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Good lens for shooting a dance recital

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Rachel Foster

New member
My equipment budget is....nonexistent.

Still, I'm asked to shoot the local dance recital twice a year. I have the 24-105 f/4.0, the 50 mm f/1.8, a 100mm macro (f/28?) and the 70/200 f/4.0. I've been thinking of using the 24 105 with the 5d II, but was looking around at options.

Any opinions on the Tamron f/2.8 28-70? It's quite reasonable (but, of course, does nothing to add the recommended wide angle to my bag of tricks).
 
N

Nill Toulme

New member
How close can you get? I use the 24-105 on my 1DMkII to shoot dances, but I'm on the floor, wading right through the dancers. You'll also have to use flash with that lens (make sure you bounce it). If you can use flash and get close enough it should be great on your 5D. If they're on a stage and you're in the audience, then you might have to go with the 70-200, again with bounced flash.

If no flash, then you'll probably have to use your 50.

Nill
 
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Ken Tanaka

pro member
Dunno. But in case you're not familiar with the Fed Miranda site you should probably take a browse through their reviews. They have so much traffic that the body of reviews for lenses tends to be pretty good, albeit mostly from amateurs.

(I don't know if you have to register to access that section of FM..sorry if you do.)
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Rachel,

You need to go †o the place and know where you'll be, where they are and what the lighting is. The 5DII gives you ISO 3200 and you can use an 85 1.8, which is cheap to buy. If that has the reach, you can doit. The 5DII has enough pixels to crop. I'd worry about the f 4 24-105 as you may simply not have enough light. You must check it!

If this is for the dance troupe, as opposed to a competition, they will have a sepcial shooting session, but, this is not the case, it seems.

Asher
 
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Kathy Rappaport

pro member
24-105 is perfect

You don't need anything more than the 24-105 - bump the ISO, Take the 50 as your alternate if you cant shoot because it's dark and you could use the 70-200 if they were farther away. You need a wide lens but a fast shutter to stop the action. The wider lens will let you shoot with a slower speed if needed to show some of the motion. Dancers are usually well lit so you probably won't need flash.
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Rachel,

I know they won't allow flash, but here's another point to consider. If they would allow flash then you might get harsh shadows you didn't expect. So for that, one needs to really put in an effort to light the stage as a whole.

The great advantage you have is owning the 5DII for this shoot. You'll need its extra light sensitivity. As Kathy says, the 24-105 is likely going to be all you need. Still, the wider aperture of the 85 1.8 can save the day. Best of all, despite being a sharp lens, it weighs and costs little. At present it's going for just $355 from B&H with free shipping. It would allow you to hold the camera long without fatigue and shooting at f2.8 with this would permit lowering the ISO and getting the shot, even in the dimmest light.

Asher
 
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Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
That 100mm f2.8 Macro is a fine lens. I should really get one! However, the 50 1.8 is more practical for you as it has little bulk and it will save you in low light situations. It's a particulalry nice lens for portraits too with window light!

Asher
 
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Rachel Foster

New member
I do have the 50 1.8. I've not used it much of late, though. It also has the lightweight advantage you mentioned too.

I'd love to upgrade to the 50 1.4 someday, but the wideangle (12-24?) will come first.
 
M

Mike Shimwell

New member
I've got the 85 and the 100 and in use they seem more diferent than you'd imagine. I got the 85 because I've always liked that lens from my FD days and the 100 to do macro work. In use both will produce outstanding images. Overall the 100 may be slightly (disappearingly small amount) better, but very importantly for me it's not as fast (f2.8 cf f1.8, so 1.3 stops) and it's much bigger and heavier. The 85 is like a slightly bigger 50 1.4 and the 100 in comparison feels closer to the 24-105.

Mike
 
K

Kathy Rappaport

pro member
100 2.8 too slow to focus movement

The 100 2.8 is a true macro lens. It's too slow focusing to do a dance recital. It iwll hunt in the dark and you will miss your action. I have that lens, the 50 1.8, the 85 1.4 and the 24-105.

The 85 is a better choice if you need to buy something. The 50 1.8 is nice and light but it won't be as sharp as the 85. The best lens you have for the job is your L Lens. It's IS gives you effectively an extra stop of light. It will let you shoot wide and that creates a faster shutter speed for you. You do not need to buy anything for this shoot! The 24-105 is the sharpest and best color of all of these.
 
