advice on lens for evening events

[mr.ranger]

hi, so Ive been asked to do a quinceaneara i will be paid for it. i currently have 60D body, with 60mm f2.8 macro,  18-135 f3.5 and 70-300 L and going to be getting the ex 580 II or EX 600 flashes soon. i have been looking at another lens to ad before this for this kind of events this just little incentive. what would be a good lens to get? i was looking at the ef 35mm f2 and ef 85mm 1.8  any suggestions?

[NiceShotSteve]

When you get your flash(es), also get a Gary Fong Lightsphere Cloud. It's a great accessory to soften the harsh light from the flash, and, as an added benefit, people will ask "What the heck is that thing?"

[wickidwombat]

on the 60D 50mm f1.4 should be fine (about 80mm)
an 85mm will be quite long

perhaps the sigma 30mm might be worth a look for something a bit wider,

you also dont want to be changing lenses too often so with only one body i would try stick to 2 lenses
1 wider to cover groups etc and one more portrait oriented the 50mm f1.4 is really good for this on the 60D
the tougher choice is how wide and how fast do you want to go maybe rent a 16-35 f2.8L II or buy it if
i tend to use this for events because the wide angles you can shoot a bit faster anyway and f2.8 is pretty wide anyway if you are shooting a group. typically i will have the 16-35 on 1 bosy and the 50mm or 85mm on another body depending on available space, events can be very crowded so it can be hard to shoot with longer lenses

[Stephen Melvin]

hi, so Ive been asked to do a quinceaneara i will be paid for it. i currently have 60D body, with 60mm f2.8 macro,  18-135 f3.5 and 70-300 L and going to be getting the ex 580 II or EX 600 flashes soon. i have been looking at another lens to ad before this for this kind of events this just little incentive. what would be a good lens to get? i was looking at the ef 35mm f2 and ef 85mm 1.8  any suggestions?

For event photography, the first thing you need to do is upgrade your core lens. In this case, there is an excellent option in the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM.

You should also get a backup camera body. Perhaps you can borrow one for this event. My 40D's mirror failed at a wedding reception in Cancun. Fortunately, I had my trusty 20D with me, so I could keep shooting.

[mr.ranger]

For event photography, the first thing you need to do is upgrade your core lens. In this case, there is an excellent option in the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM.

You should also get a backup camera body. Perhaps you can borrow one for this event. My 40D's mirror failed at a wedding reception in Cancun. Fortunately, I had my trusty 20D with me, so I could keep shooting.
[/quote]

i was looking at the 17-55 its a nice lens but for only 200 more i could get 24-70L but would that be wide enough on crop?

[Michael_pfh]

The 85 1.2L is great for evening events when you do not want/ are not allowed to use a flash

[Cornershot]

If you can't get another body, you can work with a single body if you use a lens changer bag. Think Tank has a nice 3 lens (actually two lens and one for the changed lens) shoulder bag that works great. The sections are big enough to hold a 70-200 with hood forward. I'd recommend you put that one in the center since it would be pretty tall. I wish Think Tank would make a 4 lens bag.  Tokina 11-16 makes a nice fast wide on a crop.

[David KM]

That 85L will be painfully slow when trying to capture an event like a quinceanera, I cover parties / weddings and eventually only use my 85L for staged shots... 35L will be perfect for low light with super quick AF and an EFOV of 56mm on your 60D. Kind of a classic photojournalism lens on a crop.

[neuroanatomist]

i was looking at the 17-55 its a nice lens but for only 200 more i could get 24-70L but would that be wide enough on crop?

IMO, 24mm will definitely not be wide enough on APS-C. The 85mm f/1.8 is a great lens (one of the best values in the Canon lineup) - great for tight portraits on APS-C.

[justsomedude]

35L will be perfect for low light with super quick AF and an EFOV of 56mm on your 60D. Kind of a classic photojournalism lens on a crop.

+1

85L on crop is way too long for event work, giving you an effective focal length of 136mm.  You'll be standing incredibly far from your subjects.  I often use a 50mm f/1.4 for events, and while it works awesome on my FF 5D, it's 80mm on a crop sensor - which is still enough to make you have to stand 15-20' away from a group of 4-5 people.

As David KM stated, the 35L will give you an awesome photo-journ FOV close to the 50mm standard, with a fast aperture for low light environments and snappy AF.  The 56mm equivalent will allow you to stay relatively close to groups to direct and communicate with while shooting, while not being in their noses or across the room.  I think the 35L is your ticket...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/162614-USA/Canon_2512A002_Wide_Angle_EF_35mm.html

[CanineCandidsByL]

That 85L will be painfully slow when trying to capture an event like a quinceanera, I cover parties / weddings and eventually only use my 85L for staged shots...

Sorry, can you explain that further? Slow in what way? I'm guessing focus.

[Michael_pfh]

That 85L will be painfully slow when trying to capture an event like a quinceanera, I cover parties / weddings and eventually only use my 85L for staged shots...

Sorry, can you explain that further? Slow in what way? I'm guessing focus.

The electronic AF of the 85L is very slow, takes ages to lock focus.

[wickidwombat]

That 85L will be painfully slow when trying to capture an event like a quinceanera, I cover parties / weddings and eventually only use my 85L for staged shots...

Sorry, can you explain that further? Slow in what way? I'm guessing focus.

The electronic AF of the 85L is very slow, takes ages to lock focus.

it is very very slow its well worth testing the sigma f1.4 side by side and you can see a massive speed difference

[Stephen Melvin]

it is very very slow its well worth testing the sigma f1.4 side by side and you can see a massive speed difference

Of course, being a Sigma, it may never focus at all.

[Parallacs]

I feel like anything past 24mm will be too long on a cropped sensor. The 24mm 1.4 would be fairly wide and be great for low light conditions with no flash.

However, with quinceaneras, I would imagine you are doing lots of large group shots with a flash. In that case, I would stick with the 18-135 or look at the 10-22 (If you are commited to using EF-S).