Had a nice evening listening to various Jazz styles (amateur and professional). Shot some photos using the 70-200mm. Due to the stage setting had to use 3200 and 6400 ISO at f2.8. Still came out OK.
The performers are Yvonne Smeets and Jens Larsen. Their music can be seen at www.yvonnesmeets.nl
Yesterday attempted some stage photography using stage lighting and a high ISO setting.
Here’s the situation. I’m asked to take some photographs during a performance. I am stuck at the back of the hall along with other visitors who cannot get a seat. I decide that the best approach is to use my long-lens (Canon EF 70-300mm IS USM) on my Canon 5D and dial in a high ISO. I used 6400 as my ISO setting as this allowed sensible shutter speeds. As is typical, the stage lighting was up and down like a fiddler’s elbow. My camera and lens did a great job with auto focus.
At the interval, I noticed a guy with a Nikon camera the size of a small family car. I had a chat with him. He was using ISO 800 with a speedlight. His photos looked sharp so I went to get my own Metz flash. I had no success with it. I learned a good lession. Prepare your batteries, learn to use your equipment in the dark.
Nevertheless, on the whole I was happy with the camera performance. A tele-zoom with a bigger aperture would have been nice though. Of course, I will practice with the flash so that I can use it in the dark.
