best lens for hospital delivery room/OR

<p>I have a Canon xTi, a Canon 85mm, a Canon 55-250mm, and the kit lens. I am the only person in our family who knows very much about photography (and I am only a novice at best). I tend to be responsible for all family events. Since I will be the one having a baby, I am going to have to depend on someone else (ACK). My husband is not the best photographer. He tends to over think every photo and because of that may get 2 or 3 photos of an entire event. I would hire a professional, however, I am quite certain this will be a c-section and only the spouse is allowed in the OR. I don't want to give up on good pictures of one of the most important days of my life though so it's the hubby or nothing. :)<br>

I feel quite certain my 85, which would get the best shots, wouldn't work in tight spaces. I definitely don't want him using the kit lens, and the 55-250 wouldn't work good in lower light (or tight spaces). <br>

I am willing to buy or rent a better lens to ensure the best shots possible. Does anyone know of a good lens that is foolproof (LOL, poor hubby), short range enough in case the OR is tight, but still good in low/hospital light? <br>

Thanks,<br>

Kelly</p>

<p>Congratulations!<br>

The Baby I mean, not the Hubby! It does help to have both though! He may very well end up "passed out" on the delivery room/OR floor! Maybe one of the staff will grab the xTi and get a shot of that as well!<br>

Only kidding!</p>

<p>The 85mm may be a little long and the 55-250 and kit lens probably not very good in low light or room lighting. I don't know if you will be able to use any flash in the delivery/OR.</p>

<p>I would suggest the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 AF SP XR Di II LD IF, with or without the "VC" or Image Stabilization.</p>

<p>As the "Hubby" is not the Family Photographer, consider setting the xTi on one of the "auto" modes and let him "fire away."</p>

<p>Perhaps you can rent a lens for this special event. Since you own a cropped sensor camera, and because spaceis pretty confined in the delivery room, maybe a 24 mm or 35 mm would be good.</p>

<p>For a non-photographer husband, the suggestion of the Tamron 17-50 is a good one. If you can spring for the VC/Image Stabilization model, I'd recommend it.</p>

<p>A less expensive option, but still having image stabilization, would be the Sigma 17-70 OS (OS & VC are both forms of Image Stabilization).</p>

<p> Light in an OR is going to be much stronger than a delivery room. The kit lens might be enough, but I wouldn't risk it without knowing the light levels. I'd go for renting something a Sigma 30/1.4.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I agree, renting a Sigma 30/1.4 or a Canon 35/2 would be ideal. Chances are that it's a lens you'd want to keep since it's very rewarding when photographing small ones. Or how about a flash? Tell your hubby, with some emphasis, to use Full Auto and point the flash towards the ceiling for every single shot and you're likely to get at least a fair number of keepers.</p>

<p>I too vote for the Tamron 17-50 2.8 and if you can I would add a flash ( bounced diffused ) Or just rent a Canon 17-55 2.8 IS</p>

<p>Based on my experience as a father present during a c-section twenty years ago:<br>

The father is constrained to stand by the mother's head and there is a drape he can see over but she can't. Once the incision is made the action happens very quickly and the baby is whisked away to have the APGAR measurements done and be cleaned up. So a continuous shutter mode would be good with a high ISO and an aperture selected for wide DOF.</p>

<p>I suggest going back to the start. for a person who knows little about photography, an XTi on fully automatic might do, but certainly no lens changes.</p>

<p>Even though I was the father, not the child-bearer, I personally found a decent fully automatic, zoom-lens point and shoot to work best in the fairly stressful situation of the birthing room. That was before anything digital, but the principle still holds. Get your husband the P&S, it will also be handy once the kid starts scooting about. You can just keep it with the baby kit. Have you got the van yet?</p>

<p>Congratulations and best wishes.</p>

<p>When stuff is happening fast, and the adrenalin is pumping, and it's YOUR child who is entering the world (whether yours or his), it's SO easy for even a good photographer to mess up the shots. Is it possible to perch a video camera on a tripod to catch what your husband doesn't?</p>

