Shooting at concerts

[LiquidChill]

Tonight, I get my first chance to shoot at a concert and was wondering if anyone could suggest any tips? I have taken photos and such but just recently was able to get a nice DSLR (Canon Rebel XS), and only have the normal 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS lens and a 75-300mm 4-5.6 III lens. I'd love if anyone could suggest tips.

[inkista]

With those two lenses, you're likely to be up against it to get enough light for a good exposure without motion blur (unless it's a daylight outside concert). This is because both of the lenses have relatively small maximum apertures.

If you can't use (or don't have) a flash, and you can't get a faster lens (one with an f/2.8 or wider max. aperture), I'd recommend pushing your iso up to 800 or 1600.

Also, with the 75-300 III, be aware of the 1/focal_length rule of thumb. This basic guide says that to minimize camera shake blur while handholding, you want your shutter speed to be at least 1/focal_length or faster (assuming you've got good handholding technique). So, if you're shooting at 300mm, that means 1/300s or faster. Sadly, that lens tends to get sharper if you stop it down to f/8--further eliminating the amount of light you can grab at once.

My general advice would be to get a fast prime, like the EF 50mm f/1.8 II (it's only $100).