What's the difference?

[sj022698]

I have the digital eos rebel with the standard EF-S 18-55 MM kit lens. I am wanting to take photos of concerts, sports, etc....... What is the difference between a zoom lens and a telephoto lens? How important is the image stablizer? I don't have much to spend. For this type of photo taking do I need to get a telephoto or a zoom lens. I want to be able to take a photo of the entire band and the backdrop without it blurring. Please help. Any suggestions of lenses are also welcomed.

Thanks,
Justin

[tim]

You need a fast lens (ie large aperture) as lighting is usually low and flash will ruin the shot. The 50 or 85 mm lenses around F1.8 will probably be pretty good, depending on where you are - right by the stage or further back in the crowd.

Zoom lenses are lenses that let you turn a dial and the pic gets bigger and smaller. Telephoto lenses are ones that have high magnification. Eg a 100-400mm lens is a zoom telephoto.

IS will help with camera shake, but for taking photos of people on stage it's probably not going to be a big issue, you need a fast shutter speed anyway.

My recommendation: 50mm F1.8 lens, around $75 new.

[sj022698]

At the concerts I would be sitting pretty far away. So, would the 50mm F1.8 lens still work? So this would be good for sporting events as well correct? Is there any lenses that would work better for being far away?

Also, I have looked at the macro 1,2,and 3 kits? Are they any good for portraits? Would I use it with the 18-55 or the 50mm? Or do you have any other suggestions for detail and portraits.

Thanks,
Justin

[glangston]

Assuming these are night-time, get close and use the flash with the lens you have. If you're trying to do this during daytime concerts then it would be possible to get shots with a telephoto and a tripod.

You have a zoom, a wide angle zoom. Telephotos can be fixed or zooms. You might want to rent a telephoto to determine if it can do what you want or at least take the camera in and hook it up to a rental zoom and take a look.

[tim]

The 50mm lens probably wouldn't be great if you were a distance away. The best bet is to try to get closer. You can get fast (ie low F number) lenses that are longer, but they get pretty expensive. I've no idea what a macro 1,2,3 kit is - give us a link to them perhaps, but in general a macro lens isn't great for telephoto work.

Using a flash at a concert would ruin the mood, I don't suggest that approach.

Renting's a good idea.

[sj022698]

Well, the concerts would mainly be during the day. If I'm 150 feet away would the 50mm f.1 work for that to get a photo of the entire band on stage?


What about the canon 75-300 III?

[tim]

I don't think the 50mm F1.8 will be long enough if you're that far away. The 75-300 IS is an ok consumer lens, the 100-300 is meant to be a little better but doesn't have IS. You can look at lens reviews here (http://www.photographyreview.com/Lenses/PSC_3787crx.aspx).

Best wait for someone who does that sort of thing regularly to show up and offer you some advice.

[sj022698]

I also would be using it for long distance to short distance things. Do you think the 75-300 would be alright for the average user? Sorry so many questions. I'm new to this. I'm just looking for something I can get distant photos with beside my 18-55.

[sj022698]

Or should I spend the extra and go to the 100-300? Is there a specific model to look for or to stay away from?

[tim]

Have a look at the reviews on the site I gave you a link to earlier. There are a huge number of lenses, all suitable for different purposes and budgets. The 75-300 III doesn't review well, you'd probably be better off with the Sigma 70-300 (or 75-300, I forget) Super Macro II APO. I had one but returned it because it wasn't suitable for night shots, which I wanted, but might suit you pretty well.

[Fills]

I have the digital eos rebel with the standard EF-S 18-55 MM kit lens. I am wanting to take photos of concerts, sports, etc....... What is the difference between a zoom lens and a telephoto lens? How important is the image stablizer? I don't have much to spend. For this type of photo taking do I need to get a telephoto or a zoom lens. I want to be able to take a photo of the entire band and the backdrop without it blurring. Please help. Any suggestions of lenses are also welcomed.

Thanks,
Justin

I may not be 100% correct however someone will tell me if I'm wrong. :)

A zoom lens is one that has the ability to change it's focal length. A telephoto lens is a lens that has a long focal length. For example your 18-55 is a zoom lens, because it can change it's focal length (or zoom) from 18 to 55, but it would not be considered a telephoto lens because 55 is not a long focal length. If you had a 300mm lens, it would be a telephoto because 300 is a long focal length. They can be both. For example the 75-300 is a zoom and a telephoto for the reasons above. I hope that helps.

If you are shooting during the day, I wouldn't worry about faster glass with low aperture, I would get the zoom telephoto lens you can afford with a large range of zoom like the 75-300, 55-200 or if you can afford it the 100-400L or 70-200 even. These will give you a decent distance of coverage.

Now that you know what some of the ranges are available, you can search them on the internet or this site to come up with reviews as to what is good and what is better. It always comes down to what you want to spend and what you think is acceptable.