question for S18-35 owners

Hi folks
I was planning to get th S18-35 later on, but an event came along which I **think** might need its special prowess...

How is the the S18-35 (on a 7d) in the night club type of setting?
I would prefer not to use a flash - though obviously I could do that....
and with low light without IS - is it doable?

thanks for any feedback

A question is whether the camera will focus in that low of light. You are gonna be at 18mm and f/1.8 all night. Unless I am missing something there really isn't anything out there that fast AND that wide with auto focus on APS-C

Heya,

You'll be living at ISO 1600+ unless you are just trying to get the brightest things in the room (lights). The 18mm end of the 18-35 is most likely where you'll be, not that it matters, focal length is focal length. And you'll be wide open all the time at F1.8 just to get light. It's sharp at F1.8. The challenges will be autofocus nailing focus in that light, at that depth of field. And simply having enough light with high ISO values, on a 7D, which doesn't have superb ISO performance. So it's kind of a problem with the camera being used for the situation. I'm sure it can be made to work, and may the lighting will be better than I'm thinking it will be.

Very best,

Rent a 6D and the 24L.

i was hoping that y'all wouldn't point me the FF route

yes, I know that people aren't that happy with low light and the 7d (though when I bought it - it was the cat's PJs!) and I suppose it has a better low light ability

the ISO of 1000+ doesn't bother me, but i want a good keeper rate and I wanted to know if people have used it in the night club type atmosphere - even a little brighter than that -

thanks

Heya,

Just pointing out, and yes, I know it's a pain to hear "full frame" advice. But what you're looking to shoot really does lend itself to full frame, especially the 6D. It has the ability to capture AF on things as low as -3 EV, which is huge compared to other Canons in that range, so it is going to be more likely to get that focus (you are asking for keeper rates, being in focus is one of those keys). The ISO can be thrown up really high on the 6D and it will not only be workable, but you won't have nearly the level of grain from an aps-c sensor or older camera sensor in general. Also, full frame means you have a lot more options in terms of wide glass. I bring this up because the Sigma 18-35 is not cheap glass, a refurb 6D can be had for $500 more over the cost of that lens. And then guess what, you can use your Tamron 28-75 F2.8 in the same light as that Sigma 18-35, which a similar field of view range. The Tamron is 1 stop and a 3rd slower. The 6D has greater than 1 and a 3rd stop of ISO performance, making up for the light loss there. Just a thought.

Very best,

you bring up a good point - in regards to the value of the 6d - I am just not sure that I am ready for the investment in the FF. I have glass that I would like to get first and I think that the technology isn't that much more advanced than the 7d that I would benefit that much more than if I invest in the glass that I wanted vs the body which I only half-want

For the short term get a S30/1.4 or even better a 35/1.4 and save on to get a FF later on if really needed. To bad the 18-35 is not designed for use on FF.
7D, perhaps with a flash is ok for what is to be expected in Nightclub environment where a photophone seems to be the norm nowadays.
I have shot my 7D in bad light a lot at ISO 1600 or 3200 and if you nail the exposure noise is managable.

I would say that what you are trying to pull of is doable, albeit pretty difficult. I speak from experience when I say that nailing focus at 1.8 in such scenarios is very hard. I suggest you to put a flash on top of your camera and use its AF assist to help you focus.

you bring up an interesting idea - use the flash for flash assist solely.
nice.
granted - there will be times that I want to use the flash - but also times that not....

ceriltheblade wrote in post #16896858
- there will be times that I want to use the flash - but also times that not....

There is an inbetween... set flash compensation to -x and use Ts. Or use second curtain.

ceriltheblade wrote in post #16896510
and with low light without IS - is it doable?

thanks for any feedback

IS is only good for static subject at low shutter speeds. When you have low shutter speeds and moving sujects IS is not going to help as blur will come from the subjects movement not the cameras.

The 18-35 is an amazing lens. I can't sing its praises enough. It's a fast, sharp lens, with great build and great IQ. But it has a limited focal range, no OS/IS, and is a crop format lens.

Rent one and see if its what you need. You might decide its not and go ff instead or you might decide its the lens you've been waiting for and stick with a crop. Try it and see. Though I will say, if you do rent one I'd rent the dock along with it, just in case it.

I regularly shoot night clubs, but unless you're planning on shooting just single subjects, f1.8 is going to be too shallow, especially at the close distance that you'll likely be shooting. I'm typically at f4 on my 24-70 with ISO 800+ with a gelled flash bounching off a Demb Flip-It. The group photos are what a lot of event coordinators tend to want, especially for future marketing. Not sure if you're shooting just as a hobby or not...

I've shot concerts with my XS and 50mm f1.4 and the lighting would probably be worse than your night clubs. Get the lens your 7D will be fine.

The DoF at 18mm at f/1.8 on APS-C is not particularly thin. The primary concern is that the camera won't focus in such low light.