goulden

<p>you can read my thoughts on concert photography at:<br>

http://www.aaaphotos.org/faq.htm</p>

<p>but in general the 24-70mm f2.8 lens is without a doubt the best concert lens<br>

good for low light and the right focal length for most venues from small clubs to arenas where you are in the photo pit<br>

second to that is the 70-200mm f2.8 but only in bigger venues<br /> (at very big gigs you may end up needing a 300/400mm lens if the promoter makes you stand in a fixed position at the mixing desk)<br>

and then third would be something like the 16-35 f2.8</p>

<p>this is based on my 10 years of being a concert photographer</p>

<p>F&D - slightly more colour noise in the shadows<br>

E&A - a little noise in the shadows<br>

C&B - cleanest of all, smooth with no noise</p>

<p>i could only see this when zoomed in so they filled the whole screen (2560x1440 res screen)<br>

at regular size, looking at a normal distance, images were the same</p>

<p><em>" Michael Liczbanski> Makes me wonder whether the new processors are powerful enough to deliver HD feed via HDMI port while shooting (would be awesome for focus pulling!)"</em><br>

I've connected my 5DII via a mini-HDMI cable (€8 on ebay) to a HDTV and yes, live HD works great for assistance in focusing. I'd presume the 7D can do it as well</p>

<p>there is also lots of dust in front of your camera every time you take a picture....</p>

<p>but seriously, no, don't worry about it, all lenses have dust in them and it makes no difference to the pictures you take. the 85 is a wonderful lens, enjoy it and never worry about the dust</p>

<p> </p>

<p>short answer: no<br>

whilst in film mode you can take a still photo but it will then pause the video for two seconds and then carry on with video</p>

<p>there is no 'do it all' lens for concert photography<br /> <br /> i'm a concert photographer for about 8 years now and through over 1000 bands photographed my top lenses for shooting are:</p>

<p>24-70 f2.8<br>

70-200 f2.8<br>

50mm f1.4<br>

10-22mm (though now upgraded to 16-35 f2.8 after changed to full frame)</p>

<p>Of those only the 70-200 has IS and that rarely comes into play as I'm usually working at shutter speeds close to where the persons movement is the limiting factor. Make sure you get lenses with apertures of f2.8, anything else, you'll struggle with.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>No<br>

it's easier to use, bigger viewfinder and bigger and better LCD but I have prints from my 300D, 350D, 20D, 5D and even 'film' prints and nobody who isn't a photographer has ever thought they were from different cameras<br>

Why would you scap pictures just because they are only 6MP. If a picture is good, it's good whether it was shot with a Holga, a Hasselblad, a kodak single use camera or a Canon 5DII</p>

<p> </p>

<p>i've had it happen with two 20d's - both dead shutters and yes, you could probably buy a new 40D for the same price as the repair</p>

<p> </p>

<p>i have used a 20D with 24-70 for weddings, concerts and portraits for years and it's a stunning combination.<br>

I've recently got a 5DII and now kind of miss the reach that the 20D had with the 24-70<br>

Never had focus issues or any other issue because of the combination of the two</p>

<p>what do the lenes you have not do that you want them to do and we can advise on what lens can do that</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I have a 20D and recently got the 5DmarkII and have a Sigma 105mm f2.8 macro lens which gives brilliant results on both cameras</p>

<p>Dealers in the Uk and Ireland have told me it's mid-jan when they expect stock of them</p>

<p><em>" I'm really hoping for Canon to develop a pro quality...or even 5D2 level body with about 10-12 Megapixel RAW files"</em><br>

<br /> The current 5D II can do smaller raw files if you so wish. You don't have to use the full 21MP if you don't want to<br>

<em><br /> </em></p>

<p>just y quick thought as somebody who bought a mack warranty with my 20D several years ago. After about 2years, 6 months the shutter died. I sent it to Canon, they quoted me a repair price. I gave this to Mack and a cheque was sent out straight away.<br>

Having said that, just got the new 5DII and didn't buy a mack warranty as the camera is now simply covered under business insurance</p>

the difference will be almost nothing unless you need HD video or slightly better noise at iso's of 1600 or higher

otherwise the biggest difference is lenses that you use, your post processing and practice

Why didn't you just phone them, ask for the contact in the accounts dept and send them an invoice for an amount of your choice.

Also, Ireland is not the UK and UK courts don't have any power in Ireland.

chris> what lenses do you currently use for shooting concerts? what limitations do you come up against using them?

<br><br>

For me as someone who is a music photographer primarily, alens that can open up wide is the most important thing. So for small to mid-size venues: Canon 24-70mm f2.8 lens is my main lens. (sigma do a good version of this too at a lower price)

<br><br>

Next comes the big lens, Canon 70-200f2.8IS - great if you're shooting in big venues

<br><br>

Next comes a wide angle, Not used a lot but good at bright gigs, the Canon 10-22mm

<br><br>

Finally, the lens I started on, Canon 50mm f1.4 (or 1.8) which doesn't allow zoom but is prefect for low light in small to mid-size venues

<br><br>

<br>

Some of my shots from gigs with the lenses above:

<img src = "http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3106941-lg.jpg"><br><br>

<img src = "http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3421129-lg.jpg"><br><br>

<img src = "http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/5322629-md.jpg"><br><br>

<img src = "http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3529810-lg.jpg"><br><br>

<img src = "http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3924027-lg.jpg"><br><br>

And a bit more info on concert shooting at: <a href = "http://www.AAAphotos.org/faq.htm">www.AAAphotos.org/faq.htm</a>

I'm a music photographer and my most used canon lenes for music are:

canon 24-70mm f2.8

canon 70-200 f2.8

canon 10-22mm

canon 50mm f1.4

those four lenses cover from tiny dark venues to stadium gigs

a few other tips are at: www.aaaphotos.org/faq.htm on my website

the last service on my canon 20D cost me about €400 which really is more expensive than buying a new one. so it could be fixed but isn't worth your while

i've never seen a service manual for any eos dSLR available in public

a question for the people who use bigger than just regular flashguns at weddings:

when using strobes outside for formal group portraits do you normally use a shoot through umbrella or a big

softbox. I'm not sure which will work best outdoors to evenly light groups of people from 3 to maybe 15, 20 people?

any advice you can share?

hi

I have a two head bowen setup but would like to add a couple of cheap hotshoe type flashes to work as slaves to

light up backgrounds etc.

any advice on which (and why) basic flash with manual control and a slave ability would be a good buy?

i had a mack on my 20d and i used it after 2.5 years when my canons shutter died

they paid up without quibble or delay