Advice on new lens for photographing a large group

I have been asked to photograph some youth football teams for their program. Groups would be about 30 children and 4 adult coaches. The photos would be taken on the field outdoors.

I don't want to do this with the kits lens and have gotten so confused reading about 17-55, 24-70 etc. for my crop boy. Any advice on which new lens you would purchase is greatly appreciated.

Hello. What is wrong with any number of lenses that you have in your signature? They are excellent. You have all kinds of room. I'm not so sure you need a new lens.

I agree. It boils down to working distance. What you have may suffice.

If you're shooting outdoors, you may be ok with what you have. Your biggest challenge may be how to get everyone looking in the same direction - with their eyes open!! Kids have a mind of their own.

Yeah, your 28-135 should be just fine for the whole thing. Zoom in for portraits, out for group photos.

You don't want to shoot a large group and a super wide focal length. This will (obviously) cause distortion which most of the time leads to a funny looking picture.

Suspect 28-135 or kit would be fine, wouldn't go below ~22mm with kit. Would use f11 for DOF benefits and most lenses are good at that point, certainly not a demanding scenario for AF etc.

My response may be a little different. Here is what I want for a group shot. VERY SHARP LENS CENTER TO EDGE. Very little distortion, either barrel or pincushion. People want to clearly see the subjects on the edges!

You have the perfect lens for outdoors, the 50mm f1.4. You will not have to shoot at f11, to get DOF.

If you want to buy a special lens, without going L, then the 35mm f2, should be good.

With a 50mm lens on 1.6 crop you'd need to be 45 feet away to capture a 20 foot wide subject (per http://www.cambridgein​colour.com/tutorials/c​amera-lenses.htm), might be awkward distance for giving directions etc. You're right re f/11 though just making the point that a) you need good DOF so smaller apertures generally used and b) Most lens tests show that "lesser lenses" are actually quite good at f/8 or smaller.

Why does everyone think large group shots need to be stopped down like mad for DOF?

Large groups mean that you are either shooting at a pretty long distance with a longer lens or you are shooting at a reasonable distance with a wide lens. Either way, adequate DOF is hardly a challenge.

Take the previous post for instance. 1.6X body, 50mm lens and 45 foot focal distance. Even assuming you have stacked this group 5 feet deep, we can shoot with a 20 foot DOF (4X factor of safety here) and have adequate focus at f/2!!!!

No kidding folks! 50mm lens at f/2 focussed from 45 feet away yields adequate 8x10 print sharpness from 37.3 feet to 56.8 feet.

You can use f/11 I suppose. Then everything from 19 feet to infinity will be in focus. Seems like overkill really.

DOF is not the challenge for large group shots. You need a lens that is sharp across the frame and the aperture used really should be picked as one where the lens can be counted on to perform well. Probably f/5.6 to f/8 unless it is a cheapie.

Thank you for all the tips. I will test a couple of shots with my existing gear.

I just wanted to add that if you wanted to spend more money and have more flexibility for other things, the Efs 17-55 would do fine. I do not own this lens, but on paper it looks good.

I don't think the 45 ft distance will be nearly the problem as getting all of them looking at you, with eyes open. At 45 ft, you won't have to scan much.

I understood completely about DOF at that distance, thats why I said, you don't have to shoot at f11. I should have said, shoot at f5.6 and the 50mm lens will deliver the very best.

I've messed up shooting groups. Here is what I've learned this spring.

1. Don't go wider than 28mm on a crop body. If you do, the people in front will look bigger than the people in the back!

2. Stop down. Yea, the calculator says f/2 will give you 3 miles of DOF, but when I shot the basketball team at f/5.6 at a distance of 15 feet, my DOF was too shallow. Better to stop down and have too much DOF than to try to cut it close and not have enough.

3. Take at least frames of each shot. These are not bracket shots, but are raw material shots. From the 3 you'll be able to piece together one good one where all the people are smiling and have their eyes open and are looking at the camera. Photoshop is your friend

4. Leave room on the sides for cropping to 8x10!

n1as wrote in post #5213275
I've messed up shooting groups. Here is what I've learned this spring.

1. Don't go wider than 28mm on a crop body. If you do, the people in front will look bigger than the people in the back!

2. Stop down. Yea, the calculator says f/2 will give you 3 miles of DOF, but when I shot the basketball team at f/5.6 at a distance of 15 feet, my DOF was too shallow. Better to stop down and have too much DOF than to try to cut it close and not have enough.

3. Take at least frames of each shot. These are not bracket shots, but are raw material shots. From the 3 you'll be able to piece together one good one where all the people are smiling and have their eyes open and are looking at the camera. Photoshop is your friend

4. Leave room on the sides for cropping to 8x10!

Those are some good points (especially 3 and 4).

Keep in mind a basketball team is not a 'large' group. While my f/2 example was an extreme, in general I still maintain the larger the group the less you need to worry about DOF. Framing considerations will probably manage the DOF for you.

No kidding folks! 50mm lens at f/2 focussed from 45 feet away yields adequate 8x10 print sharpness from 37.3 feet to 56.8 feet.

I agree totally with the above. Last week I was shooting a High School All-Star Basketball Game with my 135L on a 30D at 2.0. Before the game they arranged each team for a group shot. I was in the stands at the extreme other end of where the photos were being taken. When I realized what they were doing I pointed and decided to shoot. It turned out I was perfect distance and the framing and angle couldn't be better. I couldn't have set it up any better myself. 23 guys, at 2.0, sharp as a tack. Just guessing, but I must have been 100+ feet away (3/4 length of a basketball court).