Photography at Concerts/Low Lighting

[mbh1219]

Hi, I just purchased a Canon EOS T2i and would like to use it for concert photography. Many of the venues have low lighting. Could anyone one provide some direction on the best settings to use or things I should look for to get the best pictures in these conditions? I would prefer to not use flash, but if you feel its necessary I will consider it.
Note: I have an EFS 55-250mm lens and EFS 18-55mm lens.

Thanks for your help in advance!

 

[PJL]

For shooting handheld in low lighting with no flash, you'll need "fast glass" and use higher ISO settings on your camera. By "fast glass," I mean lenses with wide apertures, probably wider than what you currently have. f/2.8 or 2.0 or lower is what you should probably aim for. If it's just club venues where you can get relatively close to the band, the Canon 50 f/1.8 is a pretty fast lens and will cost you about $100; a little faster but a hell of a lot sturdier and more reliable is the Canon 50 f/1.4, which can usually be had for under $400. There are other "fast" lenses, of course; those are just examples. If you want to get fast zooms, then you're talking some bucks.

 

[tirediron]

It depends on the use/final-quality of the desired images. If you want them for advertising/commercial work than the answer is simple: Get new equipment, yours won't cut it. If you want images for your own use, collectin, etc, than determine the highest usable ISO for your camera, set the camera to that, and shoot in shutter-priority (Tv) at the slowest speed you know that you can safely hand-hold (Probably 1/60). This should get you some decent images, but not speaking Canon, I'm not sure how high you can go with ISO.

Bear in mind that many venues consider any sort of SLR "professional" equipment and won't let you bring it in, or will ask you to leave if they see you shooting. Flash may or may not be allowed (I'm guessing "not" in most cases).

 

[gsgary]

With those lenses leave your camera at home and enjoy the music

 

[mbh1219]

I am a novice and really not looking to become a professional. Family and friends are musicians and would like to capture the moment.

I have been using the Tv mode which has produce some decent shots. My only challenges have been that the shots have come out darker than they appear through the view finder and at times come out blurry. I apologize for my ignorance, but will increasing the ISO setting to its highest of 6400 fix this?

 

[PASM]

Yes but they will look noisy at 6400. The optical viewfinder is just an 'opera glass' you look through. It's the same as your eyesight, you know The 'electronic eye' of the sensor needs more help. You can use a monopod to steady the camera but you're still presented with the same limitation: needing a shutter speed fast enough to freeze action.

If you shoot 6400ISO, try B&W. You might find apparent noise (grainyness) acceptable in monochrome.