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03/06/2008 10:42:50 PM · #1 |
I have been going to science fiction conventions several times a year and I love to take pictures there, but Im faced with many challenges and I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions or advice. My seats are going to be in the back ( so 20 - 30 rows away) It is set up in a hotel ball room. I am using my Rebel XT. and 75 - 300mm lens. I dont own a suplimental flash. And there is no room to set up a tripod. This is a link to my my space page where I have some shots from previous conventions I go to none of them are edited at all ( Im refering to the celabraty photo's where they are on stage) //viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=4395655&albumId=1124286
Im considering picking up a cheap monopod tomorrow morning before I leave to help.
If anyone has any advice on how to get better shots from far away with the equipment I have please share them.
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03/06/2008 10:56:49 PM · #2 |
A monopod may help but a fast lens is something you might want to invest in. A nice 50mm might be a good place to start.
I doubt that flash would reach. |
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03/06/2008 10:56:56 PM · #3 |
I recently bought the same lens to use with the same camera. I'm afraid that does not sound like a great combination. (I anticipate using mine mainly outdoors) However, what I have found is that my XT does seem to perform pretty well at high ISO(Compared to my other cameras, this is my first SLR) . I'd suggest setting it to 1600, and staying under 200mm of zoom. That lens gets soft at it's far reach and you likely will not be able to use a narrow aperture to keep it sharp.
The monopod will certainly help. If there is anything you may be able to wrap something around for stability, a Gorillapod (AKA Flexpod & Versapod) does not take up much room and may be useful in lieu of a full size tripod.
Message edited by author 2008-03-06 23:00:33.
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03/06/2008 11:05:43 PM · #4 |
I'm not a pro but maybe you can use a better lens, something that can capture more light. I suggest you rent a lens since it is cheaper than buying one. There are several post on renting site but the cheapest I have seen is //www.rentphotostuff.com/
Good luck! |
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03/06/2008 11:12:35 PM · #5 |
I was about to make the same suggestion as David ... in fact, here are a couple of lenses you might consider renting:
Canon 50mm f/1.4
Canon 85mm f/1.8
The thing is, the lenses that you have, when fully zoomed, are slow f/5.6 lenses. A lens at f/4 lets in twice as much light. At f/2.8 four times. At f/1.4 eight times! That means the Canon f/1.4 lens above will let you choose a shutter speed that is EIGHT TIMES as fast as what you could get using either of your other lenses fully zoomed. Of course, you loose focal length (50 versus 300, for example) so that's why I included the 85mm up above as well. The same site also has a 135mm f/2 lens.
Anyway, that site lets you rent the lens for a whole week at a time for a pretty reasonable price (example $22 for one week for the 50mm lens). It's worth trying it out at that rate.
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03/06/2008 11:12:50 PM · #6 |
| Ya, tripods don't fit too well in the aisles, the monopod should fit nicely and might be just enough to stabilize the camera enough to work, just be careful you're not sitting too high impairing the view of anybody behind you (shoot between the heads in front of you). That with high ISO and your largest aperture in Av mode might be enough to get the shot. Try to capture them when they are not moving. Shoot Raw so you can bump the exposure a bit if needed (but keep in mind that will consequently bring out more noise with the high ISO) and fine tune the white balance. Good luck! |
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03/06/2008 11:18:17 PM · #7 |
I went to a con last week and I talked to some of the organizers with some help of another photographer I was able to get backstage for the masquerade. You might want to go the same route and talk to the organizers.
If this doesn't work then you might just have to line up early. The closer you get, the less you have to depend on the long end of the lenses.
If you have a Radio Shack nearby they carry a monopod for $9.99 that is quite small and extends past 6'. Not bad for less then $10.00 and fits in a backpack with a little bit sticking out.
Message edited by author 2008-03-06 23:20:52. |
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03/06/2008 11:52:58 PM · #8 |
Along with that cheap monopod, you might want to invest in some inexpensive "C" clamps or plastic grip of some sort. With low light, the distance you are from the stage, and the slow lens, you are going to want to a very, very steady camera. You can look for somehing to clamp your mono pod onto. I did this taking this photo. There happened to be a barrel close by. I clamped the my monopod onto it, composed my image and fired away. . . using the timer instead of the exposure button.
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03/07/2008 12:04:12 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by drydoc:
Along with that cheap monopod, you might want to invest in some inexpensive "C" clamps or plastic grip of some sort. With low light, the distance you are from the stage, and the slow lens, you are going to want to a very, very steady camera. You can look for somehing to clamp your mono pod onto. I did this taking this photo. There happened to be a barrel close by. I clamped the my monopod onto it, composed my image and fired away. . . using the timer instead of the exposure button. |
REI sells a little mini-tripod which comes with a Velcro strap arrangement so you can clamp it onto a chair or signpost or railing something ... I think it was about $15 the last time I checked. |
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03/07/2008 12:06:03 AM · #10 |
Dang... I just realized I missed a stop. I mentioned f/1.4 being eight times as fast as f/5.6 and it's really SIXTEEN times as fast (I missed f/2 in between f/1.4 and f/2.8). So if you're forced to shoot at 1/15th of a second due to low light using an f/5.6 lens, you could shoot the same subject at 1/250th of a second using an f/1.4 lens. Or, if you're forced to shoot at ISO 1600 in order to get an acceptable shutter speed at f/5.6, you could shoot the same subject using the same shutter speed at ISO 100.
Originally posted by dwterry:
I was about to make the same suggestion as David ... in fact, here are a couple of lenses you might consider renting:
Canon 50mm f/1.4
Canon 85mm f/1.8
The thing is, the lenses that you have, when fully zoomed, are slow f/5.6 lenses. A lens at f/4 lets in twice as much light. At f/2.8 four times. At f/1.4 eight times! That means the Canon f/1.4 lens above will let you choose a shutter speed that is EIGHT TIMES as fast as what you could get using either of your other lenses fully zoomed. Of course, you loose focal length (50 versus 300, for example) so that's why I included the 85mm up above as well. The same site also has a 135mm f/2 lens.
Anyway, that site lets you rent the lens for a whole week at a time for a pretty reasonable price (example $22 for one week for the 50mm lens). It's worth trying it out at that rate. |
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