Cem_Usakligil

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Kathy Rappaport said:
The 100 2.8 is a true macro lens. It's too slow focusing to do a dance recital. It iwll hunt in the dark and you will miss your action. I have that lens, the 50 1.8, the 85 1.4 and the 24-105.

The 85 is a better choice if you need to buy something. The 50 1.8 is nice and light but it won't be as sharp as the 85. The best lens you have for the job is your L Lens. It's IS gives you effectively an extra stop of light. It will let you shoot wide and that creates a faster shutter speed for you. You do not need to buy anything for this shoot! The 24-105 is the sharpest and best color of all of these.
Click to expand...
FWIW, I fully agree with Kathy, the 24-105 is your main choice for this job. If you need a wider aperture lense because of the need to freeze the movement (which is the case here), just up the ISO on your 5DII instead. I have virtually noise free 3200 ISO pictures coming out this camera.
 
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Rachel Foster

New member
I tend to go for the 24-105 as my default lens. I'd rather put money toward a wide angle than go for the 85 right now.

Good advice and thanks to everyone.
 
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Rachel Foster

New member
The best shot I've gotten from a recital was this one last year. I'm hoping I can get something like this -- but sharper -- with the 5d.

smallredsilh.jpg


Wish me luck!
 
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Rachel Foster

New member
I got a few shots at dress rehearsal this afternoon. I'm not thrilled with the quality, but I recently saw some shots of a friend's daughter at recital done by a pro. His quality a lot to be desired.

midflightbw-1.jpg



IMG_69672-1.jpg


and a snapshot I'm rather fond of (personal reasons)

jacob1-1.jpg



I'll post shutter, aperture, etc. later. Wish me luck!
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
IMG_69672-1.jpg

I Rachel,

I like the sense of movement and synergy here. If you had Photoshop CS2 or newer, you could use shadow/highlight too to bring out the faces.

I's suggest you show them this picture and the first one and how extra lighting is needed yo open up the facial appearance/ They might then arrange a short dress rehearsal just for pictures. This is so valued by the dancers and should hep everyone. Often, they are so worried about getting a performance ready for prime time, that pictures get neglected or are addressed as an afterthought.

I am using the 5DII with the 24-105 mm lens and find it a very powerful and creative combination.

However, the 70-200 images, for ne at least, seem to be a much higher quality.

Asher
 
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Rachel Foster

New member
One I liked from the recital was the same very photogenic pair of girls from before, but I prefer it in black and white.


6965bw-1.jpg


Another...


smballerninasbw.jpg


And this one is of me, not by me. I'd almost rather go through childbirth again than get onstage in a leotard but it was for the kid....

smdbw.jpg


I figure as long as I can still laugh at myself, I'll always have laughter in my life.
 
R

Rachel Foster

New member
Thanks, Asher. I wish they'd beef up the lights, but I'm not optimistic. They have two performances each recital, so tomorrow I'm going to try shooting from the wings. I might get some nice bounced lighting effects. I shot tonight's from the balcony.

I have CS4 and so far have only used bright/contrast controls. I plan on playing with the edits more later (since I almost have learned layers!).
 
R

Rachel Foster

New member
Just one from todaythat struck me immediately. I was shooting backstage. This is one of those times I'd give a limb to have had the technical knowledge to do this and a few more justice.


IMG_7785copy-1.jpg
 
J

Johann van Rensburg

New member
Wonderful opportunity to create some great images.

In difficult circumstance sometimes things can only be achieved with the post processing.

I hope this is allowed - if not, slap me and I will not do it again.......

Workflow:

Duplicate layer
Add curves adjustment layer
Pull curve from top right towards the left, and also from the bottom third, slightly to the upper left.
Crude for now, but just to give you an idea

112419958.jpg
 
Will Thompson

Will Thompson

Well Known Member
Rachel Foster said:
I have a flash but is not allowed to use during recital.
Click to expand...

Cheat and use a IR converted older canon with a Battery powered flash around 400 WS with an IR filter on it so no-one can see it. With this setup you can stop down and get a deeper depth of field so focus is not critical. The output will be black and white but very good.
 
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