Suggestions on best lens for shooting ballet?

6 years 1 month ago #576330 by ariel901
Hi all! I have been taking decent pictures of my daughter's ballet recitals for the past 2 years with my Canon 6D and 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. I've passed a few of the best ones on to her teacher and now the artistic director of the company has asked me to photograph the entire spring show. I am excited, but also a bit terrified because I have never taken pictures for anyone but myself. I really want to get some awesome shots for her. My lens is okay, but it is a bit slow to focus and I don't want to miss anything! Can anyone recommend a good lens for shooting ballet performances? I will probably just be renting the lens right now from a place here in town, so price really isn't an issue at this point, although since I do this quite a bit, I would eventually like to own one of my own. Thanks in advance


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6 years 1 month ago #576353 by effron
A fast lens. You don't mention how far you'll be from the stage, or on it, etc....

Why so serious?
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6 years 1 month ago #576354 by ariel901
I will be doing most of the shooting during the dress rehearsal so I will be moving about the auditorium, on and off the stage.


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6 years 1 month ago #576360 by Hassner
It depends on your budget, but my choice would fall on the Canon EF 24-70 F2.8 L II
You would know how much you spent zoomed in at the 135mm end of your lens.
With this one only going to 70mm, You might need a second lens, maybe the Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 L IS
Both expensive choices, so if it does not suit your budget, see for how much you can find them for second hand.


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6 years 1 month ago #576367 by garyrhook
With all due respect to Hassner, above, no, not exactly. I think he's got it backwards, if you are more interested in individual shots.

A 24-70 f/2.8 if you're 30 feet back and want group to wide shots. It's what I use for a modest theater (135 seats) from the sixth row. And I still have to stitch if they're spread out to the proscenium on each side. Yes, this lens is handy.

I use a 70-200 f/2.8 to get individual shots from 40+ feet back. Here are some shots, with the ExIf data, so you can get an idea.

Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D750
Lens: TAMRON SP AF 28-75mm F2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical IF Macro A09NII
ISO: 3200
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter speed: 1/250 sec
Captured: Thu, 7 Dec 2017 20:56pm


Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D750
Lens: TAMRON SP AF 28-75mm F2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical IF Macro A09NII
ISO: 2000
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter speed: 1/320 sec
Captured: Thu, 7 Dec 2017 21:44pm


Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D750
Lens: 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8
ISO: 360
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter speed: 1/320 sec
Captured: Sat, 3 Jun 2017 19:31pm


Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D750
Lens: 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8
ISO: 400
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter speed: 1/320 sec
Captured: Sat, 3 Jun 2017 19:39pm


There's a 135 f/2 that you might find useful (slightly faster) but I'd suggest you also rent a newer full frame body to go with the lens. I found the upgrade worthwhile when I moved from the D5100 to D750.

Final thought: stage work is one of the hardest things to get: timing, lighting (or lack of light), movement. I've been working at it for 6 years.


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6 years 1 month ago #576385 by ariel901
Great info! Thanks for taking the time to reply!!!


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6 years 4 weeks ago #576392 by ariel901
Your shots are AMAZING! I can tell you know what you are talking about. And thanks for sharing your knowledge with me. I've made notes of all your recommendations and I'm definitely going to try to rent a full frame camera as well as a lens. And thanks for the words of encouragement! Sometimes those are as helpful as the pointers.


The following user(s) said Thank You: garyrhook
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6 years 4 weeks ago #576463 by garyrhook
Happy to help in any way I can. As I said, this is a challenging area, so don't become easily discouraged. Focus on your exposure and timing.

You'll not that I use f/4, and at least 1/320 or 1/400. That's not enough to freeze a limb in movement, but that's okay. It's a compromise between movement and ISO. And in this case, having a higher ISO is the price you'll need to pay.

I've looked at prints at the local professional ballet facility, taken by a pro, and they are no better than mine when it comes to clarity and ISO. My point: you can do this.


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The following user(s) said Thank You: ariel901
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6 years 4 weeks ago #576548 by Hassner
I saw you have a Canon 6D, which is full frame?
I did some ballet (and other theater) photography in the eighties.
I found a fixed lens fine if you know what to expect, but if you have one dress rehearsal without seeing practices and do not know what to expect, I would start with a zoom till you have fine tuned your style.
Jumping rows is not always an option for a woman.


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