Lens help

[Supermanisnotde]

All,

Can someone suggest a lense that I could use to shoot live performances, music concerts, video etc...I have the rebel t6 bundle with the EF-S 18-55 mm lens. Is that lens capable of doing the job, is it user error? I have shot with this lens and some of the pictures seem to come out blurry as the artists I shoot move about the stage. Thank you!

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

You are going to get several different responses for this.

The shooting conditions you are working under are going to be the biggest influence in your captured images. 

Lighting, how close you are, speed or action of the subjects, camera settings, etc. 

The 18-55 mm is not a bad lens, but its not what you could consider fast either.  If you are far away from your subjects, it may not offer the reach you need to compose your photos / fill your frame, etc.

If you provide us with some sample images that include settings, we can weigh in on things that might help.  This might include a diffent lens recommendation depending on what we see.

[ebiggs1]

"The 18-55 mm is not a bad lens, ..."

It is not a bad lens if you consider the market it is aimed at.  It is a beginner basic lens. If you go beyond that almost any lens would work better.  It is not going to capture the more challenging work.  A musical concert is more "challenging". It is not only going to require a good lens but special or at least thoughtful camera settings. Your combo can work but you need to do things correctly. And, you probably won't get every shot perhaps not even 50%.

Without seeing the exact conditions at your concert, not I nor anyone here can give you exact settings for your gear.  If you could provide a more detailed idea of the concert it might help. My guess is a pretty high ISO.  Get as close to the subject as you can because your shooting location is paramount to success. I would probably use Av mode and set the lens close to wide open. But, again, without seeing it personally, this is just a first guess.  When you do shoots like this and something doesn't work make some changes. Don't just keep shooting and hoping, that won't work.

[kvbarkley]

If the 55 mm is a long enough focal length, you almost can't go wrong with a 50mm/f1.8 - the "nifty 50", it will let in a stop or more light so that you can increase the shutter speed.

[RobertTheFat]

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@kvbarkley wrote:

If the 55 mm is a long enough focal length, you almost can't go wrong with a 50mm/f1.8 - the "nifty 50", it will let in a stop or more light so that you can increase the shutter speed.

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I might use my old Sigma 30mm f/1.4. It's about the only type of situation that lens is good for anymore.

[Waddizzle]

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@Supermanisnotde wrote:
All,

Can someone suggest a lense that I could use to shoot live performances, music concerts, video etc...I have the rebel t6 bundle with the EF-S 18-55 mm lens. Is that lens capable of doing the job, is it user error? I have shot with this lens and some of the pictures seem to come out blurry as the artists I shoot move about the stage. Thank you!

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Not Canon's best lens effort.  It is designed to teach you about lenses and DSLRs.  It also allows people to experienced a "real camera" without a large investment.  Do a web search for YouTube videos and articles about " Exposure Triangle " and " Depth of Field ".  Canon has an excellent series of "EOS 101" Videos in their Digital Learning Center that teach you the basics concepts of photography.

About your lens.  It has a zoom range of 18-55mm, but as that focal length changes so does the maximum available aperture.  It goes from f/3.5 at 18mm to f/5.6 at 55mm. 

Your camera has one cross-type AF point, the center AF point.  I suggest that you use only that AF point, and One Shot AF focusing mode.  Try to photograph your subject when they are not moving around. 

Because your center AF point is a cross-type AF point, it can focus more accurately with lens that have wide apertures, f/2.8 or wider.  The smaller the number, the wider the aperture.  Aperture describes a ratio within the lens between two elements within the lens.  The smaller the f/stop ratio, the wider lens can open up to allow more light into the camera.

The above suggestion to try the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens is a great idea.  It will teach you a lot about photography.  Another slightly more costly lens that may work out well for an indoor live performance in close settings is the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM. 

But, your choice of lens really depends upon your shooting location and distance to your subject.

The first thing I learned about capturing sharp photos was pretty simple.  Try to grab as much light as you can [wide aperture], do it as quickly as you can [fast shutter speed], and exert as little effort as possible in doing it [low ISO setting].

[ebiggs1]

"The above suggestion to try the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens is a great idea."

Simply adding a more open aperture lens is not the solution.  It is a tool in your bag but it alone and not changing anything else will not get you great photos.

"... It goes from f/3.5 at 18mm to f/5.6 at 55mm."

This is so true and it is worse than that statement implies.  It isn't a f3.5 at 19mm as the change has already started.

[Supermanisnotde]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I greatly appreciate them. It sounds like I need to do some tinkering with the settings and get some more experience with my camera. I will definitely invest in a few more lenses in the future so I have some choices. Thanks again!

[Waddizzle]

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@Supermanisnotde wrote:
Thanks for the responses everyone. I greatly appreciate them. It sounds like I need to do some tinkering with the settings and get some more experience with my camera. I will definitely invest in a few more lenses in the future so I have some choices. Thanks again!

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I forgot to post a link to a thread I created that contains links to Canon's YouTube channel.

https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/General-Camera-Discussion/Canon-YouTube-Video-Series/m-p/269237#M... 

You may definitely want to view all 13 videos in the "EOS 101" series.  

[Supermanisnotde]

Great, Thanks!