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which lens for a concert

P

philiphifi

pfm Member
hi - i am trying to take pictures of my daughter playing in a concert. i can only get ticket at the back row (I reckon about 80m from the stage). Would a 70-300mm lens be enough for wide angle and close-up?
 
Which camera are you going to be using? Sensor size will make a difference, FF, crop sensor or M43 for example.

The lighting may be odd. You will probably need to use a fairly high ISO and use de-noising software to get acceptable results. Shooting in RAW may allow you to fix lighting in post.
 
Obvious question, so excuse me for asking, but have you made sure that you're allowed to photograph? Even non-commercial events are getting sensitive about photography. :(
 
What's the max aperture of the lens? You may find a short hire of a telephoto with a wider aperture to be of more benefit. The lighting will be more of a hindrance than the focal length. Can you take a monopod in for support?

Have someone pose for you before you go to the concert at a measured 80m, photograph them, and see how big they are in the frame. This will tell you if have enough at 300mm, or whether you need a 400
 
thanks everyone. i am using a sony a7r2. it's a school concert and we have permission to take photos and videos. All my lenses are canon but i have an adapter. I have a 70-200 2.8 and a 70-300 DO 4.5-5.6. Just wondering if they are long enough at that distance.
 
I would go for the 80-200 f2.8 just for its maximum apature, it’s going to be dark so a brighter view will be advantageous.
A 1.4 teleconverter would be nice addition.
What is the maximum iso you can use?
I can set the maximum iso on my Nikon and then shoot away.

Pete
 
You're going to struggle to get close ups from the back of the auditorium, but you'll get a reasonable shot of the stage. Is this a school music concert? What is the lighting like? Take the fastest lens you have i.e. the 70-200 f2.8 and shoot it wide open. Shoot RAW.

I photograph a lot of gigs, usually from the pit, but sometimes from the back. To give you an idea, here is a shot of Jamie Cullum at the back of the Big Tent in the Cheltenham Jazz Festival last year. Taken on my Leica SL2 with my favourite 180/2 APO-Summicron R - handheld - ISO 1600, 1/125th at F2

AAUbcx.jpg
 
Gosh that's a nice photo. Thank you very much. It's a inter-school classical concert with a whole orchestra but it's in a public venue. I am looking to get some close up shots so I guess if that's 200mm then probably I need to borrow a 200-600mm Sony lens.
 
philiphifi said:
hi - i am trying to take pictures of my daughter playing in a concert. i can only get ticket at the back row (I reckon about 80m from the stage). Would a 70-300mm lens be enough for wide angle and close-up?
Click to expand...

You sure 80m? This will make a huge difference, and i'm used to orchestra venues being nearer 30-40m to the back. What is the venue?

And yes, you'll need reach, but you'll also need light, so i'd probably say the 70-200 will work well, but you aren't going to get a close up shot like that, but probably something you can crop to make something useful with.
 
The Sony 200-600 is too slow as a lens. As Cesare says, you will need enough light to hand hold, as I can’t imagine you’ll be slowed to use a monopod. Classical Orchestral concerts are challenging to shoot - you’ll be surprised how your fellow spectators can hear the shutter esp during quiet passages
 
Can't you switch the shutter noise off on modern mirrorless cameras?

He could smuggle the monopod in up his trouser leg, pretend he has a wooden leg.

I'd imagine that mums and dads taking photos, particularly with their bloody phones, must be the bane of school concerts and plays nowadays.
 
The a7r2 has silent shutter mode so that's not a problem. They will also have a professional photographer for the event so at least I can buy some pictures if mine are bad. It is a large space, i am not 100% sure if it's 80m but it will be around 60-80m for sure. I have a monopod so I'll use that. I don't have the sony 200-600 so i may have to use my canon 70-300mm. The sony has an IBIS of 3 stops I think - i guess i need a shutter speed of around 1/60th at least to get a decent stable shot otherwise it will be blurry.
 
The R2 is good until ISO 12800. After that it gets notably noisy.
I'd suggest you set auto ISO on with a top limit to that ISO (12800)
Shoot raw files.
Set white balance to indoor light not sunshine. Auto white balance might be good enough, I'm not sure about Sony in that respect, but if the white balance has an 'incandescent' setting, that's be best for stage lights.
I'd shoot in matrix metering mode with face detect on, and in aperture priority, with the aperture at 2.8.
I'd use the 70-200.
Me? I's stand up somewhere at the back where I could rest the lens on something, but if no, then a monopod might help, oh and yes....if you have a silent shutter mode, turn it on or risk 2 hours of tutting :)
 
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