Advice please..

I've been asked to start covering concerts for a magazine that's being launched. I'm completely out of my depth on this, people shouldn't ask me to do things when I'm drunk...

I'm using a Sony A200 at the moment, it's more than adequate for print in normal light, and I'm assuming with a flash unit attached it'll be OK for gigs. The biggest problem I have is that I need a wide angle lens that isn't going to break the bank - this isn't a full rate pay job!

Can anyone suggest a reasonably good quality lens that would suit my requirements? The gigs are only going to be small ones, no stadium bands here - more semi-pro bands where I will have the possibility of being able to get right up to the stage, or shoot over the crowds head from a range of maybe 20 feet. I've used the stock lens a couple of times when covering events where bands have been playing, but never been entirely happy with the results.

Cheers...

LeedsBornWelshRoots wrote: Prefer the first one myself but I'm a sucker for neon.

LeedsBornWelshRoots wrote: Prefer the first one myself but I'm a sucker for neon.

One or two from the gig that got me the gig... So to speak.

Jim Jones Revue in York

A couple from The Skints at Doncaster too - this is where I started to realise the limits of my equipment - no flash on the first one, trying to catch the gig feel.



Notice the bass player blurring?

With flash it doesn't feel as exciting somehow:

Nik try a Sony 50mm f/1.8 SAM DT, not as cheap as the Canon Nifty Fifty but still a bargain at that price.

Many bands don't allow flash so you need an f1.8 even an f1.4 to cope, even the ones that do allow flash try turning the flash power down, something like 1/4 power will not over power the gig lighting.

Thanks for that Graeme, I'll watch out for a reasonably priced one on eBay etc.

BTW.. Re: Bands not allowing flash.

We're not talking name bands here, just ones that need a bit of publicity in the more specialist magazines. TBH if I turned up with a disposable camera it would probably do the job as far as they're concerned, I just want to do the best job I can.

I'm not familiar with your camera but perhaps it's worth looking at its high ISO performance and/or noise reduction software after the fact.

This might well result in too much noise/grain to satisfy the publishers but it might just produce a shutter speed fast enough to prevent motion blur (as in the guitarist's hand movements).

Thanks, I'll look into that too