quickly surrounded with rifles aimed at him. On the whole,we found Dominicans had fun having their pictures taken especially if they could see the results. If you can keep your camera gear save here. Why not there, too? (Peace Corps, '67-68)