Indoor Baseball Banquet - Which lens to use?

[frederick_chan]

Help! I need immediate advice from this forum. I am a amature and

have been asked to take photos tonight at my son's hs baseball

banquet. The regular photographer quited the last minute.

 

I have a Canon EOs 20D, EF50mm f/1.4, EF17-40 f/4L USM, EF24-70mm

f/2.8L USM, EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, no external flash.

 

Quick questions ... 1. which lens to use? 2. Which manual or auto

settings to use?

 

Thanks,

 

Frederick

[jon_austin]

It's difficult to answer your question without knowing how close you'll be able to get to your subjects. Being limited to the on-board flash is going to significantly impact your usable flash range, not to mention increase the likelihood of red-eye, harsh shadows and the other problems associated with head-on flash located close to the lens.

 

I'd take all the lenses with me, get there early with your son, if possible, figure out where your subjects will be and what your positioning options are. Then take some test photos.

 

As for settings, I usually go with Manual and 1/60 for flash, varying the aperture from f/4 for one person, to f/5.6 for two or three people, to f/8 for groups of four or more; letting the E-TTL II take care of ensuring the appropriate amount of flash output.

 

If at all possible, experiment and check your results before the program starts!

 

Good luck!

[r._j.]

I've shot many such jobs. Without even reading your lens list, my immediate suggestion would be, firstly, 24-70 and, secondly, the 50/1.4.

 

You'll need a flash, too. The 50/1.4 will allow you to get ambient light into the pic as well.

 

"Drag the shutter" (try a shutter speed of around 1/60 - or slower if you're confident about hand holding without blur occurring) as this will retain some of the venue's evening ambience - warm light, spotlights, stage lighting (if there is any), candlelight on the dinner tables, etc.

 

Ideally, take the flash off-camera (by way of a bracket or coiled lead) as this will give a nicer overall effect than direct on-camera flash. A bounce diffuser helps as well.

 

Do not use flash on-camera with a telephoto lens (100-200mm section of a telezoom for example) as red-eye can easily occur if you are shooting from a distance. Definitely diffuse the flash, bounce it or simply take if off camera (off-axis) when using such a lens.