Show Me Your Best 18-55 Shots

I'm going to be shooting a friend's metal band on stage in a month and the most appropriate lens at my disposal is just my stock 18-55, so I wanted to see what some of you guys have accomplished with it in the less than ideal lighting situations. So let's see a couple of you best with the 18-55.

Thanks.

Is this with indoor lighting you need to shoot at?

Hardly anyone at all uses a lens slower than a 2.8 indoors, here...there might be an exception, but it's unlikely...Outdoors, yes...probably.

Most everyone has the kit lens too...

The first step after the kit for some is the thrifty fifty...this 50mm 1.8 lens is only 75 smackers, and could get you by...Just food for thought...(it's all about the keeper ratio)...the kit lens will be very limited, speed wise to produce any keepers...Even with an IS lens, a 3.5 f stop lens was producing less than 5% of keepers..
any motion by the performer will kill the shot...

However, if flash use is OK at the venue, you might be in luck...

I don't think I have ever used my Kit lens indoors without a flash (that is at night) but I have used my 17-40 F4L indoors with out a flash and wasn't extremely successfull. So I just use my 24-70 F2.8L or the 70-200 F2.8L, I don't actually use the kit lens at all unless I leave the others at home. I always seem to have it on me but never thought why?? hmm...

here's various photos from my 18-55.. and i still use it cause i'm broke but i'm upgrading when i get holiday money. i had to work with bad lighting so eh.

Park @ Hot Monkey Love

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I've had to shoot with a 1D and 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 while my camera and lenses were off for calibration... That's about the closest I come...
It was do-able at ISO 1600, but only just & at times. Don't have 'em online myself ATM, so sorry for the quality:

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Thanks guys, you've confirmed my fears.
EDIT: This of course isn't directed at your photos, they're great, I was responding more to the previous comments and such.

My only concern is in getting the 50 1.8 is that it will not be useful for quick around the house kinda candid people shots, which would be my higher ranking purpose for a lens in this category. But I know I would use it for pet portraits more often.

I don't shoot concerts really ever, I just wanted to do this for a friend for fun.

Maybe I'll just add it to the Christmas list and hope for the best! (Since the concert is new year's eve.)

-Brad

The 50 1.8 is on my Xmas list I use the kit lens for most of my live shots - it sucks. It just isn't fast enough. I'll look out some examples if you like

Chio wrote in post #2294013
The 50 1.8 is on my Xmas list I use the kit lens for most of my live shots - it sucks. It just isn't fast enough. I'll look out some examples if you like

Thanks, worst case scenario I'll just go with the 18-55 cause I'll have nothing better and try my bestest.

aCiD99 wrote in post #2294292
Thanks, worst case scenario I'll just go with the 18-55 cause I'll have nothing better and try my bestest.

Bestest effort, just might generate some results...If you absolutely have to go with just the kit lens...If you set the ISO at 1600, like Rene' and iareRay have in the photo samples, and...set up for the shot and get the camera real steady, sustain the steadiness and fire away...With less than optimal conditions, you will want to carefully take a lot of photos and hope for the best...

Dwight McCann suggested to me, to also keep checking the Hystogram values...It really helps to do so...

Chimping after each shot on the LCD screen also lets you know where the adjustments need to be made...

That's the best way to be certain of getting more keepers...

I would start practicing ...go through the actual motions, around the house with regular indoor lighting...It will certainly ease your mind, knowing your potential...

The 50mm f/1.8 lens is pretty sharp and reasonable for general photography...I use it sometimes at a local venue and get group shots and some close ups too...It's sharp enough to enlarge from originals and trim/crop out the best portions of the pic...It is a good investment...

You'll find two schools of thought: the 2.8L zooms and the 1.2, 1.4, 1.8, 2.0 2.8 primes...or any combination from these lenses...

Start testing that kit lens indoors right away...

I've struggled in the past with the kit lens at gigs because it was far too slow for low light, so I now mostly use the 200 2.8L and have just puchased the 50 1.4 too.
Here are a couple of shots taken with the 18 -55.
#1 was at ISO1600, 1/25,f5.6 in a marquee with three small coloured spotlights that were intermittently flashed onto the band.
#2 was taken at ISO1600, 5.6,1/15 at the Carling Academy in London where the lighting was a lot brighter,but the lens still struggled.

I think you will find the 50mm a useful lens,and it's not too bad for DOF as long as you don't have to go below around 2.8 after this the DOF is very shallow and you need to be careful with your focusing.

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johnstoy wrote in post #2295769
Bestest effort, just might do...If you set the ISO at 1600, like Rene' says and has in the photo samples, and...set up for the shot and get the camera real steady, sustain the steadiness and fire away...With less than optimal conditions, you will want to carefully take a lot of photos and hope for the best...

Dwight McCann suggested to me, to also keep checking the Hystogram values...It really helps to do so...

Chimping after each shot on the LCD screen also lets you know where the adjustments need to be made...

That's the best way to be certain of getting more keepers...

I would start practicing the method of execution around the house with regular indoor lighting...It will certainly ease your mind, knowing your potential...

Thanks everyone for the additional samples and tips.

It's a metal concert, so I'm sure it'll be hard not to get bumped into and they'll be moving a lot, so I'm REALLY going to have to try my hardest

Meh, it's all for fun, we'll see what happens.

Posting # 9, was edited further by me, while Cameragirl58 and you were posting...not much was changed though...

The bumping around at these events happens...be careful of the front of the lens getting smeared by other's clothing, and long hair...A clear protective filter helps protect the lens and you can remove it after it gets good and grimed up, and shoot some more...or bring along a couple of extra clear filters for additional protection...

here's a shot from the only show i ever took my kit lens to...i knew the venue would have great lighting, and at that point i only had my thrifty fifty, so i figured i'd try it for a few shots.

Not really the kit lens, but a slow zoom/tele:

300mm f/6.3, manual focus since AF didn't lock:

I hope im not too late but here are my 18-55 shots

All of these were almost pitch black or reallllllll dark

Like johnstoy stated...if flash is OK? then you are golden!!!

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