Band Photography Lens Needed

[addam_tron]

hello all,

 

i am looking to get a new lens that will work good for photographing bands performing. it would be great if it

works well in low light situations / street photography as well. budget is open, but would like to keep it down.

 

i have a canon 30D.

 

thanks in advance!

[apetty]

Depending on how far you are from the band, I would get a lens that has a Fstop under F2, like the 50mm F1.8 or the 85mm 1.8. They are good, fast, prime lenses. Since budget is open, you may also want to look at similar lenses in the "L" series. I cant speak from experience with those. But I have both of the primes and I like the results from them.

[jeg]

It all depends on your distance to the stage and your budget. Get a fast prime, anything from the EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM to the EF 135mm f/2 L USM is fine. I used the EF 20mm f/2.8 a lot, but the faster EF 50mm f/1.4 USM and EF 100mm f/2 USM are also among my favorites.

 

A fast super-wide zoom like the Tokina AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 is worth considering, too, especially if you can go very close to the stage. An external Speedlite is mandatory for main or fill flash and autofocus assist work. Live music photography is one of the most demanding types of photography, because of the changing lighting, moving subjects, fast action and difficult working conditions. Good luck!

[Spearhead]

I shoot bands pretty much every week, sometimes a couple nights a week. I work up close, I use the 35/2 and the 50/1.4. I carry an 85 but rarely use it. Results can be seen <a href="http://www.spirer.com/Performance/">here</a> and <a href="http://www.spirer.com/140bpm/">here</a> among other places. If you are shooting from far away, lens choice depends on how far...

[Spearhead]

Oh, and also <a href="http://www.photo.net/learn/digital-photography-workflow/overview/event-photography/">here on photo.net</a>, an article I wrote for photo.net.

[SCL]

Ah yes, the band photography lenses...they're usually more expensive than the sunny scene lenses, because they need to capture more light and therefore have more and bigger glass in them. Primes usually are less expensive than zooms, and like others have said, you will want to open them up to f2.0 and wider. The alternative is to boost your ISO, but you will also boost the noise in your shots. The closer you can get to the action, the better chance you will have to produce successful and pleasing shots.

[keaton_andrew]

the 50mm f1.8 and the 35mm f2 are solid cheap choices... well, I'd say go for the 50mm f1.4 over the 1.8. Of course, these lenses have to deal with the crop factor on the 30D. It depends on how close you'll be, I suppose.

<br><br>

I've been using the 35mm f2 for band promos lately, absolutely beautiful and sharp on a 5D. Haven't had a chance to use it at a live show yet, but I know it'd be pretty solid.

[JDMvW]

On a 30D, the 50 will be a short telephoto, and you can pump up the ISO and still have acceptable pictures unless

you are perfectionist (in which case you need to by one of the 1D series anyhow).

 

A nice 90 or 100mm f/2.8 (macro) lens will be a slightly slower, but significantly longer telephoto on the 30D

for the shots the 50mm won't reach to. A nice f/2.8 zoom covering this sort of range will be even more useful,

but considerably more expensive, especially if you go for the Image Stabilization, which is even nicer.

[asher]

The occasional times that I've shot bands I've found the 35-50mm focal lengths to be most useful, i.e. fast primes on a full frame body. I shot a jazz group in NYC with a 35mm f2 lens, ISO 400, got right up close & under. Shooting tele from afar can work, but the images just don't seem to have the same sweat and grime, at least my tele shots didn't do it for me.

[Spearhead]

Asher's got it. Short lenses allow you to work inside, get close to the action, and feel it rather than snap it from a distance. I've been doing this for years and only used a lens longer than 50mm when shooting from a balcony for effect. When I was using a 1.6 body, it was a 20 and 35, now with a 1.3 body, it's 35 and 50.

[markonestudios]

I would also go for a wide and normal prime for band work (20 f/2.8, 35 f/2 and 50 f/1.8). You might also want to consider a superwide like the 17-55 EF-S. It's slower than any of the other primes mentioned, but it allows you to get those really up-close shots as well as group shots in tight places when necessary...

[sloopjohne]

Agreed with all the others above, Addam:

 

Fast wides are the way to go for shooting bands on stage --or anything else on stage-- under low and/or unpredictable lighting.

 

My basic lens kit with my 40D and/or EOS 1v (when the spirit moves me to indulge in shooting Tri-X and/or TMax 3200) is: EF 20mm f/2.8, EF 28mm f/1.8, EF 50mm f/1.4, and EF 100mm f/2.

 

On some occasions, esp. when I want shallow DOF and/or nice bokeh (and there's enough light!), I'll take along my EF 200mm f/2.8.

 

Here are some recent samples: http://www.pbase.com/sloopjohne/j_factor_photos

 

Good luck!

[nate_kinnee]

If you haven't read it already, here's another article from photo.net that I would think is essential: http://www.photo.net/learn/concerts/mirarchi/concer_i

[mary_s2]

I've been photographing bands for 10 years. My favorite lenses are the 50mm f1.2, the 85mm f1.2 and the 200mm f2.8. Unfortunately many venues are switching to using LED lights to save energy and they are almost impossible to make great photos with. They emit much less light than the old stage lights. For this reason I'm getting out of band photography. Best of luck.