Anyone here use a 24L for shooting concerts?

My lens line-up is lacking in the ultra wide department, so I was planning on my next purchase to be a 17-35L. A lot of the shows I've been shooting lately though have had *very* bad lighting. Lighting where shooting @ f/2.8 with 12800 iso still isn't good enough.

The fastest lens in my bag is the 50L but I don't really like that focal length for shows. That's why I'm thinking maybe a 24L or even 35L might be a better choice than the 17-35L. I still have a 15mm fisheye, but I don't like using it all of the time.

Anybody here use a 24mm L? If so, what do you think of it? Could you live without it or is it essential to your bag?

I am considering get the lens since I need the f/1.2 for those shows with "bad" lighting

400dabuser wrote in post #14496402
I am considering get the lens since I need the f/1.2 for those shows with "bad" lighting

You mean f/1.4? The only f/1.2 available is the 50L.

The times I do use my 50L for shows, I never shoot it @ f/1.2. It's almost impossible for me to get anything in focus at that aperture. That's why I'm thinking I should probably just sell it and get the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 and put the leftover cash towards a 24L or 17-35L.

Yeah, I do mean that, sorry

Don't you mean the 16-35mm? I can't see a listing for 17-35mm

400dabuser wrote in post #14496726
Don't you mean the 16-35mm? I can't see a listing for 17-35mm

Ugh, right. There used to be a 17-35L but I meant the 16-35L.

After reading a few reviews, the 17-35L actually doesn't sound that bad. Looks like you can snag a used one easily for under $800, as opposed to double that for a new 16-35L.

I bought my 17-35 used for €350
The 16-35 isn't that much better, the 16-35Mk2 is.

IMO, if you need to use a fast lens because the "light" is so low that ISO 128000 isn't enough, it's a good time to put the camera down

Also: Keep in mind that DoF is surprisingly shallow even at 24mm when shooting f/1.4

René Damkot wrote in post #14505271
IMO, if you need to use a fast lens because the "light" is so low that ISO 128000 isn't enough, it's a good time to put the camera down

Also: Keep in mind that DoF is surprisingly shallow even at 24mm when shooting f/1.4

You haven't seen the venues I shoot at! Hole in the wall clubs with literally only a couple of dim lights above the stage. Flash not allowed either. Tried using my 24-70L at one of these venues over the weekend and I was still at least 2 stops underexposed @ f/2.8 & 12800 iso.

Ended up shooting everything with my 50L @ f/1.4. You're right though, DOF stinks wide open like that but it was my only option.

How is the 12,800 ISO on the 5D III? Would love to see some pictures.

I've got a few shots at 12800 and higher. Maybe a separate thread?

I have been using the 24 1.4 L for a few months now and I must say that it is an incredible lens...with some limitations. All I shoot are musicians in venues ranging from 1200 seat theaters to small 50 seat clubs. The 1.4 is wonderful in those low/no light clubs and house concert venues, there are tradeoffs but this is not studio photography. I am using a 1Ds-Mk-3 and usually shoot at 1600 but I can go to 3200 if needed. This lens pulls in a lot of light, which is why you spend the money on it, and it gives the FOV that I need in small venues. I have no regrets about this lens, it is what it is, a wide angle wide aperture lens that performs and it has made me want more primes!

I own the Nikon version if the 24L, and I must say it is my favorite lens. The 24mm field of view is perfect, and the fast aperture just helps create a beautiful image. I really think it's the ultimate lens if you're on stage or in the pit. The only downside is that you have to be at the right place to get a good shot.

I don't shoot shows anymore, but when I did the 24 1.4 was the only lens I ever used. It was on a 7D, so it actually worked out to around 35mm. I'd imagine on full frame 24 might be a tad wide. Example, here I'm only 3 feet away from the singer:

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I use the 24-L with the 1Ds-3 and in small clubs with little or no light is a great tool. Max ISO on this camera is 3200 and I get quite usable images wide open at that ISO, we are not talking poster prints here but "full newspaper quality". It is a lens that takes a getting used to, to close and there is too much wide angle effect, to far and the subject is lost for the same reason, there is a "just right" distance. This lens often makes the difference between getting a usable shot and not.

Norkusa wrote in post #14496272
My lens line-up is lacking in the ultra wide department, so I was planning on my next purchase to be a 17-35L. A lot of the shows I've been shooting lately though have had *very* bad lighting. Lighting where shooting @ f/2.8 with 12800 iso still isn't good enough.

The fastest lens in my bag is the 50L but I don't really like that focal length for shows. That's why I'm thinking maybe a 24L or even 35L might be a better choice than the 17-35L. I still have a 15mm fisheye, but I don't like using it all of the time.

Anybody here use a 24mm L? If so, what do you think of it? Could you live without it or is it essential to your bag?

Norkusa wrote in post #14496272
...
Anybody here use a 24mm L? If so, what do you think of it? Could you live without it or is it essential to your bag?

Lots wonderful concerts shoots from Bohdan, you should PM him;

Also check on 24L II thread: https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=649213

His web pages:
http://bwkphotography.​com/
http://www.flickr.com/​photos/bwkphotography/

Have fun