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AlterEgoPhotography — Dragon Lady
Published: 2007-10-13 06:01:43 +0000 UTC; Views: 1500; Favourites: 20; Downloads: 0
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Description
Atlantic Cirque 5th Anniversary GalaPerformer: Mistress Molotov
Photographer: Brent McCombs/Alter Ego Photography
Location: Cunard Centre/Halifax, Nova Scotia
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Comments: 11
The 50mm f/1.4 from Canon. A relatively cheap ($350) lens that is pretty good from wide open, but very sharp after about f/2.8 or so (this is at f/2.0)
B
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cool. so u'd recommend it on my 30D? is it any good on gig photography?
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gig photography = band/concert work? If so, it's a very good focal length on the 30D (I use 85mm on the full frame cameras, and on the crop-sensor 30D, the 50mm works out to almost 85mm right on).
A second good lens to get is the 85 f/1.8 and/or the 135 f/2.0.
I have a number of L lenses, but have never seen the need to upgrade the 50mm f/1.4 - it's a good lens.
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ah cool. im a student in photography here in Malaysia. so my budget's my a bit tight. i do have several gigs coming up and am at least the Official photographer for one gig in May.
so far i've only shot using the canon kit lens and the Sigma APO 70-300 during the day.
if i dont get any other new lens, i'd borrow my brother in law's Sigma 18-200 OS. is that a good choice?
i set my eyes on the Tamron 17-50 2.8 is that wise?
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The 18-200 is a decent general purpose lens. For some work, the faster apetures are needed. f/2.8 being the base for low-light work, and f/1.4; f/1.8 better.
But remember, for a lot of work, it's not the gear that makes the biggest difference, it's you. Composition and knowing your gear and it's capabilities/limits are crucial.
I like the cheap primes for a lot of work, but the 2.8 zooms can do a lot for you. 17-55 on the 30D is a good range. I use a 24-70 for most of my editorial work - and that's roughly equivalent on a full frame sensor.
B
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ic2. but with 2.8 and 1.4, wont u sacrifce details on the edges?
yeah i guess. here in Malaysia, photographers have been popping up all over and a lot of em are doing concert photography. lots of competition. have to find a way to get an edge over them.
focal length multiplication. i get it.
so far the option thats open for me is ;
the tamron 17-50 2.8
the sigma 18-50 2.8 macro
the sigma 24-70 2.8/4.5
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Sorry for the delay in replying - I'm travelling on the west coast of Canada right now, and have very limited web access.
You may sacrifice some edge detail, but you'd be surprised how often that either a) doesn't matter to an image or, b) actually improves an image.
We in the digital age of viewing images at 100% on screen tend to obsess over sharpness. I know, I do it myself a lot. But unless you are a landscape or architectural photographer, the edges of a frame are usually significantly less important than the centre. In fact, often we burn the edges or blur them in post so to draw the eye subtly into our subject. Check out so much of the best music photography of the 1960s-1970s - it's very gritty, very 'flawed' by today's standards of sharpness and noise - but it's amazingly evocotive and full of energy/life/emotion. That's what you're going for. I've recently begun adding very low-cost/cheap lenses to my collection to get some of that effect more naturally than having to add it in post.
That said, a lot of the glass that is made to f/1.4 standards are high (or relatively high) end primes. Even shot wide open they compare well to zooms at 2.8. And if you stop a prime 50mm f/1.4 down to 2.8, you have a very, very sharp piece of glass edge to edge.
Anyway - you've got a pretty good set up above. I'd seriously consider adding at 50mm f.1.4 (if you can swing the cost, if not, definately pick up the 50mm f/1.8 - which is a hugely inexpensive ($80US) lens, very light and compact, and it can SO save you when you *have* to have faster glass. The 85 f/1.8 is also a great concert piece of glass. I know the zooms are tempting, but for what it's worth, I'd shoot an entire concert series with just two primes and be quite happy (a wide, 35mm equiv) and medium (85 or 135), as long as they were both f/2.0 or better.
B
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Well, sorry for my SUPER late reply. haha. Been caught up with college assignments and stuff. and im not a great time organiser so i mess up my schedules a lot.
I realise that in music photography, sharpness doesnt count so much as composition and lighting but i cant seem to get out of the habit of looking for that bit of sharpness in my pictures.
wait. how much does a 50mm 1.4 cost in ur neck of the woods?
Im seriously considering a Tamron 17-50mm 2.8 but if i can get a 50mm 1.8/1.4 and a 85mm 1.8 at the same price, i'm goin for that.
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No worries. It's been a bit of crazy period here as well.
Not sure how much the 50 is here - I get must of my stuff from out west or down south - prices in Atlantic Canada can be 10-25 per cent above other markets, which is a bit beyond what I can justify just to 'buy local'.
Google 'The Camera Store' in Calgary Alberta - they tend to have some of the lowest prices from authorized Canon dealers in the country.
B
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Ah. ok. I'm a lil teetsie weetsy out of ur country anyhow.
I sure wish my sibling are still in the U.S for their studies. But alas, they've graduated.
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