beaniel8

I use a Canon Rebel XSI to photograph clown parties (my husband is the clown-really). Sometimes they are in small apartments, sometimes in larger banquet halls, and sometimes outdoors. I have a Canon 18-55 IS 3.5-5.6, Canon 50 mm 1.8, a Tamron28-300 3.5-6.3, Canon speedlite 580exII and 430 ex. My question:
What NEW LENS under $800 (if any) would you suggest for getting the sharpest photos of groups of 4-8 indoors, low light, without using a tripod? My clients are happy but I'm not...I want more. Or...do you have some suggestions for me using my existing equipment?

btw...please don't criticize my existing equipment or skill level. I'm an "add-on" to the clown shows that the clients choose based upon word of mouth about my photos. They are happy with both product and price. I just really want to improve in any way that I can.
THANKS!

Jay Pat Loc: Round Rock, Texas, USA

Off hand, I have nothing to offer at this time.
Would like to see some of your best images!!!
Sounds like fun!!
Pat

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

Looks like you've got it covered. You could add a wide 24 mm 2.8 for those small apartments but that's about it.

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

Depth of field is going to be the problem. More speed = less d-o-f. My own advice would be to stick with the 50/1.8, probably shooting at f/2.8. "Your legs are your best zoom."

Cheers,

R.

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

If you want faster I would say go the the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 for Canon...I have used it on occasion and found that shooting at 3.5 it is quite good. If you want wider I would go to the Canon 15-85 lens. This is my favorite lens and I know of nothing sharper within its range. The 15 length will make a huge difference in the indoor shots and the IS is one of the best. Another option is to add a little light. This can be done very cheaply by adding one of the new continuous LED lights. You click in on take the shot and click it off. Offers great fill without the shock of a flash. Another idea is to get a fisheye 8mm for around $300. That would make fun photos for your clients.

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

RixPix's LED idea is not at all bad. You don't want too much light (= powerful flash) but some 'fill' may just tip the balance between 'good' and 'excellent'.

Not sure about the fisheye, though... Some will love it. Pity about the others!

Cheers,

R.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Sounds like it would depend on the situation.
Indoors in an apartment, your 18-55 would work fine if you used flash- bouncing it off the ceiling, maybe with a"kicker" card.
Outside, any of your lenses would work, but I would probably pick the 18-55 again, with some fill flash.

Larger banquet halls will probably be the hardest to shoot. A faster lens would help with acurate focus. I use either the 17-55 2.8 for crop sensor or the 24-70 for full frame. They are both 2.8 through the entire zoom range. Depends on how elaborate you want to go and how (poorly) lit the venue is. I do groups with just flash on camera with some sort of diffuser like a Gary Fong Lightsphere or Lumiquest and drag the shutter so the ambient light will show the rest of the room and it works for me for something quick. I typically can go down to 1/15th of a second with no blurring because the flash freezes the subject movement.

More elaborate would be to use a couple of umbrellas triggered wirelesly.

Notice that ALL my suggestions include using a flash.
Just getting a proper exposure with a fast lens won't always get a good photo. Using some sort of auxillary light will help improve the "quality" of the image.

I posted a photo in a thread about drag shutter technique here recently but haven't been able to find it. Another example is posted in the following thread- shot at 1/8th of a second http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-16899-1.html

Drag shutter: http://ilovephotography.com/article9.html

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

One more thought....monopod

beaniel8

Thanks for your reply.
I think the shallow depth of field is the problem. I don't get consistently sharp focus on all of the subjects in the group. At 2.8 isn't there enough bokeh that the people on the edges might not be very sharp? Also, if I manually choose an AF point with a group shot, where should I point that one AF point? Or should I be choosing to use ALL AF points? As far as I've been able to determine I can either choose one AF point or all but not a "group" of focal points, as on some other cameras that I have tested.

beaniel8

It's very fun! I forgot to mention that the shows are 100% in Spanish. I'm a Spanish teacher and my husband is a native Spanish speaker. We have a blast at these shows!

I'm not sure that I'd call the photos that I take at the shows some of my "best" but I'll see what I can find to post.

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

'Bokeh' simply means 'the quality of the out of focus image' and is therefore substantially irrelevant. For maximum depth of field, compose 1/3 of the way into the image, e.g. if the nearest person is 6 feet away and the most distant is 9 feet away, focus on 7 feet (one foot out of 9-6 = 3). This is only a rule of thumb but it's the most reliable you can get. Try it with cereal boxes or something to see what you regard as 'acceptable'.

Cheers,

R.

beaniel8

Thanks for the info! I'm guessing that if I purchased either of the first two lenses that you mention they would pretty much replace the 18-55 that I'm now using? I've seen very favorable reviews for the Tamron, but your experience shows that the Canon is sharper, right?
I don't know anything about the LED lights. Could you tell me more?
Now the fisheye lens...that's another story.

beaniel8

Awesome! Thanks! There I go trying to use a term that I don't really understand. HAHA! Thank you for being so kind and so helpful. I will test it out this week.
Thanks again.

beaniel8

Thanks! So much experimenting for me to do. I love it! I'm sure that it will take me a while to "get it" but I'm so glad to have some suggestions.

I've been very shy about posting on the forum due to my lack of experience. You ALL in this post have been awesome! Maybe I'll come out of my shell soon.

beaniel8

Thanks!