Noob - need quick settings for concert photographs ! [Archive]

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leehal

28th of July 2004 (Wed), 16:19

Hello all,

Great forum !

Just got my new setup, I have a EOS 300D with a standard 18 - 55mm lens and a EF 70 -200mm 1:4 USM lens.

I am taking some photographs of a band for the website I do for them and I have been advised to set my camera as follows :-

ISO 1600
Shutter speed of 1/200 second to avoid camera shake at the longer end.

In manual mode I can set the sensitivity to 1600 but I do not know how to change the shutter speed.

Anyone know a good FAQ or quick learn site, the gig is on Friday night and I need to be able to do this for then. After that I will sit down and study the guides etc in detail !

Also, anyone have any comments on the proposed settings, the gig is in a marquee so I am not even sure that it will be a 'dark' concert.

Cheers,

Lee

http://www.johnandwayne.com

c0ntr0lz

28th of July 2004 (Wed), 16:29

how well lit will it be?
if it's not dark then you won't have to crank the camera up.

leehal

28th of July 2004 (Wed), 16:45

I won't really know until I get there, I guess it is just going to be trial and error - will have to think fast, only a 30 minute set !

robertwgross

28th of July 2004 (Wed), 16:59

...
In manual mode I can set the sensitivity to 1600 but I do not know how to change the shutter speed.

Anyone know a good FAQ or quick learn site, the gig is on Friday night and I need to be able to do this for then.

I would suggest a reading of the owners manual for that camera. It is the most foolproof.

---Bob Gross---

midnightvue

28th of July 2004 (Wed), 17:46

You should pick up a 50mm 1.8. It's under $100 and works great for low light situation.

leehal

29th of July 2004 (Thu), 00:34

DocFrankenstein

29th of July 2004 (Thu), 00:36

You should pick up a 50mm 1.8. It's under $100 and works great for low light situation.

leehal

29th of July 2004 (Thu), 04:12

I have managed to get a lens (in the UK), if I am happy with the results I may post a couple of pics !

Thanks for the advice. :D

RichardtheSane

29th of July 2004 (Thu), 11:03

Having done a couple of concerts with my 10D I can maybe offer a bit of advice...

Firstly... get as close to the front as possible... the 50mm F1.8 is a great lens for this and lets plenty of light in! Keep your shutter speed as high as possible... but if possible try to go to ISO 800. Because gigs are difficult to expose for you might have to adjust the exposure in post processing, and the lower the ISO the less extra noise you might get.

Finally. Shoot RAW. It may eat memory cards a bit more... but you may think me for that after the gig :D :D

leehal

29th of July 2004 (Thu), 12:10

I have changed my firmware and can now shoot up to 3200.

I am confused (not a one for reading instructions !) - if I set my camera to manual, I can only adjust the following :-

ISO Speed (aim for 800 ?)
Exposure setting
With a 1.8 lens the camera takes care of the relevant settings eg 1.8 ?

Starting to panic a bit, think its all going to go wrong !

timmyquest

29th of July 2004 (Thu), 12:13

I dont recomend using ISO 3200

Just shoot in AV mode at ISO 800 or 1600.

If you have the 50mm f/1.8 i'd shoot from 2.0-2.8.

I really think you've got little to worry about.

leehal

29th of July 2004 (Thu), 12:18

Sorry to sound thick (again :shock: ).

How do I set to 2.0 - 2.8 in manual mode ?

timmyquest

29th of July 2004 (Thu), 12:27

Sorry to sound thick (again :shock: ).

How do I set to 2.0 - 2.8 in manual mode ?

Hold the "AV +/-" button while moving the dial wheel left/right.

I still recomend shooting in AV mode though..

After that, you may want to check out that little book that came with your camera :wink:

Olegis

29th of July 2004 (Thu), 12:34

I dont recomend using ISO 3200
Just shoot in AV mode at ISO 800 or 1600.

I don't recommend shooting in Av. The lighting during concerts changes so frequently that the camera light metering system may be easily fooled into over- or under-exposure. As soon as the show begins - try to determine the best exposure values by shooting a few test-shots in a Manual mode and looking at the results (don't forget to check out the histogram). The main problem at the concerts is the lighting on the leading singer / band member - he / she is almost always well-lit, while the rest of the stage is pretty dim.
I recently shot a concert with a 10D and EF 70-200 f/2.8L. My setting were - Manual mode with shutter speed of 1/200s and aperture of f/2.8, ISO 1600, AWB. You can see some photographs here (http://www.pbase.com/olegis/rita__live_in_caesaria&page=all).
One more word of advice - seriously think about purchasing some sort of noise-removal software, you'll need it for the high ISO values you're going to use at the concerts. I use the Noise Ninja - highly recommended !

