Lens choice for ANZAC day memorial dawn service

hey everyone, will be attending the annual ANZAC day dawn service here in Perth Western Australia, never shot this type of event before so was after a bit of lens advice.. any help is appretiated Thanks!!

Current set up:

40D - ef 50mm 1.8, ef 24mm 2.8, ef 100mm f2, ef 200mm f2.8L, Sigma 10-20, 430exII

the memorial service will be held at dawn (starting off at about 5:30ish am perth time), will be using a tripod as well.

any suggestions on a most suitable lens to use?

Davo, I have shot a lot of Dawn services for television but I have not shot with a still camera, so I cant specifically help you with that. But my advice would be to use the fastest lens you have and on a 40D the 50mm would be ok for mid range stuff.

Anzac day is about emotion, so your 200 might be good too for those closeup shots. If there are a lot of people there, the wideangle showing the monument and the crowd might be nice, but only for one or two shots. Its all about closeups.

Forgive me but I say this to all my staff at work, and I feel I should say it here too...BE RESPECTFUL. Just because it's a good photo op doesnt mean you should turn it into a circus. Keep your distance, do not move around too much, if you can find a good spot near the front so you can see both the crowd and the proceedings thats the best spot to stay. Restrict your use of flash as much as possible, and whatever you do DO NOT MOVE during the Last Post. Believe me the complaints will flow about the rude photographer if you do.

Sorry to ramble but it is a sore point with me. Good luck.

Definitely be respectful, that's the first point. So in that case, I'd stick with the 100 or 200 to get the reaction/emotional shots and use the 10-20 for some wider shots. Don't use the flash. Keep the 24/50 in your bag in case you need them.

I've considered finding something local on ANZAC Day to shoot and I can only see myself using the 24 or 70-200.

thanks so much for the awsome advice guys, i will definately keep in mind to be respectful during my time there.

just a quick one thou, do you think i should bring my tripod around? as the lighting will be fairly dim... or will it be more of a hinderance than anything?

thank you again for your words of wisdom

The tripod might come in handy for some shots with your 10-20 since it's your slowest lens and no one wants a shaky view of the scene. If you definitely have a way of taking it without it being in the way, take it. If not, maybe it's better to just try your best at handholding some wide shots.

I would take it. If you have the room certainly use it. I've always found a place for a TV camera tripod.

got no suggestions, but good luck with this. hope you get some nice dawn service shots