Hi all,
I have a Nikon D70 along with the 'Kit' lens and I also have a Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 zoom. I have used this lens with great success at my sporting events with lots of sun and fast shutter speeds (tack sharp photos) but lately I've been shooting musical venues (bands and such) and the lighting is less than stellar as you can imagine. The bars I shoot in are dark and the stage is lit only by the various colored stage lights. Shooting at 2.8 is almost a necessity but that's not the problem. The problem is that the Sigma lens is HUGE. I can't use a tripod because of all the angles I shoot and a monopod is next to useless with people bumping into me all the time. What I need is a FAST lens that is not huge and will cover the same focal lengths as my Sigma. I was thinking of the Tamron 28-300mm but it's a f4.5-? lens; not particularly fast. Does anyone here shoot bands in low-lit bars and, if so, what are you shooting them with? I shot 300 images on Friday night for a band and most of them suffered from camera shake (even though I leaned against something or rested the lens on something). I shot at ISO 1250 at 2.8 and still had to shoot at 1/30th. With pounding sound and probably the entire building shaking, I'm just not sure what to do short of blasting away with my flash. I DID use my on-camera flash for a lot of shots and even then the images were shaky at best and I have a VERY steady hands. The blurring effect does have it's place in band photography but it's discouraging to open them in PS when I get home and see how piss poor they really are in terms of sharpness and marketability.
I've considered buying prime lenses but really enjoy the versatility of a good zoom because I can move around much more freely and get some really great shots. I'm open to ideas though and won't rule out anything. I covet your advice.
Good day!
Mike
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