this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2024
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Which lens for low light event + portraits? (lemmy.world)
submitted 7 months ago by HKPiax@lemmy.world to c/photography@lemmy.world
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Hi everyone, although I like to study the photography topic, I'm really a noob when it comes to practical terms.

I would like to take pictures at a family event which will take place in a garden in the evening/night.

Well, my gear is quite modest, and I know I don't have what I need to take good pictures of both the place and the people there. I'm looking to rent a nice lens to carry around as I take pictures (and enjoy the party too! So I'm just taking one ๐Ÿ˜…). So I would really appreciate some advice on what to rent.

There are the four lenses I found while digging, two are primes, two are zooms:

  • Canon RF 24MM F/1.8 IS STM: it's fast, with IS, but I'm not sure about portraits with this focal length.

  • Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L II USM: super fast, no IS, still not sure about portraits with this focal length.

  • Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM: IS, quite fast, zoom lets me take portraits, but I've read it's not very sharp.

  • Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM: IS, quite fast, zoom lets me take portraits (not strongly as the one above but still).

Here's my situation:

  • I have Canon Eos R10 with the EF adapter.
  • My hands are shaky, so without IS I need to be at least at 1/125...
  • I like to keep ISO really low (<6400) if I can.
  • I kind of pixel peep (I know I don't have the right because I'm crap but I can't resist) so I like to take as sharp pictures as I can.

Which lens would you reccommend? Since I'm renting them I was thinking about going all in with the expensive ones, the cost won't increase much. The primes are so bright I feel comfortable they will be bright enough, but I don't know if I can take good portraits at 24mm. On the other hand, zooms let me do more things, but I don't know if I can handle f/2.8 with my crappy and shaky hands.

Of course, if you can think of other lenses that would be perfect for the job I'm all ears!

Cheers

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[โ€“] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

The problem with low f stopped lenses like the 1.4 and 1.8 is the depth of field becomes very shallow. So while you can use a high frame speed like 1/125 to remove blur, you can end up with the wrong part of the face in focus.

For example the 24mm f 1.4 lens has a depth of field of only 6.7 cm (2.6 inches). That means the eyes can end up blurred if the tip of the nose is in focus. The f 1.8 has a dof of 8.6 cm which can work for most faces but you don't have a margin of error.

[โ€“] IMALlama@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

Agree on keeping an eye out for depth of field. IMO it comes down to how many people will be in a photo.

For example the 24mm f 1.4 lens has a depth of field of only 6.7 cm (2.6 inches). That means the eyes can end up blurred if the tip of the nose is in focus. The f 1.8 has a dof of 8.6 cm which can work for most faces but you don't have a margin of error.

Depth of field depends on focal length, sensor size, and distance to the subject. You would have to be very close to your subject to have this shallow of a depth of field on a crop body.

DoF calculator