<p>Regarding a lens and camera for your husband, I'd say it MUST be a zoom, because he won't have time to change lenses, and he won't necessarily have any choice in where to stand. He might be by your side, but if stuff gets complicated, he might be shoved aside to another location. If ever there was a place for a zoom lens, this would be it.</p>

<p>Al's experience with the father at the head and a drape obscuring the womb is consistent with what I remember from 2 C-sections roughly 20 years ago.</p>

<p>My best advice to you, as someone once fairly close to an obstetric community, is that you should not stress too much on getting photos. This is for two reasons. The first is that too much will be going on, and you and your husband don't need the stress and distraction of a major photo op. Sure, take photos, but keep it simple. The second reason is that it can throw the doctors and nurses out of their routine. They are highly practiced at what they do, and if they stick to their routine, they do it well. Whenever they have to step outside their routine, mistakes can happen.</p>

<p>If I were you, and if photos really matter to you, I'd hire someone to do the shoot (or even beg a favor from a friend who's good with cameras). That will free you and your husband up to do what you need to do. If you do go to a C-section, I'd hand off a camera to one of the nurses and ask for a snap or two at the big moment -- everything full automatic / dummy mode. If it's a slow day/night, there's often an extra person or two in the room who can do that for you. Don't distract the doctor and nurses with flash. Use natural light. There will be plenty of it under the surgical lamp! Shoot in RAW, so that none of the mistakes of the shoot are engraved into stone. Center-weight your metering (for the best exposure on your child -- where each frame will be centered).</p>

<p>Breathe!</p>

<p>Get the epidural if you need it!</p>

<p>Good luck to you, your husband, and your little one! :-)</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I'd suggest a wide prime. That way you can get more in the frame, it will be fast enough in case you don't want to use flash, and it will be more affordable than a f/2.8 prime.</p>

<p>The canon ef 35mm f2.0 (or the 24/2.8) and a Canon 430EX flash</p>

<p>As you said this is a very spacial moment so why go cheap For weddings I only use Canon L-series lens. For your Canon Xti, the only lens I would use in this situation would be to rent the Canon 16-35 F2.8L. Hubby Proof. That lens even when you take a bad picture they still look great. Put your camera on auto or aperture priority open it up to F2.8 point and shoot to let the lens and camera do the rest for you. This is a heavy lens, but designed for close focus shooting and low light situations. As a low price option it would hurt to get the nifty 50 1.8 which would be the same as your 85 on a Full Frame Camera. The 85 on your camera is like a 135 way too long for the situation. The 50 1.8 only cost $90 and will work in almost any light. It is small very light and again full proof as it can gather so much light. </p>

<p>I'm curious. DO you know if a non sterilized camera will even be allowed in an operating room? Where masks and gloves and sterile gowns have to be worn by the father. When my wife had her C section I can't imagine them having allowed a camera into the room that wasn't hospital equipment.<br>

having attended 2) births one natural one C section and having been at the birth of my grand daughters (my wife was in the birthing room my daughter by the way was a Navy Corpsman and is currently a Nurse. And there had to be 3-4 people in the room at the time of the birth. No one took photo's of the actual birth no one wanted to gross anyone out that much.<br>

My wife is an accomplished photographer. And had her Canon G3 with her for both the granddaughters.<br>

Now within 10min of the births half a dozen of us were in the room with cameras. But by then the required work on the new borns was done and they were ready for their Pulbic.<br>

I would sure check with the Hospital about dragging a camera into surgery.</p>

<p><br />An F/2.8 lens <strong><em>might be too slow even at ISO1600. </em></strong><em></em>(yes we might expect bright lights in some areas, but not others - like on the Mum's face for example)<strong><em> </em></strong><br />I would rent the 24L. . . it is the fastest, widest Canon lens: and those are the two criterion for this task - <strong><em>fast</em></strong> and <strong><em>wide</em></strong>.<br /><br />WW<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>

