Shooting a live concert

On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 23:19:02 -0400, Cynicor
<j...tru.p..in.TakeThisOut@sp.eake.a.sy.net> wrote:

>I haven't done this before, but I'm going to try to get pictures at a
>club this week. I'm sure some of you have done this before, so my
>question is: if I have to stick to one lens with a D200, should I choose
>a fast wide-angle (30/1.4) or a slower zoom (18-200/3.5-5.6 VR)? (I'll
>try to get both in if I can.)

I recently shot a River Dance type stage show and had some pretty
good results with a Canon 30d & 28-135 IS lens. The best results were
when shooting Aperature Priority at ISO 1600 and spot metering. This
combo allowed proper exposure of the main subjects and shutter speeds
high enough to freeze most of the action.

You should see very similar results with the D200.

HTH and good luck,
Bill
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On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 23:19:02 -0400, Cynicor
<j...tru.p..in RemoveThis @sp.eake.a.sy.net> wrote:

>I haven't done this before, but I'm going to try to get pictures at a
>club this week. I'm sure some of you have done this before, so my
>question is: if I have to stick to one lens with a D200, should I choose
>a fast wide-angle (30/1.4) or a slower zoom (18-200/3.5-5.6 VR)? (I'll
>try to get both in if I can.)

This is what I do for a living (theoretically, heh). The wide angle
will do no good unless you're in the photo pit. And even then its use
will be limited. OTOH, the zoom is too slow to get what you probably
want.

I use a 28-70 f2.8 and a 70-200 f2.8 99% of the time. In fact, the
70-200 probably gets 80% of the use. I've used these same lenses on an
A2, a 1n and now my 5D. I shoot in Manual. Depending on the lightand
the speed of whichever lens you choose, you'll probably have to shoot
between 1200 and 1600 ISO, spot metering. Shutter speeds between 60
and 125 unless you get some bright lights to work with. Some clubs are
so dimly lit that I hand-hold at 1/15 to 1/30, with mixed results.

Good luck!

JJ
 >> Stay informed about: Shooting a live concert 

jj.TakeThisOut@unspameljefe.net wrote:
> On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 23:19:02 -0400, Cynicor
> <j...tru.p..in.TakeThisOut@sp.eake.a.sy.net> wrote:
>
>> I haven't done this before, but I'm going to try to get pictures at a
>> club this week. I'm sure some of you have done this before, so my
>> question is: if I have to stick to one lens with a D200, should I choose
>> a fast wide-angle (30/1.4) or a slower zoom (18-200/3.5-5.6 VR)? (I'll
>> try to get both in if I can.)
>
> This is what I do for a living (theoretically, heh). The wide angle
> will do no good unless you're in the photo pit. And even then its use
> will be limited. OTOH, the zoom is too slow to get what you probably
> want.
>
> I use a 28-70 f2.8 and a 70-200 f2.8 99% of the time. In fact, the
> 70-200 probably gets 80% of the use. I've used these same lenses on an
> A2, a 1n and now my 5D. I shoot in Manual. Depending on the lightand
> the speed of whichever lens you choose, you'll probably have to shoot
> between 1200 and 1600 ISO, spot metering. Shutter speeds between 60
> and 125 unless you get some bright lights to work with. Some clubs are
> so dimly lit that I hand-hold at 1/15 to 1/30, with mixed results.

Thanks all. It's a tiny venue (Maxwell's in Hoboken). I'm not going to
Shea Stadium to photo The Who or anything. I asked for a photo pass but
never got a response so I didn't want to take a 70-200 f2.8 in.
 >> Stay informed about: Shooting a live concert