Equipment questions from a concert photographer

Bret, I met you at Grace Center a few weeks ago and am looking at camera possibilities. I take low light concert shots of Christian bands and worship outings (and play on worship teams). I am currently leaning toward the 50D over the XSi but wonder if I still need a fast lens to go with the 50D...like below f3.5. Your thoughts? My humble website is http://www.ahlive.com/ and I have hundreds of concert shots on there. Doug

Hey Doug,

Great questions! Hey everybody, be sure and check Doug's site, the photo above is his.

Usually I would recommend going for the best lens you could afford, sacrifice a little on the camera & upgrade your body when you can afford it. But as a concert shooter, I’d recommend going a different direction.

First, on the cameras, one of the great selling features of the 50D is its ability to handle low light situations. According to Canon: “the new sensor's design (new manufacturing processes, redesigned photo diodes and micro lenses) mean that despite the higher resolution image noise has improved “. The ISO settings on this puppy go all the way to 12800! That’s just nuts. Now, I haven’t seen any results from this model at that altitude, but I imagine you will still have to deal with noise. Using a plug-in like Noise Ninja or Noiseware will help with that. Although the Xsi is half the price, as a concert shooter, I think you’ll be glad you pony-ed up for the big brother.

For a full-on comparison of these models to include some sample images shot with them, check out at dpreview.com

As far as lenses go – I look at them as even more of an investment than my camera bodies. Bodies wear out, but lenses are just about forever and they really hold their value. My usual philosophy is to buy the best glass you can afford. If you can spring for a sub-f3.5 Canon lens, go for it.

To answer you initial question, with the 50D I think you could get by with an f3.5 but if you can afford a f2.8 or lower you’ll be glad you have it.

Hope this helps!