Low light photography

[brdy]

Sorry.. I live were nearest place you can rent lenses from is about 4,000 km away and I have access to only one shop that has a very limited range of lenses at ridiculous prices.
I have never had a DSLR before and part of my research technique is to ask dumb questions.

I am trying to get a handle on what lenses can be used for what.

What lens would you use on a APS-c sensor camera like Canon 7D or 60D in an inside low light environment like restaurant or club , theatre stage show…. where flash is not allowed and you want to capture say a person on stage who is moving around a bit. And can get within say 15-20 meters of subject. What would be the ideal lens.

 

[Lambo77]

50mm 1.4

 

[dxqcanada5]

85mm f/1.8

 

[tirediron]

200 f2

 

[dxqcanada5]

135mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar

 

[Ron Evers]

135mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar

I think I will get one as soon as my next pension cheque comes in.

 

[table1349]

Two rules for low light shooting in this order.
Rule #1. Have fast glass. Focal length is a matter of choice. A bunch of people have offered different focal lengths with out knowing what working distance you will be restricted to. You will need to pick a focal length or range of focal lengths suitable to your needs.
Fast glass is anything with an f stop of at least f 2.8. One hard fast rule about fast glass is that they faster the glass the more expensive it is in comparison to other similar lenses. Example, Canon makes 3 versions of the 50mm. The 50mm f1.8, the 50mm f1.4 and the 50mm f1.2. The 1.8 is the slowest and cheapest in construction thus it is the cheapest of the three. The 1.4 is a nice middle ground both in speed and construction at about 3-4 X the price of the 1.8. The 1.2 is a very fast lens that is also a specialized lens with top quality build and an enormous price.

Rule #2. Bump up the ISO as needed to get the shutter speed needed to freeze action and counter act hand shake.

If you turn the rules around or ignore rule #1 you will always be bumping the ISO up further than if you had fast glass causing an increase in the noise in your image.

 

[AverageJoe]

A lot of lenses thrown out here but no explanation. If you notice what people are suggesting for lenses you'll notice two big things, focal length (measured in millimeters or mm) and an aperture value (measured in f stops). You'll want a focal length that brings you to the action you wish to capture and an aperture value that allows for taking in lots of light (f2 or f2.8).

To better answer your question, how close will you be to your subjects? do you require the ability to zoom in?

 

[dxqcanada5]

brdy stated "can get within say 15-20 meters of subject".

 

[table1349]

Head shots, half body shots, whole body shots, crowd shots? It all plays into the mix of choosing that focal length. While brdy mentioned capturing on action on a stage he also mentioned restaurants, clubs etc. If there was any one perfect lens we would all have it.