I meant step ladder as in one or two steps. To get above eye level to avoid audience members and U S shots. Shooting from mid-chest to shoulder is going to be difficult unless you are on the edge of the dance floor. If you are on the edge of the dance floor, you will miss alot of shots due to the angles and other dancers getting in the way. Being up a couple steps and further from the floor using a longer lens just increases your chance of getting good shots.

I have never been to Edinburgh during the Holidays only in the spring. Do they light up everything in city center? Will you being taking shots up toward the castle or in the park? I would imagine some of the small side streets might be fascinating if lit.

Coming to this late but, I would use a tripod, the longer lens, shoot between f5 and f9, ISO as under 400 if you can and vary the shutter speed since in dance a slower shutter speed sometimes yields some nice shots (usually during a turn the core of both partners is as close to motionless as they can make it but the ladies arms and outfit move)

Also, if you can, use a step ladder, it will avoid a lot of lost shots and, I think, captures dance better than level or low angle shots.

If you don't mind post processing, shoot in raw.

Yes, my wife got me the Sigma 18-35 1.8 Art lens for my t3i along with the hub. I have used the hub and done some not insignificant adjusting, but the AF is really nice now from f2 on (is there a lens anywhere that is great at its widest?) I am still playing with it, but so far outdoors it is great, indoors at night with typical dinner party lighting (somewhere between romantic dinner and toga party) I still need a little fill unless I up the ISO to 3200.

Has anyone else been using this lens and what has your experience been like?

bkblaw,

In case you have not noticed, Canon and Nikon users feel differently about this issue. I won't get in to all that. But, if you need lenses, Sigma has been putting out some great lenses lately.

Oh, and CANON rocks!!!!

Are you actually asking about getting the silky look in post production with the image you already have?

As always see DPReview: New article on travel cameras.
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/7118583476/dpreview-recommends-best-compact-cameras-for-travel?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=news-list&utm_medium=text&ref=title_0_27

This is not a black and white issue. The case of the couple in "The Kiss" picture from VJ Day is farily famous. The courts found that this use in the paper was fine as a news story, but the use on the cover of a photo collection seperate from the news was not. That use required premission.

Mendonsa v. Time Inc., 678 F. Supp. 967 (D.R.I. 1988).

There are backup drives for just this purpose out there, if you are concerned about something happening to your cards during the trip. You just stick the card in the drive and back it up. You can then save the card so you have the files in two places. HOWEVER, they run around $500.00 and are mostly hard drives instead of solid state drives, so are more subject to problems from rough teratment.

The only refurbishment I can think of for a card would be cleaning or plating the gold contacts and that, I think, would be to expensive a process relative to the cost of a new card. Any change in side the card would scare me off. Along with MT I wonder what was done to refurbish that would not make me worry.

Sorry I could not get back to you more quickly.

MTShooter always has something good to add and expalined these issue far better than I could.

This is the best forum I have belonged to on any subject!!

Check dpreview
http://www.dpreview.com/products/nikon/lenses/nikon_85_1p4d

http://www.dpreview.com/products/nikon/lenses/nikon_85_1p8d

Check the user reviews

Looks interesting!

Yeah, KR and dpreview rock. That is where I go first. I mistakenly went to a computer review site for the backup reviews. My bad!

There are a lot of things in life I do not find perfect, think can be improved and will work on improving, and yet am completely happy with.