Concert photography

[wiedemar]

Newbie question: I'm photographing my first concert tomorrow night, at a midsize venue. It's indoors, but there should be a decent amount of light involved in the show. I'll be right up by the stage.

My question: I've got a Nikkor 18-135mm 3.5-5.6 lens. Is that even reasonable to shoot an indoor concert? Or do I need to rent a faster lens? All thoughts on minimum aperture appreciated.

[Xtrah]

You are fine with that lens, smallest aperture you can use, run a high iso (probably like 1600/2000 etc) You should be just fine, here is a shot I took around those settings.

Picasa Web Albums - kt.king - Ragweed @ Cai...

[GRTaylor2]

For my concert photography I rely on my 24-70 f2.8 lens. I typically shoot at ISO 800 or 1600 to keep the noise as low as possible. The best advice I can give to someone shooting their first show is: know your camera, know your settings, trust your instincts and above all have fun - that's why you're there in the first place.

Greg Taylor
Concert Photography | Landscape Photography | Portraits

[Sime]

A couple of examples for you... (Hope it helps) You should be fine with that lens - depending (always) on the lighting in the venue...



Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 1600

and with a slower lens (Canon 100-400 f4.5-5.7 IS)



Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 1000

Or... if you prefer... (F6.3)



Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 275 mm
ISO Speed: 1600

[kirbinster]

Might work, but you are probably better off with a faster lens. I took some shots with my Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 at a Southside Johnny concert but the bouncers told me I was not allowed to use such a big lens. So when I went to see Jackson Browne I used my Nikon 85mm f/1.8 which is a small lens: