I shot my first gig with my new 5D mkII and wasn't happy with the results (Advice?)

[Niz]

Hello =D

So last night i went out to shoot a mates band play at a local bar with my new 5D, im still trying to wrap my head around Canons AE lock and focusing. I Couldn't work out for the life of me how to lock in focus on the subjects face and re compose the photos without the subject going out of focus!
At the moment im shooting with a 50mm 1.8 and i actually shot at 1.8 which i think now i shouldn't have because of how razor sharp the DOF is. Overall i know it's my photography skills that are letting me down, i find live music photography really challenging but at the same time i like the challenge and am eager to improve so any advice or help would be much appreciated!

Here are some photos that turned out

And these were generally how the rest looked (Alot were blurry because when i tried to recompose the subject went out of focus)

Basically i need to know whats the best type of focusing and also i need to change my camera so i can have control over the exposure and focus separate. I think the * button does not work on my camera because when i press it the symbol doesn't come up on the view finder either.

Thanks Ben

 

[MLeeK]

RTFM.
Focus modes: One shot to focus and recompose
Canon DLC: Article: Back-Button Auto Focus Explained

 

[TCampbell]

You can go into Menu -> C.FnIV:Operation/Others -> 1 (Shutter button/AF-ON button) and pick option 2:Metering start/Meter+AF start.

That option means that half-pressing the shutter button will cause the camera to meter, but it will NOT cause the camera to focus.
Pressing the back button (the "AF-ON" button, not the "*" button) will also cause the camera to meter but will ALSO cause the camera to auto-focus.

As for the shots, looks like the lighting was a more challenging than I usually see. In several of these shots, the microphone is casting a shadow on his face. Usually there are enough lights that I don't have issues with the gear casting strong shadows like this (I usually try to find a spot to shoot where the mic wont be in the performers face and that means just a bit to one side. But you've done that and you're still getting the shadow.)

 

[Compaq]

For future concerts, ask the light dudes what they have planned for the lighting. Maybe you even can convince them to give lots of white light for the first two songs or something. I've found white, harsh blue and yellow works best. Red, purple and green - not so much. If strobes are used, those can make neat effects, and I absolutely love strobes for shooting the audience, usually those are too dark anyway, but strobes light'em up real nice.

The AF-ON button on the back is nice, and make the process easier, at least I find it does.

 

[kathyt]

When I first got my Mark II I was so mad because I hated it. Nothing was really coming together at first, but then after about a week of just shooting for me, no clients, everything just fell into place. It had a strong learning curve for me. My advice is to take it out and just keep shooting and it will start to jive.

 

[Robin_Usagani]

and you didnt have this problem before???

Also, when you shoot something like this where you have different lights turning on and off, shoot in manual mode man. No need to worry about AE lock.

 

[Village Idiot]

RTFM.
Focus modes: One shot to focus and recompose
Canon DLC: Article: Back-Button Auto Focus Explained

Which is terrible for a band that moves around a lot.

Hello =D

So last night i went out to shoot a mates band play at a local bar with my new 5D, im still trying to wrap my head around Canons AE lock and focusing. I Couldn't work out for the life of me how to lock in focus on the subjects face and re compose the photos without the subject going out of focus!
At the moment im shooting with a 50mm 1.8 and i actually shot at 1.8 which i think now i shouldn't have because of how razor sharp the DOF is. Overall i know it's my photography skills that are letting me down, i find live music photography really challenging but at the same time i like the challenge and am eager to improve so any advice or help would be much appreciated!

Here are some photos that turned out

And these were generally how the rest looked (Alot were blurry because when i tried to recompose the subject went out of focus)

Basically i need to know whats the best type of focusing and also i need to change my camera so i can have control over the exposure and focus separate. I think the * button does not work on my camera because when i press it the symbol doesn't come up on the view finder either.

Thanks Ben

Looks dark...really dark. The 5D MKII doesn't like dark and anything but the center is going to be spotty for focusing in the dark. You best bet is to bump the ISO, lower the shutter speed as much as possible and use a smaller aperture for a wider DOF. The 50 f/1.8 isn't very sharp wide open either. Test it out in a well lit room on a tripod and you'll see.

When I shoot shows, I'm shooting at venues like the 9:30 club in DC, The Recher Theatre in Towson, and Rams Head Live in Baltimore. I generally use a 17-40 f/4 and 25-70 f/2.8. Anything longer than that it usually too long and I usually shoot around f/5.6. That's with the ISO sitting around 4000. I still get usable images and there's not a big issue with DOF and sharpness. The difference is that the venues I shoot in are probably brighter. There's nothing you can do about it though and you want to work with what you have. 6400 ISO anyone?

 

[Big Mike]

In order to focus, lock and recompose, you should be in 'One Shot' AF mode. If you are in AI Servo, the camera is meant to constantly refocus so you can't recompose.

Or you could use a different AF point. But part of the problem with the 5DmkII is that the spread of points isn't very wide.

Another alternative is to go into the menu and take AF away from the shutter button and use the AF-ON button instead.

The DOF at 50mm and F1.8 can be pretty thin, but worse is that when shooting at F1.8, the image quality suffers. Most lenses (that one in particular) get a lot better when you stop them down a little bit. So shooting at F2.0 or F2.4 can give you much better quality.

 

[Niz]

Ok, what do you think would be the most reliable focusing system for this camera? On my old cam(nikon d90) i used the AE lock to lock the aperture and the shutter button to take the photo and i never had this problem of the camera auto recomposing.

Like Mike said i maybe have to take the AF away from the shutter, what do you guys think?

 

[kathyt]

Ok, what do you think would be the most reliable focusing system for this camera? On my old cam(nikon d90) i used the AE lock to lock the aperture and the shutter button to take the photo and i never had this problem of the camera auto recomposing.

Like Mike said i maybe have to take the AF away from the shutter, what do you guys think?

Yes, yes and yes.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

RTFM

and using new, unfamiliar gear in the field for important work is kind of a no-no..

its not the camera, it's just inexperience.

 

[myvinyl333]

Ok, what do you think would be the most reliable focusing system for this camera? On my old cam(nikon d90) i used the AE lock to lock the aperture and the shutter button to take the photo and i never had this problem of the camera auto recomposing.

Like Mike said i maybe have to take the AF away from the shutter, what do you guys think?

There you you went to the DARK side...