Concert Photography

metalmosq · Mar 1, 2011

This will be my first post here, so pardon any ignorance on my part if there is rules against certain threads being created.

I will be shooting a show on Thursday and Friday. I've been to both venues and have a decent idea on how far I will most likely be from the stage. Neither have photo pits and both are rock/metal shows. Lighting will not be great at either. I'm having trouble figuring out what I want to bring for a lens (I will be renting from lensrentals.com).

The first venue (Thursday): Stage is about upper chest high. No pit as I said. Lighting will be a little better here than it will on Friday, but it's pretty much a club still so. Here are some shots/info from that venue:
gallery

I will most likely be at the front of the stage and mobility will probably be very limited.

The second venue (Friday): Stage is about thigh high. I can easily reach out and touch the band if I wanted (not that I would). Lighting is less diverse here. Mostly red's and white's. Definitely not even close to ideal, but it is what it is (a challenge?).

So given my proximity towards the stage, I was thinking of a 24-70mm 2.8. But I was also considering just ordering two primes. I already have a 50mm 1/8. I could use any input on this though.

edit: Should have mentioned that I'm shooting with a Canon 50D with no flash.

Davor · Mar 1, 2011

I just did a concert shoot a couple days ago in almost identical lighting. Used a 50mm 1.8 and it came out fine, i also had a sb800 setup off camera at the side of the band to help with lighting, but you could get away without it. (without flash) I mostly shot with f1.8 and about 1/80 - 1/100 shutter speeds and 800-1600 ISO. If you use your 2.8 you might not get that great results because you will have to use even higher ISO. The only problem i had was, i was too close to stage so the 50mm was not the greatest for the job, 35mm would prob have been perfect.

e.rose · Mar 1, 2011

I shoot shows with really ****ty lighting most of the time... one of the venues I'm shooting at this Friday sounds just like *your* Friday gig... just without the white mixed in :lol:

That venue has nothing but uglyass red-orange lighting. Yuck.

Anyway... I use a 50mm f/1.4 for almost everything, for the simple fact that it's all I have at the moment for that kind of thing... but I'm looking into getting *at least* a 24mm f/2.8 for the reason you stated about being pressed up against the stage with little mobility. The 50mm definitely makes it hard to shoot when the venue capacity is maxed out.

My ISO lives between 1600 and 3200... and I always start with my aperture at f/2.8... and for the most part that's where it stays.

I wouldn't worry about upping your aperture to 3200. As long as your exposure is good the noise can't be *that* bad. I use a T2i and the noise isn't *that* bad so I only imagine that a 50D would be better.

A tiny bit of noise is much better than a blurry shot, in my opinion.

I think you have the right idea for what you're considering renting though. :sillysmi:

o hey tyler · Mar 1, 2011

e.rose said:
I shoot shows with really ****ty lighting most of the time... one of the venues I'm shooting at this Friday sounds just like *your* Friday gig... just without the white mixed in That venue has nothing but uglyass red-orange lighting. Yuck.

Anyway... I use a 50mm f/1.4 for almost everything, for the simple fact that it's all I have at the moment for that kind of thing... but I'm looking into getting *at least* a 24mm f/2.8 for the reason you stated about being pressed up against the stage with little mobility. The 50mm definitely makes it hard to shoot when the venue capacity is maxed out.

My ISO lives between 1600 and 3200... and I always start with my aperture at f/2.8... and for the most part that's where it stays.

I wouldn't worry about upping your aperture to 3200. As long as your exposure is good the noise can't be *that* bad. I use a T2i and the noise isn't *that* bad so I only imagine that a 50D would be better.

Em, side note: The 50D uses the same sensor as the T1i.

metalmosq · Mar 1, 2011

Yeah, I'm more concerned with the mm of the lens more so than the aperture. I mean, I'm of course concerned about aperture but I know what I'll basically need to shoot for in terms of exposure settings and all of that. I'm just trying to figure out 'shot wise' as to what would be the better go.

Hardrock · Mar 1, 2011

o hey tyler said:
e.rose said:

I shoot shows with really ****ty lighting most of the time... one of the venues I'm shooting at this Friday sounds just like *your* Friday gig... just without the white mixed in That venue has nothing but uglyass red-orange lighting. Yuck.

