Reading mode: Light Dark

New to D70s / concert photography

Go to last post
M

Mark_L

Member
Messages
21
Reaction score
0
Hi All,

Im off to do some concert photography for the first time on friday.

Im a reletivley new photographer and i bought a D70s with the kit lense a few weeks ago.

I know the venue im going to is pretty dark!! Im wonderng what the best set up would be? Im guessing id have to use ISO 800 - 1600 with the f stop right down!

Does the D70 have any nice tricks up its sleave for this kind of work??

Ta

Mark
 
Depending on the amount of stage lighting and the environment, you might be better served to get a fast prime or two (f/1.8 or faster). I used my D70 and 70-200mm f/2.8G VR and 50mm f/1.8 to get these at the Hard Rock in Dallas. EXIF is intact in the image if you want the settings. Shot raw and converted w/ACR3.1. Neat image used to clean up noise.
The band is Lotus w/Elegy ( http://www.iamlotus.com ).

Lead singer Lotus



Rythym guitar Jael McLean



Lead guitar Stephen Trevino



Good luck!
--
Scott
http://www.polodigital.net
 
Scott,

You mention you use D70 and convert raws with ACR 3.1. When I use ACR the only profile I get is 2.4. Is there another setting I should be loading to ACR? I understand the ACR profile is automatically chosen according to the camera - how come I am getting a different profile if I use the same camera? How do I access other ACR profiles?

Thanks
srwatters said:
Depending on the amount of stage lighting and the environment, you
might be better served to get a fast prime or two (f/1.8 or
faster). I used my D70 and 70-200mm f/2.8G VR and 50mm f/1.8 to get
these at the Hard Rock in Dallas. EXIF is intact in the image if
you want the settings. Shot raw and converted w/ACR3.1. Neat image
used to clean up noise.
The band is Lotus w/Elegy ( http://www.iamlotus.com ).

Lead singer Lotus



Rythym guitar Jael McLean



Lead guitar Stephen Trevino



Good luck!
--
Scott
http://www.polodigital.net
Click to expand...
--
Shachar
 
well the venue im going to has very minimal lighting!!

Its my first time so im going to have to experimant al lot!!

cheers
 
Shachar,

What version of Photoshop do you have? I believe that ACR3.1 is only available for CS2. Are you talking about the camera profile on the calibrate tab? If that is the case then you should run the ACR calibration script on a GMB color checker image shot with each body/lens combination that you have. Then save the calibration set as a profile. Do a search here for ACR calibration and you'll find the link to the script with information on how to use it. I don't know if there are any 'public' calibration profiles available.
shacharm said:
Scott,

You mention you use D70 and convert raws with ACR 3.1. When I use
ACR the only profile I get is 2.4. Is there another setting I
should be loading to ACR? I understand the ACR profile is
automatically chosen according to the camera - how come I am
getting a different profile if I use the same camera? How do I
access other ACR profiles?

Thanks
--
Shachar
Click to expand...
--
Scott
http://www.polodigital.net
 
You are not going to get really anything that you'll be proud of if you shoot real low light with a nikon and the kit lens. One of the earlier posts suggested that you get a 50 1.8 lens. I would say he's right on the money. Do not get anything above 50mm if you want to hand hold your camera. You can buy a nikon lens with VR and shoot at much slower shutter speeds, but that is a lot of dinero! Also Nikon D-SLR do not fair as well in low light as the Canon cameras. I have shot candle light with a 50 1.4 at iso3200 on my Canon 20D and have had very good results. I would defianetly suggest the 50 1.8 nikon lens and shoot wide open or close to it at the highest iso setting on your camera. Good luck and keep shooting> > > > > >

50 1.4 at iso 3200 handheld



70-200 2.8 IS at iso1600 handheld



--
http://www.reasonlife.com
http://www.jordanw.com

'Simplify'
 
I agree. Get better glas.

Depending on the venue 70mm could be too short and this lens also isnt'fast enough (f4.5 @ 70mm). At bigger shows you're not allowed to use flash.

I'd recommend the 85mm 1.4 great lens... I mean brilliant!
When the 85 is too short I use the 180mm 2.8D.

Most of the other photographers I see at concerts use a 70-200VR or 80-200 zoom.
--
gallery's @ http://www.illdesign.nl
 
And BTW, I also use a (well actually two) D70(s). Don't worry about noise I get great results at settings around ISO 1000 (800-1600). Just get the exposure right and you won't have any problems. I never remove noise and my prints look great
--
gallery's @ http://www.illdesign.nl
 
Mark-

1) Set your metering mode to spot
2) Set your focus mode to center point focus
3) Set your ISO to 1600
4) Start in Av mode at your lens fastest aperture

5) Make sure you get a shutter speed of 1/100th or faster to avoid blury pictures. If you are getting 1/500th or faster, lower your ISO or raise your aperture to get higher quality pictures
6) Take short picture bursts of peak action movements
7) Try to avoid microphones blocking the face of the performer.
8) Focus on individual shots, whole band shots, and crowd shots.
9) Be aware of your song/time limitiations and work quickly.

10) Knowing the band members, music, and prior performances is the key to getting the best pictures.

Good Luck-
Scott

Artistic:
1) Single person 3/4 portraits
Mark_L said:
Hi All,

Im off to do some concert photography for the first time on friday.

Im a reletivley new photographer and i bought a D70s with the kit
lense a few weeks ago.

I know the venue im going to is pretty dark!! Im wonderng what the
best set up would be? Im guessing id have to use ISO 800 - 1600
with the f stop right down!

Does the D70 have any nice tricks up its sleave for this kind of
work??

Ta

Mark
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Ilja,

Great info! The main reason i bought my D70s is because i want to get into concert photography. Ive got a few gigs lined up. Im off to one tommorow at a local venue and i know that it has very poor lighting! Right now i cant get a 50mm lense!! So im going to have to get the best out of the D70. Im still getting into photography so any advice is welcome!!

Im just going to have to play around with the settings and see what i come up with! Probably use ISO 1600 - the noise isnt an issue for me - i like that 'feel' sometimes.

Cheers

Mark
 
Great tips!

Thanks, just one question,

"5) Start in Av mode at your lens fastest aperture" - not sure on that one!

Ta
 
So in manual mode - i have the ISO up to 1600 and f/4.5. Then it all depends on how long the shutter speed is?

Ill probably use the flash a bit but to be honest id rather not - i know a lot of the larger venues do not allow flash!

Thanks.
 
Mark-

A Mode is Aperture Mode, where you pick the aperture value and the camera calculates a proper exposure and automatically selects the right shutter speed. In Manual mode, you have to pick the right exposure-much harder.

Using an f4.5 lens for nightime concerts is like using a toothpick to dig a ditch and really a waste of time. You should buy a 50mm 1.8 lens for this purpose. Don't use flash. Period.

-S
Mark_L said:
So in manual mode - i have the ISO up to 1600 and f/4.5. Then it
all depends on how long the shutter speed is?

Ill probably use the flash a bit but to be honest id rather not - i
know a lot of the larger venues do not allow flash!

Thanks.
Click to expand...
 
Cheers Scott,

I just did a search for a 50mm 1.8 lens for the D70 and there not as expensive as i thought they were! Amazon has a 'Nikon 50Mm F1.8D Af Nikkor Lens Auto Focus' for £104 - not bad!

now... whens pay day....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top