Which lens for concert photography? Sigma 30mm f/1.4 or Sigma 20mm f/1.8

[roxxan23]

I have the 50mm f/1.8 lens which has been great for concerts, but I want something wider to catch more action on the stage. I generally go to smaller club shows, so the 50mm is great for only getting one person on stage at a time...

Should I go for the 20mm that has the same f stop as the 50mm I have, or go for the 30mm which won't get as much action in the shot, but will be better for light? The price difference isn't so bad, $489 for the 30mm and $629 for the 20mm. How much different is that 10mm anyway?

 

[shaunly]

I have the 50mm f/1.8 lens which has been great for concerts, but I want something wider to catch more action on the stage. I generally go to smaller club shows, so the 50mm is great for only getting one person on stage at a time...

Should I go for the 20mm that has the same f stop as the 50mm I have, or go for the 30mm which won't get as much action in the shot, but will be better for light? The price difference isn't so bad, $489 for the 30mm and $629 for the 20mm. How much different is that 10mm anyway?

I'm curious, what body are you using? I'd go with the 20mm, that way you have much more coverage. Going from a 50>30 isn't significantly wider.

 

[Stutterfly]

I'd go for mid-range zoom instead.

 

[roxxan23]

I have the 50mm f/1.8 lens which has been great for concerts, but I want something wider to catch more action on the stage. I generally go to smaller club shows, so the 50mm is great for only getting one person on stage at a time...

Should I go for the 20mm that has the same f stop as the 50mm I have, or go for the 30mm which won't get as much action in the shot, but will be better for light? The price difference isn't so bad, $489 for the 30mm and $629 for the 20mm. How much different is that 10mm anyway?

I'm curious, what body are you using? I'd go with the 20mm, that way you have much more coverage. Going from a 50>30 isn't significantly wider.

Thanks for the input! I have a Canon Rebel T2i.

 

[Village Idiot]

I have the 50mm f/1.8 lens which has been great for concerts, but I want something wider to catch more action on the stage. I generally go to smaller club shows, so the 50mm is great for only getting one person on stage at a time...

Should I go for the 20mm that has the same f stop as the 50mm I have, or go for the 30mm which won't get as much action in the shot, but will be better for light? The price difference isn't so bad, $489 for the 30mm and $629 for the 20mm. How much different is that 10mm anyway?

A lot. At the wider end, the focal length difference gets a lot more noticable per mm. A 10mm lens vs. a 20mm lens will be very noticable where the difference between a 300mm lens and a 310mm lens won't. And f/1.4 vs. f/1.8 is only 2/3 of a stop. What venues are you shooting at? When shooting, I'll sometimes shoot with a 17-40 @ f/4-f/5.6 with 1600 ISO, because the stage lights are so bright, that I don't need to always shoot wide open.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Canon 28mm f/1.8 or Sigma 30mm f/1.4. I have a friend with the 20mm f/1.8 and it's a dog on his 5DII, i can't imagine how pathetic it would be on an 18mp sensor..