lens help, tips, what would you do??

[ket2785]

Hello guys,

I am lucky enough to have some passes for some well known artists coming up in the near future. Here is a little bit of a background to my experience, I started shooting in bars etc, made my way onto tribute bands and theatres (bigger audiences), now working for a publication.

I understand that I require fast lenses, but I only really have one which is the 35mm af-s f1.8, I also own a nikon 70-300mm VR F3.5-5.6 and the 18-55 kit lens. one or two of the concerts I am shooting will be outdoors in daylight (evening but in summer) so good light so I was thinking that the 18-55 and the 70-300 will perform quite well anyway. The others are going to be with less light as they are indoors (wembley arena and Indigo2). So.... the 35mm f1.8 will be good for those however, I dont have the zoom capabilities. Ideally I would like to purchase a 2.8 zoom but I am not rich and they can be costly, any advice for me? What would you do in this situation? I have the lenses to get close ups but they are not very fast in low light. Renting is an option but the costs will add up quickly with the amount of concerts I ams hooting.

Thanks everyone in advance ;-)​

 

[Trever1t]

did you really feel the need to post the same question in 3 sections of this forum?

 

[djacobox372]

What body do you have?

If it's an older body like a d40,80, 200, you may see more low light performance improvement from a body upgrade then a lens. Of course both would be ideal.

Since your subjects aren't fast moving you may want to consider a 80-200mm 2.8 af-d. The single ring version of this lens can be had for $375-500. The only down side is a slow focusing speed compared to af-s versions. Optically the 80-200mm is better then the 70-200mm (in my opinion)

 

[KmH]

did you really feel the need to post the same question in 3 sections of this forum?

Which is also a violation of TPF rules/regs. Photography Forum & Digital Photography Forum FAQ

.....Do not cross-post messages in multiple forums in an effort to gain attention......

 

[Texas Parrothead]

What body do you have?

If it's an older body like a d40,80, 200, you may see more low light performance improvement from a body upgrade then a lens. Of course both would be ideal.

Since your subjects aren't fast moving you may want to consider a 80-200mm 2.8 af-d. The single ring version of this lens can be had for $375-500. The only down side is a slow focusing speed compared to af-s versions. Optically the 80-200mm is better then the 70-200mm (in my opinion)

I see you have the D5000 listed in your profile. I would say +1 to djacobox and if you can upgrade the body to D7000 and get the faster 2.8 glass.

not sure you have the budget for both though.......by the way, what is your budget?