Canon crop lens for nightlife photography suggestions

Scrappycoco

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Hi ppl! I been thinking lately of which lens I should buy for nightclub photography.
I would like to buy a Canon 60d body and I already have that kit lens
Canon EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS, so I been thinking if I do really need to search for more expensive wide angles that cost about 1000$ only for the aperture 2.8. Does that make sense?
My kit lens is stabilised and the apperture is big enough, it.s not 4.5. So do I really need to purchase another lens to start or mine would do? Also would appreciate any suggestions on not very expensive lenses, like 700$ max.

Peace, ppl!
[h=1][/h]
 
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What do you mean by "mightlife"? Hand held photos of night time activities, or tripod mounted time exposures. Makes a difference.
 
Yeah, ur right, that makes sense. Didn't think about it before. I ment NIGHTCLUB photography! Tried to change the title but it wouldnt :(
 
If you're shooting in a night club, chances are you will need to use flash, no matter what lens you have. So you may not need to go out and get a very expensive lens....buy maybe an expensive flash would be a good idea (430EX or 580EX).

If you want a wider view than your 18-55mm, check out the Sigma 10-20mm.
 
I would say flash first (with radio triggers!). If you can get the flash off the camera, even if it's just in your other hand, it will actually look decent. Even if it's on camera, if you have the right surfaces around you can bounce it as well. If you're going to get a flash, I'd read up on how to use flash manually, and maybe you won't need an automated expensive Canon flash. I use LumoPro LP160s, and they're less than half the price of Canon's offering at the same power, just full manual.

As you've observed, wide angle lenses with large apertures are pricey. If you're not concerned with critical sharpness, there's always the Sigma 20mm f/1.8, or 24 f/1.8 or 30mm f/1.4, or the Canon 28mm f/1.8. They're all soft on the edges though... beyond that you're looking at a 24mm 1.4 or 35mm 1.4, which are each twice your budget.
 
Thnx for the replies, guys! I really concider buying an off cam flash as well, thinking of 580ex, btw..

But would mu lens be ok for doing a pro job for clubs? This one - Canon EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS. What can u say bout it?
 
Thnx for the replies, guys! I really concider buying an off cam flash as well, thinking of 580ex, btw..

But would mu lens be ok for doing a pro job for clubs? This one - Canon EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS. What can u say bout it?

No, it's not an okay lens for doing a "pro" job at clubs.

I can say that it's a kit lens... Nothing special about it other than the fact that it has IS. Consumer quality optics, consumer quality design, etc. You get what you pay for. Very far from what one would consider a "pro" lens.

Are you sure this isn't the lens you already have that you mentioned in the first post?
 
The lenses that you should really be considering, if you can afford them, are the 16-35 f/2.8 or 24-70 f/2.8. But as has been mentioned, your first priority should probably be a flash. Even at f/2.8 you're still going to be at higher ISO's than your 60D will let you get away with. If you had 5DII it might be a different story.
 
The lenses that you should really be considering, if you can afford them, are the 16-35 f/2.8 or 24-70 f/2.8. But as has been mentioned, your first priority should probably be a flash. Even at f/2.8 you're still going to be at higher ISO's than your 60D will let you get away with. If you had 5DII it might be a different story.

I don't think 24mm on a crop is wide enough for the club. Since he should be using flash anyways, I'll vote for the 17-40.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
 
Stick with the lens you have. It's not a great lens, but hey you're probably going to get some drunk douche spill his drink on it anyway so why spend big bucks? People don't care about sharpness or low depth of field in nightclub photos, they just want to see how much fun they were having the night before.

As mentioned, a flash is your most imnportant upgrade - get a 430EX and a TTL cable and you're good to go. Camera in one hand, flash in the other. All automated exposure means no "sorry, can you just pose for that one again?". Having flash off the camera means you can create interesting lighting.

ttl-cable-canon-03.JPG
 

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