which lens?

Going to a gig in March and I need good shots. I have a crop and a couple primes (50 and 200) I am wondering if I should rent something or if these should be ok. I see a lot of people just using the 50. I'm not sure how great the lighting will be, it's a better place then some of the bars I've shot it, but I need these to come out well. Would the 200 be enough for the longer stuff? Should I rent the 70-200 2.8 IS zoom? Should I rent something wider? The stage is 5' tall from the pit and the pit is maybe 30' from the bar area which is alomst level with the stage. Then there is the balcony above, all of which, I believe, I can shoot from.

The 200L? That would be fine I'm sure coupled with the 50 1.whatever. You'll have the long and short covered. But, like you say, renting the 70-200 2.8 is not a bad idea, except you'll prolly want to buy it after you try it. Mine's razor sharp

I've tried the 70-200 f4, f/4 IS and f/2.8 and am still too happy with my prime to give it up for the zoom (which I'd have to do to afford it.) Plus it's too darn heavy for everyday use, I'm a weakling!

Sadly enough the 50 I just got today is weird (it feels and sounds loose inside) so it's going back. I'll have to wait until it's replacement comes.

I have shot numerous times indoors for various dance recitals. Lighting will definitely be your greatest challenge. Stage/theatrical lighting is designed to provide sufficient illumination for viewers after their eyes have adjusted to the theater environment. ... Needless to say, this level of light meters pretty low.

If you are not able to get really close, FL becomes a contributing factor as well. You will need your fastest lenses opened as wise as you can. Push ISO as far as you dare without suffering the nasty noise that is often exagerated in dimly lit/under exposed images.

And finally, depending on how much movement you expect, you will need to balance a faster shutter speed to eliminate motion blur.

Yikes!!! - If lighting and position are not favorable, count on at least 25% rejection rate. Good luck!!

Every situation is different even at the same venue. You take what you can and make the best of it. I've seen many stunning images from 50mm f/1.8. The 50mm f/1.4 is nicer but costs maybe five times as much. I have two 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lenses (bought both new about three years apart) as it is my most used lens ... not my favorite but by far most used ... I expect over half all my concert images are taken with this lens, but I have good light. Anyway, there is nothing 'for sure' in concert photography so just use your best judgment and take what you get.

I'm afraid we can't tell you whether 200mm should be enough or not. Not one single gig is the same as another. If you want to use just those 3 primes I'd suggest you to rent something in between for in case you don't have too much space to move around a lot. If you can, it may be enough. In some circumstances some more wide angle would be nice too. But since we don't know the circumstances...

I'm using no more than 85mm at the moment, has been more than enough close for the last 6 months I guess. But hey, it's all about circumstances and personal taste.

Also depends on the Body, is it a Crop or Full Frame? Do you have a 2nd body so you can have both zoom and wide or do you need to switch lenses during show? Will you be shooting from the bar or up close? How important are the shots, if you are getting paid usually best to rent and make sure you are covered and not miss anything important, as I find nothing is worse than missing a shot because you have the wrong lens on.

-Not getting paid, it's my husband's band and I'm their photographer, it'll be mostly for their site and promos/posters maybe CDs so it has to be fairly good for everything but the website which can handle small images.
-We've been told to bring the sound and lighting guys starbucks coffee and they'll be at our beckon call so I'm hoping to get "real good light" which is a loose term since it's not a huge venue but it's better then the real dark bars I've been shooting in.
-I'll be able to move anywhere I want I assume since I'm "with the band" I even think I could manage to get on stage to the side if need be
-I have one camera (crop as I said in my post) and will have to switch lenses.

The reason I'm asking about the 200 is it doesn't have IS and I wonder if I'll miss it or not (personally for my shooting I don't use it ever so I don't own an IS lens)

For me personally this gig will be a huge deal. It'll be better lighting then I've shot in (we're talking bars with bad overhead lights turned down low and shutter speeds of 1/6 with f/2.0 and ISO at 3200) I want to personally do really well with this. But it's not my style of photography so it's a challange.

If the room has theatrical style lighting, par 56's or par 64's with gels, and they put them up somewhere between 60% and 100%, then most of the lenses you were talking about should do fine. (this is of course considering that they are focused correctly on the stage and they all are used) It only takes a few of these instruments to really light up a stage. The 50mm f1.8 won't cause you any problems in that kind of lighting, since that's all i shoot with and shoot in

I don't think that IS would help with concert photography. I think you just need fast lenses to capture the images you want. what about an 85 1.8 or 135L?

I thought about the 135 but it's close to my 200, and I never really liked the 135 focal length on my film camera so I don't want the 85 unless I go FF. I once thought of changing out my 200 for the 135 and getting the 300, but think I want the reach of the 400 instead and will keep the 200.

the site says this about the lighting (not sure what any of it means!):
Stage: 30 par 56 500w- 8 par 64 500w 4 griven acrobatics (360 heads) 6 martin P518 roboscans hung on 4 electrics and 4 tormentors high volume optima fogger
FOH: 4 6x9 leko 1k
consoles: lepracaun 624 (conventional lights) elektralite CP-100xt
Stage dimensions 30' wide 20' deep lights are hung at 22'

londonblue007 wrote in post #4862526
If the room has theatrical style lighting, par 56's or par 64's with gels, and they put them up somewhere between 60% and 100%, then most of the lenses you were talking about should do fine. (this is of course considering that they are focused correctly on the stage and they all are used) It only takes a few of these instruments to really light up a stage. The 50mm f1.8 won't cause you any problems in that kind of lighting, since that's all i shoot with and shoot in

Maybe I'll see about the 1.8 instead of the 1.4, the 1.4 I got is so soft until about 2.0 to 2.8 (it also has a bit of movement inside and is getting returned anyway) How is focusing with the 1.8? Is it fast enough for low light concerts? I noticed with the 1.4 outside in shadows it was a bit slow. I don't have a whole lot of money to spend on this lens since I only shot his concerts about once a month or so. I may upgrade if they start playing more. But I'm also thinking of the 28 1.8 or maybe the 85 1.8 if I find I need something longer. I would love the 35L but that's way out of price range right now.

gardengirl13 wrote in post #4862704
I thought about the 135 but it's close to my 200

You can get double the shutter speed with 135f/2L over the 200L. That might make a difference between keepers and binners.

gardengirl13 wrote in post #4862743
Maybe I'll see about the 1.8 instead of the 1.4, the 1.4 I got is so soft until about 2.0 to 2.8 (it also has a bit of movement inside and is getting returned anyway) How is focusing with the 1.8? Is it fast enough for low light concerts? I noticed with the 1.4 outside in shadows it was a bit slow. I don't have a whole lot of money to spend on this lens since I only shot his concerts about once a month or so. I may upgrade if they start playing more. But I'm also thinking of the 28 1.8 or maybe the 85 1.8 if I find I need something longer. I would love the 35L but that's way out of price range right now.

I find the 1.8 to be pretty quick in focusing. I don't have too much of a base of comparison since all I own is the 1.8 and the kit lens. But, I've been very happy with the 1.8 and the artists have been loving the pictures i've been shooting, which is really all that matters.

don't down grade from the 50 1.4 to the 1.8. it sounds like you have a bad one that should be fixed upon exchange (return). i think with a crop body you need something wider. i have had good results with my 17-35, and would suggest renting the 16-35.
also talk to the LD before the show and ask him for bright lights during the first several songs. you might want to also bring a monopod to use with your 200 and find an elevated spot from the back.