Lens for shooting...

Hello Everyone,

I have the Canon XTI and I want to get a lens that would be good to shoot live bands with. Something not too costly. I'm new to this so later down the road I want to move up to a super nice lens. Any thoughts ?

How far away will you be? How good is the lighting?

most likey low light and in small venues, pretty close to the stage and musicians

Sigma 30mm f/1.4, Canon 28mm f/1.8, or anything else that's wide to normal on a crop cam and fast.

I second the Sigma 30 1.4, and if you need a little longer, the Canon 50 1.4.

Canon 50 1.4
Canon 80 1.8

Canon 85mm f/1.8.

I use the 50mm 1.4 and I find for small venues it's a little too long - small is a bit subjective, though. There are a few venues around here which it's just perfect for... if you have a kit lens or any sort of zoom lens try going to your venues and setting the zoom to the different focal lengths that you are considering and see how they feel there.

Other options are things like a 24-70 Sigma or 28-75 Tamron 2.8 zoom but chances are that if you're shooting in really small pubs that you'll be needing f/2 or wider.. you certainly do for the small pubs near me at any rate. Primes all the way unless you can get away with a zoom.

I like to use the Canon 85 1.8 on my XT. For most people it's a little long in small places. For me, I prefer individual closeup shots (head and instrument). In a real small place, I may have to back up a bit. If your're looking for group members together or the whole band it's going to be a problem. You'll want shorter like a 30mm or 50mm.

Depends on what kind of shots you want. The 85 1.8 performs outstanding, but as others have mentioned, the size of each place will dictate what kind of shots you will get.

Tamron 17-50 2.8, canon 50 1.4.

I would recommend the Sigma 30mm 1.4, Canon 50 1.4 and Canon 85 1.8 to always be in your bag. They are such great lenses.