Pekka

29th of July 2004 (Thu), 12:53

In my gallery http://photography-on-the.net/gallery/list.php?exhibition=12 every photo has detailed settings included. Basically open up the lens and shoot as fast (high ISO) as you dare. Shoot AI servo with Mark II (45 point with expansion) if there is any stage movement - it works for most other situations, too, I've really learned to like it! I shoot mostly in Av mode and always with RAW format.

Jesper

29th of July 2004 (Thu), 13:11

Here's a tutorial. It talks about film etc. but the same applies to digital cameras.

http://www.photo.net/photo/canon/mirarchi/concert/concer_i

leehal

30th of July 2004 (Fri), 04:16

Thanks for all your help and advice, much appreciated. :D

mourningshadow

30th of July 2004 (Fri), 09:01

Pekka awsome shots man, I am so jealous, those shots of Tarja are divine, then again Tarja is just divine now isn't she. Are you into that music or was it just a job?

leehal

1st of August 2004 (Sun), 05:45

Well here are the reults, it was a lot brighter than I thought it was going to be which threw me :?

http://www.johnandwayne.com/test1.html
http://www.johnandwayne.com/test2.html
http://www.johnandwayne.com/test3.html

Don't be too harsh on me !

Olegis

1st of August 2004 (Sun), 07:37

Is that it ? three photographs ? :)
As a matter of fact, in my eyes the direct angle shots are less interesting than the ones shot from sides / below / above. The technical aspect was OK, the exposures were good and the color were natural.

leehal

1st of August 2004 (Sun), 07:47

I took nearly 80 photos, just need to do the webpages for them !

Took photos from all angles, just chose 3 random ones.

leehal

1st of August 2004 (Sun), 13:34

They are all uploaded now http://www.johnandwayne.com/maryport.html

Ogrt48

1st of August 2004 (Sun), 14:08

That girl is cute..

leehal

1st of August 2004 (Sun), 14:13

Not sure where you live, but she is on at the Edinburgh Festival singing with 'The Singing Playwrights' aka Willy Russell & Tim Firth.

Kabz

1st of August 2004 (Sun), 16:11

www.pbase.com/kabz8869/opeth

flash used in a couple by accident.
rest: ISO 100-200 No flash taken with Canon S50
and none touched up with any photo editing software whatsoever.

Olegis

2nd of August 2004 (Mon), 01:03

In a picture like this one - http://www.johnandwayne.com/maryport22.html - the fill flash (even the on-camera one) would do a great favor to illuminate the singer.
All the pictures seem to me pretty much straightforward. Try to use different angles, change your distance to the singer / band / stage - if possible of course. Also try not include the stage lighting sources in the background - they distract the viewers attention and fool the camera lighting meter.

leehal

2nd of August 2004 (Mon), 02:03

Samiad

2nd of August 2004 (Mon), 06:22

(I know the event has passed but thought I would post this anyway)

The advice I would give is to monitor light levels ALL the time, most concerts start when there is plenty of light and quickly lose light. Keep on top of things by consistently setting your Tv and Av settings to within acceptable regions. Also, manipulate ISO levels in the same way (no point going to ISO 800 if you can get a shutter speed of 1/1000 or more).

Check! The histogram! Use it as a tool and remember that not every photo is meant to have that perfect hill in the middle of the histogram - if you're taking photos of dark objects that are SUPPOSED to be dark (like a concert background), then the histo is going to be concentrated on the left!

Here's a photo I took at a recent festival.

http://www.samiad.co.uk/gallery/photos/10D/golemsystem.jpg

Olegis

2nd of August 2004 (Mon), 06:34

Olegis,

Thanks for the comments - I didn't have a clue what to do with the lighting conditions, I have been considering buying a flash.

As for positions I was trying not to tread on toes !

Next time I will shoot for a shorter period and be a little more forward with my positioning whilst trying not to upset people.
.

You can try and shoot from one of the stage sides without getting in the line of sight of other viewers - that is of course if you can move inside the place. If you can't - try to rent some high-quality bright zoom (Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L would do the job very nicely), it will give you a great flexibility in shooting full-body shots as well as closeups.