I was talking with a fellow T2i owner over on my Facebook page and she was wondering which lens she should use for shooting dance in an auditorium and on the beach. I thought it would be beneficial to share our conversation with all of you...
Michelle's Question: Can you suggest a fabulous lens to use in an auditorium setting $-$$$$ (stage lighting ONLY/NO flash allowed/ sometimes from a distance{bleachers})? Also will be shooting same on the beach. It is dance, so fast movement will be an issue. I have had my camera for about a year now & am self teaching; any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I have 55-250mm 4-5.6 & 18-55mm which came with my T2i. I am looking to purchase a better lens if needed.
Moose's Answer: In order to capture fast action, from a distance, in low light (in a dance hall or theater), you need the help of a "bright" telephoto lens. When I say "bright", I'm referring to a lens that's capable of achieving an aperture f-number between f/1.4 to f/2.8. Lower f-numbers basically allow more light to enter through the lens giving you faster shutter speeds at lower ISO's, which is critical to "freezing" fast action indoors and preventing image noise from affecting the sharpness and color of your images. I know it's going to seem like a shock, but the most affordable indoor action shooter is the Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. While this may seem outrageously expensive, the Canon equivalent is double the price.
As you might of guessed, low-light (indoor) action photography is probably the most challenging and expensive types of photography. In regards to settings, I would shoot in Shutter priority (Tv on the mode dial) and select a shutter speed between 1/250 and 1/1000. Make sure your ISO is set to Auto in order to get an accurate exposure. I would also enable burst mode, so that you can rattle off a series of shots in quick succession...usually you can find a few keepers that way. In addition to all of that, try experimenting with AI Servo focusing (just press the AF button the back of your camera). This will allow you to continuously focus on a moving subject by half pressing the shutter button. If you stick with your 55-250mm f/4-5.6 lens and utilize the settings I mentioned above, you'll probably end up with some underexposed (dark) shots, full of grain (image noise). You can use basic photo editing software (like Picasa) to brighten your shots and dedicated noise reduction software (like Noise Ninja) to get rid of some of the image grain. However, I wouldn't expect miracles from either program.
If you're determined to find a cheaper alternative, you might think about shooting with a prime lens. Prime lenses are fixed at a specific focal length which means you'll have to get up and move around to get the composition you're happy with. This can be a little difficult when shooting in a packed auditorium. As for recommended prime lenses, take a look at the 50mm f/1.8 lens and the 85mm f/1.8 lens. The 85mm would give you a longer telephoto reach, but it's also 4x the price of the 50mm f/1.8. Don't forget, you could always crop the image after the fact to get tighter framing.
Michelle's Reply: I have looked at both the tamron & Canon. Is there a difference between the 2? If I'm going to spend this kind of money I'd rather purchase the better one, versus purchasing cheap & having to buy the other in a few months/years. Also, Any suggestions for the beach setting? It will be on a stage with the gulf in the background. I would be facing South.
Moose's Reply: As you might of guessed, the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is sharper and quicker to focus when compared to the cheaper Tamron equivalent lens.
As for shooting at the beach, you'll want to utilize the same settings mentioned in my first comment. The only other thing I might do is enable Partial or Center Weighted metering. When shooting under bright or highly contrasted situations, you'll want to make sure the subject is properly exposed rather than trying to meter the entire scene.
