Seeking advice/recommendations for a proper lens for night time...

Faz · Nov 27, 2019

.....and indoor no flash photography.

I would be very appreciative if someone could shed some "light" into this matter. I love to take nighttime photos and indoor shots in low light conditions, especially taking shots of bands in clubs etc...

Thanks in advance!

Faz

steevvvooo · Nov 27, 2019

Certainly no expert but what model, budget, do you need zoom? You will want a fast lense obviously and a good prime lense is significantly cheaper than a zoom. I have a 50mm 1.4 Nikon which is great for low light situations on my D750 but won't get you detail of the band unless you can get close.

I'm sure someone who photographs weddings would have much better suggestions though as they need quality shots in low light and a range of settings.

tikkathree · Nov 27, 2019

steevvvooo
Certainly no expert but what model, budget, do you need zoom? You will want a fast lense obviously and a good prime lense is significantly cheaper than a zoom. I have a 50mm 1.4 Nikon which is great for low light situations on my D750 but won't get you detail of the band unless you can get close.

I'm sure someone who photographs weddings would have much better suggestions though as they need quality shots in low light and a range of settings.

And it's be good to know if you're a full auto shooter or whether you are confident playing around with ISO, shutter speeds etc.
You need to prevent your camera from dealing with low light by selecting a slow shutter speed 'cos everything could end up with motion blur and low light noise so assuming you're camera doesn't have a low night/night/fireworks setting I'd suggest experimenting with a fixed shutter speed no slower than the equivalent of your lens length (50mm = 1/50 sec and so on) and high ISO settings.

eugeneandresson · Nov 27, 2019

The closer a lens gets to F1.0 (or smaller!) the more ambient light it lets in (each stop is a power of 2 more light then the stop before), as the f-number is the ratio of the diameter of a lens to the distance to the focal plane (or sensor). The smaller that number, the bigger the hole ... the bigger the hole, the more the light...

So, for example, for canon, this would be a low light king ...

https://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/50mm-f12-continued.htm

http://www.lensfreaks.com/lens-reviews/canon/canon-ef-50mm-f1-2-l-usm-review-master-of-low-light/

Naturally digital sensors (or film) can also compensate with high ISO settings...but you lose image sharpness (the images get grainy with some hot pixels) due to how they switch the electronics to absorb light quicker. But you asked about lenses 👍

TLDR: the closest to a F1.0 lense you can find for your camera system

Edit: these guys explain it quite well ... https://photographylife.com/f-stop

MCC · Nov 27, 2019

As @steevvvooo suggests a fast prime lens would be my choice. Changes the way you look at photography when you use a prime lens.

Faz · Dec 19, 2019

Thanks all for the great tips and information. Very much appreciated!

take57 · Dec 19, 2019

MCC
As @steevvvooo suggests a fast prime lens would be my choice. Changes the way you look at photography when you use a prime lens.

Amen. A whole new world opens up when you use your tennis shoes as a zoom lens.

trama · Dec 20, 2019

I’ve had good results with the old Canon 50mm f1.0. It’s generally hard to use wide open. It has aged well what with the autofocus and amazing ISOs of modern digital bodies. Throw in some careful anticipation of moment and I’ve actually had a few decent pics of dynamic subjects (wedding dancers) that were quite magical.

Spray and Pray!

vacheroyale · Dec 21, 2019

Faz
.....and indoor no flash photography.

I would be very appreciative if someone could shed some "light" into this matter. I love to take nighttime photos and indoor shots in low light conditions, especially taking shots of bands in clubs etc...

Thanks in advance!

Faz

I just saw your post. Main questions, what type of camera are you using, digital or film?

akshayluc420 · Dec 21, 2019

Also, which system (brand and sensor size)? The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art was good when I was using the EOS 6D, since I switched to Sony, the Zeiss 55 f/1.8 is my low-light go-to.

Faz · Dec 21, 2019

vacheroyale
I just saw your post. Main questions, what type of camera are you using, digital or film?

DSLR...and older Nikon D5000. But I'm looking to upgrade, budget permitting.

Cheers,

Vercingetorix · Dec 21, 2019

Sigma makes 18-35mm and 50-100mm f1.8 zooms. I have the 18-35 and it is a beast.

vacheroyale · Dec 21, 2019

Faz
DSLR...and older Nikon D5000. But I'm looking to upgrade, budget permitting.

Cheers,

definitely I would suggest some of the best vintage lenses made in the 70's, are far superior to any lenses made for digital cameras. the main problem is to find an adapter to your Nikon D5000. the best ones were the Leitz Noctilux 50mm 1,2, Canon Aspehrical 55mm 1,2 S.S.C. ( and no the leater ones) and Nikkor Noct 58mm 1,2. for the money the Canon Aspherical would be the best choice. I think it would be easier if you get a mirrorless full frame camera such as Sony alpha 7 or so, these are much easier to use with vintage 35mm slr lenses.

mjb · Dec 23, 2019

Generally speaking you want to spend your money on the glass, not the body. But I'll suggest that if you are pushing the limits, maybe going to a good FX camera may be helpful. The D800 (I think) is pretty good in the dark. I went from a D7000 to a D600... the latter is a very nice FX, but now two generations old and has a bad rep d/t oil from the shutter getting on the sensor. Hence, you can get them pretty cheap. But they perform exceptionally.

OK, that said, I find for me, if I'm shooting in dark, the best thing is a tripod. Now... if you're shooting a band and they're moving around a lot, that's not going to help much. But playing around with shutter speed, the highest ISO you can stand (again, better camera has higher ISO before it starts to degrade) will bring amazing results.

FWIW, I use the good old Nikon 50mm prime. As other said above, learn to use your feet to zoom, not the lens.

tpatta · Dec 25, 2019

You don't indicate which camera body you are using. If you have a Canon I highly recommend the 85mm f1.2 Superb piece of glass and the low light ability is unreal. Not the cheapest option out there but worth the price IMHO.