19
Which lens for low light event + portraits? (lemmy.world)
submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
16 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hi everyone, although I like to study the photography topic, I'm really a noob when it comes to practical terms.

I would like to take pictures at a family event which will take place in a garden in the evening/night.

Well, my gear is quite modest, and I know I don't have what I need to take good pictures of both the place and the people there. I'm looking to rent a nice lens to carry around as I take pictures (and enjoy the party too! So I'm just taking one ๐Ÿ˜…). So I would really appreciate some advice on what to rent.

There are the four lenses I found while digging, two are primes, two are zooms:

  • Canon RF 24MM F/1.8 IS STM: it's fast, with IS, but I'm not sure about portraits with this focal length.

  • Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L II USM: super fast, no IS, still not sure about portraits with this focal length.

  • Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM: IS, quite fast, zoom lets me take portraits, but I've read it's not very sharp.

  • Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM: IS, quite fast, zoom lets me take portraits (not strongly as the one above but still).

Here's my situation:

  • I have Canon Eos R10 with the EF adapter.
  • My hands are shaky, so without IS I need to be at least at 1/125...
  • I like to keep ISO really low (<6400) if I can.
  • I kind of pixel peep (I know I don't have the right because I'm crap but I can't resist) so I like to take as sharp pictures as I can.

Which lens would you reccommend? Since I'm renting them I was thinking about going all in with the expensive ones, the cost won't increase much. The primes are so bright I feel comfortable they will be bright enough, but I don't know if I can take good portraits at 24mm. On the other hand, zooms let me do more things, but I don't know if I can handle f/2.8 with my crappy and shaky hands.

Of course, if you can think of other lenses that would be perfect for the job I'm all ears!

Cheers

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

Good point - there's a difference between dim, but still somewhat directional, light that you can have your subjects pose around and straight up dim light. A dim light directed at someone's face will result in a lot more detail than that same amount of light randomly diffused around the scene. If it's going to be truly dark, with no sources of directional light, and OP is a pixel peeper they probably won't like the results.

If OP does go the flash route, which I hope they do it it's actually dark, there would no longer be a need to shoot wide open unless maybe they're focusing on single subjects. For groups, more depth of field is good.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

It's going to have ambient lighting, similar to a fair, with those hanging light bulbs and illuminated stands. Hopefully I give the right idea, english is not my first language.

Another issue I have with the flash is that I don't like its effect on the pictures, and I'll be using it wrong because I've never used one so there's also that.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Ambient lighting, especially if you can get it to fall fairly directly on faces, will be the thing to try to use to your advantage.

You're doing great with your English!

As far as flash, there are two things you can do to make it better:

  1. Use a gel or a dedicated filter to match the color temperature of the ambient lighting
  2. Diffuse the flash - don't just aim it directly at your subjects. If you were inside, you could bounce it off a wall but since you likely won't have a wall at your disposal you could look at diffusers. There are tons of DIY options available as well as products you can buy
this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2024
19 points (100.0% liked)

Photography

4799 readers
20 users here now

c/photography is a community centered on the practice of amateur and professional photography. You can come here to discuss the gear, the technique and the culture related to the art of photography. You can also share your work, appreciate the others' and constructively critique each others work.

Please, be sure to read the rules before posting.

THE RULES

  1. Be nice to each other

This Lemmy Community is open to civil, friendly discussion about our common interest, photography. Excessively rude, mean, unfriendly, or hostile conduct is not permitted.

  1. Keep content on topic

All discussion threads must be photography related such as latest gear or art news, gear acquisition advices, photography related questions, etc...

  1. No politics or religion

This Lemmy Community is about photography and discussion around photography, not religion or politics.

  1. No classified ads or job offers

All is in the title. This is a casual discussion community.

  1. No spam or self-promotion

One post, one photo in the limit of 3 pictures in a 24 hours timespan. Do not flood the community with your pictures. Be patient, select your best work, and enjoy.

  1. If you want contructive critiques, use [Critique Wanted] in your title.

  2. Flair NSFW posts (nudity, gore, ...)

  3. Do not share your portfolio (instagram, flickr, or else...)

The aim of this community is to invite everyone to discuss around your photography. If you drop everything with one link, this become pointless. Portfolio posts will be deleted. You can however share your portfolio link in the comment section if another member wants to see more of your work.

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
[email protected]