Anyway... I use a 50mm f/1.4 for almost everything, for the simple fact that it's all I have at the moment for that kind of thing... but I'm looking into getting *at least* a 24mm f/2.8 for the reason you stated about being pressed up against the stage with little mobility. The 50mm definitely makes it hard to shoot when the venue capacity is maxed out.

My ISO lives between 1600 and 3200... and I always start with my aperture at f/2.8... and for the most part that's where it stays.

I wouldn't worry about upping your aperture to 3200. As long as your exposure is good the noise can't be *that* bad. I use a T2i and the noise isn't *that* bad so I only imagine that a 50D would be better.

Click to expand...

Em, side note: The 50D uses the same sensor as the T1i.

And my experience with the 50D is the ISO is very noisy at 6400 but with software its printable but image is soft. At 3200 its alot better but I try to stay below 2000.

e.rose · Mar 1, 2011

o hey tyler said:
Em, side note: The 50D uses the same sensor as the T1i.

Well then. There ya go. Don't be scurred of ISO3200... :lmao:

metalmosq said:
Yeah, I'm more concerned with the mm of the lens more so than the aperture. I mean, I'm of course concerned about aperture but I know what I'll basically need to shoot for in terms of exposure settings and all of that. I'm just trying to figure out 'shot wise' as to what would be the better go.

Your zoom lens covers a good range as far as I'm concerned if you're going to be pressed up against the front of the stage. Although if you're looking for a FULL body shot... Depending on where the guys are on the stage you might not be able to get that with all of them at 24mm... but you'll be able to zoom out far enough to get good results. At least in my opinion.

If you're going with zooms, like I said, I think the range you picked out with the zoom lens is good... but if you're going with primes I'd say get a 50mm and also a 24mm... Just make sure that they open to at least f/2.8

e.rose · Mar 1, 2011

Hardrock said:
o hey tyler said:

e.rose said:

I shoot shows with really ****ty lighting most of the time... one of the venues I'm shooting at this Friday sounds just like *your* Friday gig... just without the white mixed in That venue has nothing but uglyass red-orange lighting. Yuck.

Anyway... I use a 50mm f/1.4 for almost everything, for the simple fact that it's all I have at the moment for that kind of thing... but I'm looking into getting *at least* a 24mm f/2.8 for the reason you stated about being pressed up against the stage with little mobility. The 50mm definitely makes it hard to shoot when the venue capacity is maxed out.

My ISO lives between 1600 and 3200... and I always start with my aperture at f/2.8... and for the most part that's where it stays.

I wouldn't worry about upping your aperture to 3200. As long as your exposure is good the noise can't be *that* bad. I use a T2i and the noise isn't *that* bad so I only imagine that a 50D would be better.

Click to expand...

Em, side note: The 50D uses the same sensor as the T1i.

Click to expand...

And my experience with the 50D is the ISO is very noisy at 6400 but with software its printable but image is soft. At 3200 its alot better but I try to stay below 2000.

ISO3200 is the highest I'll touch on the T2i... any higher than that... forget about it. :lmao:

gsgary · Mar 1, 2011

I always start at iso3200 and if i get really good settings i'll try and drop it to iso1600 but that is very rare at small venues, the lenses i use on a 5D are 24-70F2.8, 50F1.4 300F2.8L, 200F2.8L, 70-200F4L
favourites are 300F2.8, 50F1.4 and 24-70F2.8
one with 24-70 iso3200

The 300 is great at bigger venues when you can only shoot the first 3 sonds, then i go to the back

Village Idiot · Mar 1, 2011

I generallynuse the 17-40 and the 24-70 on a full frame body. The 24-70 would definitely not be wide enough on a crop sensor if that's your only lens.

metalmosq · Mar 1, 2011

After much contemplation and experimentation, I've decided to go with the Canon 17-55mm 2.8 with IS.

o hey tyler · Mar 1, 2011

Personally, I'd never pay that much for an EF-S lens (even if I had a crop frame body), but since you have contemplated and experimented, you know what's right I suppose.

But you can get a 17-40mm L lens for cheaper.