350D + 50mm + dark auditorium.. great combo

Great little sniping combo this is... it turns the 350D into something like a fat point and shoot, and the well-damped shutter makes minimal noise, which avoids disturbing the audience and the working professionals. Of course, I could not use flash (not being the official photographer), and had to shoot as unobtrusively as possible to avoid disrupting the proceedings, which worked out very well - nobody even looked in the direction of my 350D.

Times like these a nice big aperture is very welcome, although there is some secondary CA and color separation (purple/green fringing) when the 50 is shot wide open in the presence of very reflective highlights.

For some reason I am one of those folks whom, despite liking landscapes, usually finds themselves shooting in a black hole, and today is yet again another such situation, again beyond my control. But I am beginning to like fast primes A LOT image stabilized zooms are good too, for an overview shot of the place, but for freezing action when people are moving, I fully understand the limitations of IS in this respect, and that's why the 50 was picked to follow me today.

Still, I am impressed by its low light performance and how sharp some of the shots turned out even with limited DOF.

I deliberately chose the 350D because the 1.6X CF would have given me a reduced FOV for 80mm, and because it's small, unobtrusive, and quieter than the 5D. Plus, I find the 50mm complements the small size of the 350D much better than the 5D, I am running out of places to 'grab' when the 50 is on the 5D.

Interesting. I noticed you have the f/1.8 and not the f/1.4... any chance you could share a capture or two? I'm jsut curious how this combo looks. Thanks!

http://www.photozone.d​e …ses/canon_50_18​/index.htm -- great picture of the 350D with the 50 f/1.8. I would take one, but it would probably not be as nice.

I initially could not bring myself to drop the extra $$ for the 50 f/1.4 although it is definitely a nice lens. However, having a 5D and having the ability to use it as a *REAL* standard lens (I don't get the people who recommend a 50 on a crop camera as a standard lens) is a compelling reason. I usually use the 50 for niche applications where I need absolute maximum shutter speed.

Might consider upgrading in future but the 50 f/1.8 is nice because you can do things you wouldn't dare do with any other lens, like accidentally poke the glass and wipe it with a shirt sleeve like I did today..

Doh! My bad... I meant a photo that you took with this combo. I have the 85/1.8 which is a nice fast lens, but haven't had any opportunities to use it in low light yet. I'm curious how the 350D (which I have) works in this situation.

Ooops I think I read it wrongly

Sorry I can't post any of the pics, I don't have approval to do that. I'd be happy to try and answer questions about it though.

Most of the scenes are your typical stage, with dark-colored backdrop and spotlit people on stage. It really messes with exposure, I would have liked my 5D's spot meter with me, but it was not to be, so I cranked down exposure comp to -1 or -2/3 and shot RAW so I could correct any deficiencies in postprocessing. Sometimes found it necessary to go to ISO 1600.

The 85 1.8 is a nice lens too, it'll give you more reach than I had. I had to crop some scenes to cut out heads because I was shooting while seated, and the ultrasonic motor is quieter, more accurate, and overall very much nicer than the 50 1.8's DC focus drive. The 350D AF has no problems locking on even in the dark.