Which lens for low-light, indoor shooting...

jcpoulin wrote in post #8665522
Just remember...at these ranges ( 1.2, 1.4, 1.8...) there is a razor thin DOF which may or may not be your desired effect. If you want a 6 inch DOF...great!. If you want 2 people to be in focus.....You will need to close it down and add some light! People forget this ofter and just shoot wide open....and wonder why the nose is sharp, and the ears aren't!

Actually with a crop body and a 30mm lens, f1.4 provides pretty good DOF if you aren't right up close. For example, f1.4 at 10 feet has about 2 feet of DOF. THat's enough to get everyone on the same couch in focus for example. If not F2 has about 3 feet and f2.8 about 4. That is why I like the wider primes for low light. You need shorter shutter speeds to handhold and they have workable DOF even at f1.4-2.8.

bohdank wrote in post #8664934
Get a flash and learn how to bounce it. Should take about 5 minutes.

Agreed.

mcluckie wrote in post #8664544
Anything wider than a f2. One-third faster is a 1.8, one-stop from f2 is 1.4, and another half stop is f1.2. You know this. Tight budget means that 1.2 is out of the question, so try to get a hold of a 1.4 or maybe 1.8. I really think f2 is a bit slow for this.

...

Your 35 f2 choice is probably too slow, the 28 1.8 is better there, although only gets marginal reviews, but then I'm a lens snob. I hear you can get Canon to tweek it. I'm guessing the 28 on a crop is about 35mm? Nice. That might be it then. The Sigma choices seem good on paper, but not real life.

f/2 to f/1.8 is 1/3 of a stop. Frankly, that doesn't make a significant difference in shutter speed. There is absolutely no reason to rule out an f/2 lens if you're looking at f/1.8 lenses.

Both 28 and 35 on APS-C are normal lenses. 50mm will not work for indoors, unless you're taking portraits or similar, isolated subjects.

The Sigmas are the best lenses you can buy short of $1000 at both ~30 and 50mm.

A used Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. Works well with ambient lighting but better with a flash.

tkbslc wrote in post #8665623
Actually with a crop body and a 30mm lens, f1.4 provides pretty good DOF if you aren't right up close. For example, f1.4 at 10 feet has about 2 feet of DOF. THat's enough to get everyone on the same couch in focus for example. If not F2 has about 3 feet and f2.8 about 4. That is why I like the wider primes for low light. You need shorter shutter speeds to handhold and they have workable DOF even at f1.4-2.8.

this photo was taken with the sigma 30 f 1.4 at f 1.4 pretty close up. Good DoF for a portrait and great bokeh.

35L f/1.4, 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.8. I would love to have the 50L and the 85L but they are just out of range at the moment.

tkbslc wrote in post #8663823
What gear do you have now?

40D, 17-85mm, 70-300mm, 100mm f/2.8 macro, 10-22mm.

I'm interested in indoor shooting without flash.

bohdank wrote in post #8664934
What are you shooting indoors ? Is f2 going to give you the DOF you need. Faster lenses are not always the answer.

Get a flash and learn how to bounce it. Should take about 5 minutes.

You're right, I hadn't thought of that. DOF may be too shallow. If I'm shooting in a house or any place with limited space, I could have difficulty.

I guess I better look at some flashes...

artyH wrote in post #8665496
I just picked up the 35F2 and really like it. Got a great price at Roberts Imaging, and it was shipped fast....got here the next day.
I like the small size, light weight, and it is sharp. I checked out the reviews and that made up my mind. While I'd like faster, I wasn't all that enthusiastic about spending more than 50% more for the Sigma. I do like some Sigma lenses, but preferred the longer focal length, equivalent to 56mm on film or full-frame. I'd rather have a faster lens, but also liked the longer focal length. I didn't have the funds for the extra $1000 for the L glass.

I agree with you. Having checked out the reviews, the 30mm f/2 does look pretty darn nice. And at CAD$390 from Aden Camera, it's very attractively priced.