<p>sorry, in my post above, I meant a wide prime would be as fast or faster and more affordable than a f/2.8 *zoom.*</p>

<p>[[ I'd hand off a camera to one of the nurses and ask for a snap or two at the big moment -- everything full automatic / dummy mode]]</p>

<p>When I was in the OR with my wife 2 months ago for the delivery (via C-section) of our second child, one of the nurses offered to take pictures for us immediately after the birth. I was busy staying behind the curtain with my wife. Following the initial check/APGAR test, I was able to come around the sheet to see and photograph my daughter.</p>

<p>I had with me the Canon 500D and the 35mm f/2. The OR was well lit and the 35mm was fine (in terms of field of view), as I was only photographing my daughter on the warming table.</p>

<p>The same nurse then photographed my wife seeing our daughter for the first time. The 35mm was a good fit there as well (given the layout of the room, plus equipment, and cords, and other staff, etc.</p>

<p>If the staff had not been as accommodating, or if the room had been laid out differently, or if I had wanted to photograph my daughter before the APGAR test, the 35mm would have been the wrong choice. A zoom like the 17-50 would have been a better choice. Flash would be an unnecessary distraction, I would not recommend it.</p>

<p>So, while I felt comfortable with the 35mm f/2, I don't believe that's the right choice for someone unsure of photography. I really do think a large aperture zoom is the better choice for your husband here. And you'll get a nice upgrade from the standard Canon kit lens to boot.</p>

<p>[[DO you know if a non sterilized camera will even be allowed in an operating room? Where masks and gloves and sterile gowns have to be worn by the father. When my wife had her C section I can't imagine them having allowed a camera into the room that wasn't hospital equipment.]]</p>

<p>The hospital staff, prior to the surgery, made sure we were bringing a camera into the OR. I would be surprised if one were not allowed in, but different hospitals certainly could have different policies.</p>

<p>For a non-photog who is not rapid fire shooter, I think a kit (slow) 18-50mm lens would be fine. I do not think flash really matters there he takes 5-10 shots. Now a more professional shooter who will take 50 frames, probably should avoid flash. Don't drop the camera :)<br>

But how about some HD video? You can get reasonable little prints and web pics and the video may be much more telling for this event if shot by a non-pro photog and least for the OR action ... The pics of a baby can be taken with a real camera a little later.<br>

HTH</p>

<p>WOW thank you all for all the wonderful opinions and advise! </p>

<p>I'm fairly certain a camera will be allowed in the OR but I plan to check to make absolute sure (before I agree to a c-section ha ha..who says health and safety comes first? before PHOTOGRAPHS? lol j/k). I have seen some AMAZING shots on Flickr of people's sections. I'm not sure I want the actual surgery part shot, but I would love to have moments afterward when the baby is lifted up away from the incision. Just looking at some of these shots of c-sections, mid-process, makes me woozy and it isn't even my own belly. They are amazing shots though. </p>

<p>Just to chime in - I thought I was a tough guy and could handle anything. I helped my wife with our first child born "naturally" and did fine. Not some much though with the second child that needed an emergency C-section. I was sitting with her behind the drape. I think smells and possibly anxiety were too much - I had to step out of the OR or I would have passed out. Once on the outside of the room I could watch through a window and got some shots with a P&S. Out there I was absolutely fine even though now I could see the cutting and the blood, etc. yet that didn't bother me. As a mechanic I'm used to burns and cuts - heck, I even got 7 stitches in my forehead without anesthesia. So who knows for sure how your husband will react.<br>

Just thought I would post my experience as it might go the same way. LOL.</p>

<p>If you could get a nurse to grab a few shots with a P&S and your husband with the DSLR, I think that would be a great idea. </p>

<p>I told myself that if no one else suggested this lens I would so, with apologies, here it is: a lensbaby!</p>

