AI servo for concerts?

[Coppatop85]

Anyone use this mode for concerts? I thinking it might be useful since people on stage tend to move around a lot, especially with low apertures.

[narlus]

it's all i use

[SuzyView]

Depends. For the orchestra, not so important, but it doesn't seem to do any damage to do AI Servo for concerts. I use it, too.

[blackshadow]

My default setting is AI Servo but for some performers who are static I will go for Single Shot focus.

[René Damkot]

I'd use it 100% if my camera actually worked with it with certain lenses...

Yeah, I probably need to send it in ;)

[yf920]

it should be okay

[Riff Raff]

Always AI Servo unless lighting is so nonexistent that I need to switch to One-Shot with the focus assist light.

[Lefty Ray]

200% of the time

[thinkharder]

hello I have a canon 20d with canon 28-135 IS Len
I would like to take pics of my kids in a music concert
Can anyone tell me what the best setting to shoot in side a concert hall at a high school?
I had set to the dial that had flash is off and If I set it to auto the flash will go off.
I had try to shoot with flash but the pics come out bad too much lighting and when shooting without flash the pics come out little dark.
thanks

[bacchanal]

hello I have a canon 20d with canon 28-135 IS Len
I would like to take pics of my kids in a music concert
Can anyone tell me what the best setting to shoot in side a concert hall at a high school?
I had set to the dial that had flash is off and If I set it to auto the flash will go off.
I had try to shoot with flash but the pics come out bad too much lighting and when shooting without flash the pics come out little dark.
thanks

It is really hard to give you any sort of advice without knowing more about the specific situation. If you post example images, it would be easier to explain how to get proper exposure.
In general, you can try shooting at a high ISO (like ISO1600) and use Av mode without flash. Select the lowest possible aperture number, which will allow you to get the highest possible shutter speed. Keep in mind that when you zoom in with the 28-135, your lowest possible aperture will increase, so your shutter speed will decrease. A faster lens (like a prime or a constant f/2.8 lens) will allow for faster shutter speed in low light.
If the stage lighting is bright and there is a dark background, you will need to use negative exposure compensation (-EC), because the camera will be fooled by the dark background. Check the histogram on your camera to watch for underexposed images and blown highlights.
Shoot in RAW, so you have a little more leverage for correcting exposure in post processing.

[blackshadow]

The FAQ sticky in this forum is a pretty good place to find this kind of advice. Lots of great tips there. Once you read it if there are things you don't understand pose your question.

hello I have a canon 20d with canon 28-135 IS Len
I would like to take pics of my kids in a music concert
Can anyone tell me what the best setting to shoot in side a concert hall at a high school?
I had set to the dial that had flash is off and If I set it to auto the flash will go off.
I had try to shoot with flash but the pics come out bad too much lighting and when shooting without flash the pics come out little dark.
thanks

[bohdank]

I always use AI Servo for live shows.

[AdamGasson]

I use it with back button focusing, works a treat. Except on the 5D, which I manual focus.

[bacchanal]

I use it with back button focusing, works a treat. Except on the 5D, which I manual focus.

What, you MF? Do you have any links to your work? I'd love to see the kind of stuff you do/conditions that you shoot in. I've had to resort to MF a few times...but I don't think I'd want to do it all the time.

[Coppatop85]

One more question, does AI servo work well with burst-mode shooting?

[90c4]

One more question, does AI servo work well with burst-mode shooting?

It works extremely well - check out the following thread, in which I posted shots at f2 and f1.2 of people running
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=491657

They were shot with an 85 1.2 (widely considered a pretty slow-focusing lens) on a 5D

[400dabuser]

Ah, that is where I went wrong in some of my concert shots, btw, are you allowed to take you SLR into concerts?

[Coppatop85]

Ahh, those are nice, but I see you have the 5D, i believe it's focusing system is more accurate than the 40D's I will try that on friday though.

[90c4]

Ahh, those are nice, but I see you have the 5D, i believe it's focusing system is more accurate than the 40D's I will try that on friday though.

I was under the impression that the opposite was true - all 9 of the 40D's sensors are cross type, while only the 5D's center sensor is cross. The 5D's autofocus draws a lot of criticism.

[Coppatop85]

I was under the impression that the opposite was true - all 9 of the 40D's sensors are cross type, while only the 5D's center sensor is cross. The 5D's autofocus draws a lot of criticism.

hah, I am probably mistaken then!