Which Lens should I get for this event?

I have been chosen to shoot some pictures at a Christmas event in church. The setup will be very dark (like a concert) and only the stage will be lit up. I'll probably mostly take pics of events happening on the stage; drama, music, etc.

My question is, which lens should I use or buy for this event? I'll be using a T1i and I only have the standard, 50mm f1.4, and the 55-250mm lens. I've used the 50mm in the past for dark lit rooms and it is awesome, but in this case I think most of the shots will be taken from mostly 10-15feet away so I'm afraid the 50mm will be hard to use for this close range.

TIA for your input

Do you have a choice of where you will stand? Perhaps the 50/1.4 will work just fine.

I have a similar situation at my church. What i did was take my 24-105 and 17-35 during rehearsal and set the focal length at 17, 24, 35, 85 and 100 to see which focal lengths would give me the field of view I needed. These lenses are too slow (4.0 and 2.8, respectively) but I realized I could get the shots I needed at 35 and 85.

You may find you need something wider on your T1i and you could rent or buy it. I would advise getting the fastest lens you can.

Good luck!

Hmmmm, Sigma 30 1.4 would be a great lens. Lots wider then your 50 and still give you the low light shooting your looking for.

Does anyone ever consider what they are shooting and how much DOF they will need. 30mm/f1.4/10 feet on a crop only has about 1.5 feet DOF, which means you can usually only get 1 person in sharp focus. Now, if you have no choice (either that or no shot), then you have no choice but keep in mind DOF.

17-55/2.8 IS.

Your scenario involves taking images of a brightly lit scene; that the auditorium is dark is irrelevant. f/2.8 should be fast enough, and the 17-55 offers a decent range of focal lengths. Alternatives might be the 24-70/2.8, or the 24-105/4 IS, although I think I'd prefer f/2.8. If necessary, you can crop heavily to make up for a lens that is a little short, assuming that you aren't planning to print posters.

Shoot RAW to give yourself the best chance of sorting out the colour balance.

bohdank wrote in post #9023322
Does anyone ever consider what they are shooting and how much DOF they will need. 30mm/f1.4/10 feet on a crop only has about 1.5 feet DOF, which means you can usually only get 1 person in sharp focus. Now, if you have no choice (either that or no shot), then you have no choice but keep in mind DOF.

How does DOF change with the distance to the subject?

Is there a way of working it out (you quoted 1.5 ft for the 30mm f/1.4 @ 10 feet)?

g3org3y wrote in post #9023383
How does DOF change with the distance to the subject?

Is there a way of working it out (you quoted 1.5 ft for the 30mm f/1.4 @ 10 feet)?

Google "Depth of field calculator"

Point taken, but DOF on his current 50/1.4 is even thinner (1foot).
Focus using 1.4, shoot at 2.0 to avoid problems.
Another thing is the noise of your camera...might be disturbing, consider put some dampening stuf around it.
Shoot in RAW and under expose about 1 stop.

It's a no contest for me. That is why I bought my 70-200 2.8 IS. 70mm is not too long to start for the dark conditions. The IS and the f2.8 make the shooting easy with my 5D2, ISO 5000. But for the gear you have currently, the 50 1.4 is your best bet. If you need to do anything, rent a lens. Any lens with f2.8 or faster would be much better than anything you can buy right away. The cost is insane for one event. I use my 85 1.8 a lot for indoor work as well. See if anyone around can lend you a good fast lens. If not, think about renting.

If you are standing really close, move back! the 50 is going to be your friend and at no extra cost. We pros use a lot of expensive gear at events for every condition. I would definitely consider renting the 17-55 if you are standing close to the action. But I never stand close. It scares the performers.

For same framing, he would be further away, so DOF would be the same.

My comments were really addressing fast lenses as opposed to focal length.Faster is better, up to the point where DOF becomes a problem. It seems some people think that faster lenses solve all low light problems. I read this quite often here. It is not always the magic bullet.

The reason I have been upgrading my body rather than get faster lenses (to a point) is primarily based on this experience and what I shoot. Getting better output at higher ISO is a better, more flexible option, imo.

egordon99 wrote in post #9023388
Google "Depth of field calculator"

Thanks

Point taken with the camera vs. lens. I think fast glass does wonders, but for someone not a pro, or one who doesn't upgrades regularly, fast glass is a good investment for anyone wanting to improve. I got every lens I'll need for a while, and now I'm just upgrading camera bodies as they come out. For the OP, please consider the cost of the hobby and desire to help with church and/or other community functions. That's how I got started, doing pro bono work and for fun. Now I have a ton of gear and I shoot pro, still for free, but really enjoying it. So, if this is something you really enjoy, start saving up!

Is using flash banned?

The lens depends on the subject and how you want to frame it. If you want to cover most of the stage in the frame then a wider lens is of choice, perhaps your 50mm. If you want more intimate shots of the performers then a longer focal range might be best and shoot further back. Personally I'd cover it with 2 bodies, one setup for wide, the other with tele.

Can you get in advance and test the lighting? You may find on stage isn't as dark as you suspect. If the stage is well lit you don't need to replicate the same intensity of light, consider underexposing and create a more dramatic and moodier set of images. Set a custom WB if the lights are changing colour, shoot RAW and don't push the images too much in post to minimize noise.

Post the outcome back here when you're done shooting so we can see.