concert photography
For concert photography the Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 lens is probably one of the best choices! The ultra-large aperture provides a bright viewfinder and used on a full format camera such as the Nikon D3, 85mm is a perfect length for working in front of the stage to take close ups of the musicians.
The low-light capability of f/1.4 combined with the awesome high ISO resolution of Nikon’s D3 is a superb match for shooting in bad light situations which are normal at concerts. I bet the Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 would also do a good job here, but there’s no substitution for a large aperture but a larger one…
From left to right: Boris Simons, band “Simons Lorence” (Hamburg, June 2008); Mikkel Nordsø, band “Mikkel Nordsø Group” (Copenhagen, July 2008); Krister Jonsson, band “Marilyn Mazur Group” (Copenhagen, July 2008); Julia zur Lippe, band “Simons Lorence” (Hamburg, June 2008)
am 15. Juli 2008 um 21:56 Uhr.
Agreed, although I do not own any of the 85mm lenses. I use an old 50mm f/1.8 E on my D40 (yeah I’m on a budget
).
So far I’ve only shot one concert with it, but some pics turned out pretty good. But I got a lot out-of-focus pics, ’cause focusing manually and that narrow DOF, combined with moving objects can get pretty tricky sometimes.
am 7. Dezember 2008 um 13:26 Uhr.
Hi Johannes, a great picture of Boris in a typical pose. I remember my pictures of Simons Lorence at the Musicclub two years ago. The band has become more professional since then – and their photographers too