<p>Congratulations! all the best. cb :-)</p>

<p>28 mm f2.8 should be great. Its fairly fast, wide for crop sensor, light and plenty sharp. Any thing longer and your hubby will have a hard time composing. Mine came out great with the 40D. </p>

<p>I side with JDM and Jay, and would use a P&S set on fully auto rather than thinking about DSLR & lenses. The "window of opportunity" is brief and the simpler the better. I'd go one step further and get a waterproof P&S. As this is a Canon forum, perhaps the PowerShot D10? That way you can use it at bath time, baby swimming lessons, etc.! Best wishes, Jeff </p>

<p><em><strong>"28 mm f2.8 should be great. . . .Mine came out great with the 40D"</strong></em><br>

<br>

(Just reiterating and expanding my point about F/2.8 lenses shooting sans flash – I am not picking on your opinion, per se)<br>

<br>

What ISO did you use in the 40D shots when you were at the <strong><em>lowest EV scenario</em></strong>?<br>

<br>

This goes to my point about the camera the OP's Husband will be using (and my assumption that <strong ><em >he will be reliant upon the TTL meter for "accurate" exposure</em></strong>).<br>

<br>

Opinions vary: but, IMO our 400D shooting under incandescent room lights, performs "OK at ISO400", "Not bad at ISO800" and needs “very accurate work at ISO1600”. <br>

<br>

I do not believe that the 400D has intermediate ISO settings. <br>

<br>

Also our 400D is a little sluggish AF with f/2.8 lenses (in low light) - though I have not used the 28/2.8 on it.<br>

<br>

The 400D's Auto WB is poor in low level room light, I suggest you shoot RAW, or RAW + JPEG(L)<br>

<br>

WW </p>

<p > </p>

 

<p> The lighting in an OR is bright and most likely fluorescent. The operating spotlights used to focus on the operative field can be very bright relative to the room light. This is mostly tungsten. That said, I find that there is some color cast but mostly auto white balance compensates on the fly. I have lately used the Canon G11 and it gives me operative photos at settings f4 and 1/160. I have used the Nikon D200 f6.3 and 1/125 again on auto. In the operating room in general I have a shot of my assistant at f5.3 1/80 ISO 140 and 95mm focal length on the zoom. The spots tend to give you bright spots and light falls off rapidly from the illuminated field. It would probably be best to zoom in on the action closely rather than wide angle as the exposure will be mostly over exposed for the surrounding less bright area. You could use flash but this might be distracting to the operating team.<br>

You need to check with the OR team as to whether they will allow a camera during the delivery. I should think that your husband will be too excited with the birth to really be the one to photograph the event. There is plenty of time after your baby is cleaned up to get the shots that you will eventually want to show everyone including your newborn. And yes, these days I have a camera available all the time for operative photos. Either I recruit a member of the team or else I put on an extra pair of sterile gloves and get the shots myself. With the ability to review on the spot, you can check exposure and focus so that there is very little regret during editing.<br>

Birthing is not terribly photogenic. Heaven knows my family has laughed over the crazy pictures I have taken in the past. And, I can even picture you directing the shoot as the obstetrician works. Don't. Still, I have some doubt as to how intimate you want the pictures to get concerning the anatomy involved. I'm thinking that the C-section will mostly be a red operative field and then the baby's head. By and large it might be a fairly messy operative field that most folks would not save the pictures as keepsakes.<br>

Still keeping the shots tight or cropping in post process will make the best overall photos. If your husband is allowed to photograph he will probably have a chance to photograph away from the operative field. This might mean he is 6-8 ft away. In that case your choice of a wide angle lens is probably wrong. I don't think your husband will be close enough in the operating room to utilize the wide angle. I would estimate that somewhere around 100mm would work. The Canon 55-250 would likely be the best choice. There is definitely enough light that an f2.8 lens is unnecessary.<br>

As others have posted, the best shots are really after the birth when your newborn has been wrapped up and cleaned up for his/her intro. Congratulations on your happy event.</p>