# What kind of Lens for Nightclubs?



## hankejp (Jan 12, 2010)

So....If there's another thread for this, please lock this one with the link included.

I'm looking to find out what kind of lens will work the best for shooting bands in Nightclubs/bars.

My budget is approx $500-$600.  I'm looking for something fast.

Thanks


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## cfusionpm (Jan 12, 2010)

50mm f/1.4 would be your best bet.


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## themedicine (Jan 12, 2010)

^^ ding ding ding ^^

if you HAVE to have something with range, a 24-70 2.8 might could do you from sigma or something. but youd have to turn up your iso for equal type results.


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## altitude604 (Jan 12, 2010)

^ like he said. one of my friends does club photography with a 24-70 f/2.8 and gets great results. also a speedlite with diffuser is a great addition for when it's too dark.


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## RyanLilly (Jan 12, 2010)

For a crop camera I would use a Tamron 17-50 2.8, or Canon 17-55,or a sigma 18-50 HSM on a Nikon. Also a 70-200 2.8 IS.

I usually start with a base ISO of 800, going higher depending on my  shutter speeds and the lighting.

Primes would work great except for crowded areas where it is difficult to move around. In larger clubs, the stage is bigger and its harder to move around even in the Photo Pit. for example: It sucks if you are shooting the drummer, upstage, with a 135mm then the bass player, downstage left, starts doing something cool right in front of you; there is no time to change to a wider lens to get the shot. That is where the zooms are very handy. To me a single 50mm is too limiting. Using to bodies and having a 20mm and a 50mm, or a 50mm and an 80, or 100mm would probably yield better results.

  In bar settings Primes tend to work better because the lighting often sucks so you need faster glass, an you are generally more free to move around to compose a shot.  

Its really a matter of matching your lens to the venue; there is no one answer.
In one venue the lens of choice and in some bars any might be a 70-200 2.8, and in some bars anything longer than 50mm is far to tight. I have shot in some bars where most shots were taken at F/2 because it was so dark. It really all depends on the situation.

What gear go you have now? A 2.8 wide-normal zoom is nice to have in general for most types of photography, and you can never go wrong with a fast 50mm. That would be my starting point and then adding things based on your needs from there.


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## KmH (Jan 12, 2010)

hankejp said:


> So....If there's another thread for this, please lock this one with the link included.


Great substitute for using the search function! :thumbup:


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## xintax (Jan 12, 2010)

^^ Agree... Hahahaha!!! I got the same question... Thanks for the tips... Beats google any day of the week


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## ZEPHYR (Jan 12, 2010)

50mm 1.4 or 17-55 mm with the lowest fstop


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## hankejp (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks for everyone's input.  I think I will be going with the 50 1.4 or 1.8 to start with.  These aren't big nightclubs and will be bars more than likely.

I tried the search option on the forum, but either I didn't put in the right word or the search option is too picky on what you put in.


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## CraniumDesigns (Jan 14, 2010)

i'd go with a zoom at f/2.8. 50mm 1.4 is nice with that 2 extra stops, but i hate foot zooming. also, u gotta consider DOF for group shots. ur only gonna get ONE person in focus with 1.4.


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## Garbz (Jan 14, 2010)

cfusionpm said:


> 50mm f/1.4 would be your best bet.



I simply could not disagree more. 

This is a clear case of "it's dark recommend the 50mm" disease. Have you been in a night club recently? Given the 1-2m of space that you have between you and your subject on any night actually worth going out you will get nothing more than a tight headshot of one person, maybe the edge of another's face if you have a full frame camera. 

One of my friends who started working for inthemix says her most used lens clubbing was the Sigma 10-20mm. After she went full frame it became a 14-24mm she bought.

In a club you'll typically be restricted by drunk idiots while trying to photograph a whole group of other drunk idiots who all would want to be in the photo at the same time. Got more than 2m space between you and your subject and it'll quickly be filled by yet another group of drunk idiots. At least that's how it's been in every nightclub I've ever been.

/edit: Just saw the bit about it being bars. I say go in on a night you're likely to take pictures with a standard kit lens and fix it at 50mm and don't move it UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE to see if the focal length fits the bill. The 50mm is great for photographing people but you simply need space.


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## kami (Jan 15, 2010)

Garbz said:


> cfusionpm said:
> 
> 
> > 50mm f/1.4 would be your best bet.
> ...


 
I was just about to recommend otherwise the use of the 50 f/1.4 in a nightclub coz I already tried it! As you said, you need a lot of space to move in and out to get your shots which you can't do in a night club. 

I've used the Sigma 18-50 2.8 and it worked great. My pictures were a little bit noisy above iso 1250 but it worked alright.


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## RyanLilly (Jan 15, 2010)

Garbz, you do have some good points. I shot a concert recently and my favorite pictures came from my 11-16 2.8, at 11mm. The point is really that every situation may call for a different lens, so find one that has the most versatility while fitting your style to start with. But 2.8 or faster is still key.


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## [Dillz] (Jan 15, 2010)

Yes 50mm but MAKE SURE auto focus will work with it or you will have a very hard night,


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## bhphotography (Jan 16, 2010)

A f1.4 would be the best. If you can get farther away a 85 f1.4 would work great, if not, the 35 1.8 or 50 1.4 would be good options.

If budget was open, and you can get back / above the crowd, a 70-200 would be the best option.


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## Mr. Swindle (Jan 16, 2010)

I agree with garbz and ryan,

I used to do some nightclub and concert shooting, in all the places i shot (many) ranging from downtown gogo's to cocktail lounges and 3 level clubs, I never left the house with out the wide angle zoom. 

I was using the 18-55 3.5-5.6 nikon on my D80, along with a sb800 and fong diffuser, put out some AMAZING photos. And that was with the 3.5, Ideally i was going to go with a 2.8 zoom 17-50, 17-55, 17-35 or a nice 20,24,28mm prime.

Be prepared to battle tight, restricted elbow room, and drunk people bumping into you and fog and crazy fluorescent or little/no available light.


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## djacobox372 (Jan 18, 2010)

Autofocus is a pain in dark areas like night clubs, so you might as well go for a manual focus 50mm f1.2.


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## lamergod (Jan 18, 2010)

85 f1.2L or 1.4

It also depends how far are you from the stage,sometimes a fisheye works great too


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