100mm f2.8 L IS vs 70-200mm f4 L IS

I'm interested in these two for indoor event photography. Musicians on stage, people shots from a distance, etc.

I think that with the IS I can run my shutter speed at 1/200th. Do you think f4 would be enough? Or do I need that extra stop?

I would think you will get a better answer if you state which camera it will be attached to; different cameras differ how they preform on their ISO

F4 for indoor even is generally too slow. If you are going for a prime, I would pick the 85 1.8. you usually need SS of 1/125 to get sharp images of people, regardless of FL, and 85 1.8 is hand holdable at that ss. of course 24-70 2.8, and 70-200 2.8 IS are the most appropriate indoor zoom lenses.

If you are shooting on a crop, and FL works for you, the sigma 18-35 1.8 is worth a look.

johnierebel said:

I would think you will get a better answer if you state which camera it will be attached to; different cameras differ how they preform on their ISO

Click to expand...

It's a 70D. I've been so impressed with the high iso quality (combined with Lightroom 5's noise reduction), and Canon's IS, that it makes me wonder if I can start using f4 indoors. I have found that 1/200 shutter speed is enough, sometimes even less. It's not sports, just people playing music, singing, speaking.

I have tried shooting school plays with a 5D3 using both a 24-70 ll and a 70-200 F4 IS.

I was using the camera hand held and got the best results using the 70-200 at ISO 1600 F4 1/100 sec. It allowed me to frame the shots better and lack of IS on the 24-70 meant that I needed to use the extra stop to increase shutter speed.

I also managed to get some photos at a school play with a 7D and the 70-200 F4 IS.

7D + 70-200 F4 IS at 200mm ISO 3200 1/100 sec and F4