Canon Speedlite.. or alternative?

[dyfedavalon]

Hello Ladies  & Gents,

I'm new to this forum and this is my first posting. I would appreciate any help & advice with a flash issue I have.

I use a Canon XSi, and for the style of shooting I do, i rarely every require a flash - however...

I am shooting a dimly lit event - on a stage - I'm sure you can imagine, and it's been years (and even a previous 35mm Minolta Dynax) since I've had experience with a decent lens..

I've looked at Canon's Speedlite's etc, and they are clearly excellent flashes.

Does anyone have anything to add or offer me an alternative? I've seen some Yongnuo (sic?)  and Sigma flashes out there, just have ZERO experience with them....

Thanks for your time!

dyfedavalon@hotmail.com

[Jim Pascoe]

My first thought would be - is flash practical, how close are you to the stage, and what sort of event are you shooting.  We shoot a lot of stage productions and just use a wide aperture lens and high ISO.  Flash is very inappropriate for many stage productions.

Jim

[Brian Hirschfeld]

I'd rather see you spend the money on a Canon lens with a fast aperture, then pump the ISO up a bit, and natural light will look much better then anything you'll come up with with flash. I agree with what Jim said exactly.

All of my stage photography (theatre) has been with fast aperture lenses (even 2.8 will be fine if you can push your ISO a little):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianhirschfeldphotography/collections/72157625730354453/

You may also find my article "Please buy a 50mm" of some interest http://brianhirschfeldphotography.com/2011/12/07/please-buy-a-50mm-lens-2/

Depending on how far / close you will be here are some great options which probably cost around whatever you'd wind up paying for a flash....if not less....

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12142-GREY/Canon_2514A002_Normal_EF_50mm_f_1_8.html
Whenever some friend of mine has a birthday, and they are a Canon shooter, even if I am getting them something else, I will stick one of these in there with it.all around great lens, and it will have some extra telephoto pull because of the crop factor on your sensor, it will be equivalent to an 85mm.

Canon EF 35mm f/2.0
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12119-USA/Canon_2507A002_Wide_Angle_EF_35mm.html
there is really no difference of consequence between 1.8 and 2.0, and if you are going to be closer this lens will act as more of a real 50mm on your crop sensor body.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12140-GREY/Canon_2515A003_50mm_f_1_4_USM_Autofocus.html
this lens is better then the 1.8 but you also pay more, of course 1.4 is better then 1.8, and it will be again equivalent to an 85mm and has a USM which like Nikon's SWM leads to quieter autofocus.

Canon EF 85mm 1.8 USM
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12182-GREY/Canon_2519A003_85mm_f_1_8_USM_Autofocus.html
Has the USM, and will be a 135mm 1.8 telephoto lens on your crop sensor body, which will be great if you are further away or want to get alot in the scene.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.0 USM
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12058-USA/Canon_2518A003_Telephoto_EF_100mm_f_2_0.html
I have never used this lens since I shoot Nikon, but I have hear excellent things about it, its fast, and a medium telephoto on your sensor weighing in at 150mm so if you are further away or want to get closer in there ya go.

now if you are going to be really really close, or you are going to want to get more in the scene (a group of people, a whole stage etc), then you might consider something wider then 35mm (50mm on your sensor really) but a 50mm you can't go wrong with but if you know the distance then you can figure out how much pull you will need and know if a 50mm is going to be enough. You can most likely simulate alot of these focal lengths with whatever lenses you have now to get an idea of what kind of reach they will have, but not their performance optically obviously.

As you can see all of these options are below 500 dollars, and some of them are even cheaper then Canon's least expensive TTL flash, the 320EX, and ALL OF THEM will certainly give you better results then using a flash.

[Tony Jay]

I think that Brian and Jim are exactly right.

Flash in this situation is inappropriate - not just for aesthetic issues of using flash and annoying everyone else.
Much better off just using a fast lens and high ISO.
Work out how fast your shutter speed needs to be and go from there.

The Canon 50mm f1.4 is a great lens and much cheaper than the f1.2.
Perhaps a longer lens will be required and Brian has given an excellent range of choices.

Regards

Tony Jay

[dyfedavalon]

Hey Guys -

I can't thank you enough for this invaluable advice - I'm beyond words - your time is precious (if you edit as much as I do :p) and I greatly appreciate it.

I have a Canon XSi and the ISO maxes out at 1600 - I need to upgrade to a new body, but as time and $$ permits.  Would you say that in my current plight, 1600 is high enough? I believe it should be fine actually, but thought I'd ask....

In a separate question - is my next step up going to be toward the T1 through T3 kind of area or to a 5D kind of body?

Thanks again,

Dyfed

dyfedavalon@hotmail.com

[Brian Hirschfeld]

In a separate question - is my next step up going to be toward the T1 through T3 kind of area or to a 5D kind of body?

dyfedavalon@hotmail.com

Sounds like a 7D would be more up your ally but a 5D would work just as fine. Its not really about next step up, you shouldn't think of it exactly as a progression. If you can afford a better camera, then you should get it, it will hold you back less, or let you be more creative. That said you can take many of the same pictures with "lesser" cameras but better cameras just make things easier. And certainly in terms of ISO performance as you go up it gets better (quality at higher ISO). While you have to balance body and lens costs I fall on the side of the debate thats get the better body, and then worry about lenses.

[dyfedavalon]

Update:

I today got a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 in the mail from Amazon - and it worked an absolute treat!  Have to be closer to the action that I'd planned, but for the rewarding shots, well worth it.  All i need now is a 300mm telephoto that is Image Stabilized. My 75-300 standard Canon lens is OK, but too much camera shake/blur...

Thanks again for all of your replies...

Dyfed

[AvidVisionary]

I've got the 75-300m lens. It's a good lens for starting out in photography. To get it stable at 300m you will need a tripod or use this trick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLlJl7TbXTA