Child Band Concert

ctoldo12

Hi, I am going to be using my camera to take some pictures of my daughters band concert. It will be in an auditorium and she plays the flute, so really, not much movement.

I am not sure on settings since I am new at this!

I have the 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses.

Any suggestions on what settings would be good, or at least a direction?

Thanks!!

ohyeahar

Which of your 2 lenses you choose to use would depend on your shooting location and what kind of field of view you want. You’ll most likely find that your 55-200mm is more suitable. Whichever lens you choose, make sure the VR switch on the lens is in the “On” position (assuming you’ll be hand holding the camera).

On the camera, I would suggest the following settings which should give you the shots you want:
Shutter priority
Set shutter speed at 1/125 (or 1/60 if you find that’s acceptable)
Auto ISO on with Max ISO at 3200 or (6400)
AF-A or AF-S autofocus mode
Single-point AF area (land the active focus point on the eye/face)

If you’re interested, here’s the rationale behind my suggestion.

General rule is to keep VR on unless you stabilize the camera. In your situation, VR would help since you’re shooting at slow shutter speeds. With no VR, 1/125 would be too slow to combat camera movement.

Since your subject isn't moving much, shutter speed of 1/125 is more than sufficient to freeze the action. You may choose to slow it down to 1/60 if you have steady hands and you find you’re still able to freeze the action.

Why use Shutter Priority and Auto-ISO? I don’t know how to explain this in a coherent way. It’s because you’re using a variable aperture lens in a low-light environment. Setting it this way will prevent your shutter speed from changing as you zoom in and out.

Certainly, this isn't the only way to shoot, but I feel it’s probably the easiest considering your gear and situation.