mealies Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I am going to a family christening and have been asked to take some photos. I am not sure whether i have permission to shoot in the church but am going on the assumption i can. I have a D300 and was going to take my 50mm 1.8, but i am thinking it maybe a tad long for this. I have a choice between getting a tamron 17-55 2.8 or the nikon 35 1.8. Would you recommend either of these or is there a better lens i should look at? Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I am not sure whether i have permission to shoot in the church but am going on the assumption i can. Slightly off topic, but I always assume I can. I setup and shoot. It's up to them to tell me not to. If you ask they can say no, so don't ask ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silus Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Hi. In terms of shooting in a church - do it! It's a christening and every one i've been to has had photography and there's never been an issue. As for the lens - i'd definitely go with the 35mm. It's my go-to lens of choice for anything like portraits etc. Set that thing down to f1.8 and the bokeh makes everyone think you're a seasoned pro :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mealies Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 thanks for the advice - I was fearing the vicar would get upset about me wanting to take photographs. Will get the 35mm then - I love the 50mm for its bokeh and low light performance so hopefully the 35mm will be just as good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 MOST vicars are fine with it, there's actually no reason they shouldn't be (OK at weddings it's the signing of the book that MUST not be photographed for obvious reasons). Sometimes they may ask for a small donation though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silus Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 As the D300 is a DX sensor, I always find using the 50mm way too restrictive. The 35mm is perfect IMO, and the low light performance is absolutely excellent. You won't regret bringing that :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mealies Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 thats ok then. just bought the 35mm, now I have to practise like hell as the christening is on Sunday. Would hate to have out of focus pics - family would not be happy :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Do they know you are an amateur photographer? If they choose to save money by getting a member of the family to do it (and not taking anything away from your ability) they have chosen to take the risk of poorer photography - don't stress :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mealies Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 Oh yeah they know I am a amateur but its just me trying to be a perfectionist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 And nothing wrong with that :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silus Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 There's a couple of tips which you may find useful when shooting at an event like that. - Turn the auto preview off if you are shooting while the service is taking place. Shooting at any public event can be annoying for everyone if they keep being distracted by your screen constantly lighting up after taking each shot. - Same for the AF assist light. If the room is well lit you won't need it anyway, but again having that bright LED keep lighting up distracting people can become annoying. Other than that, you should be fine. I generally go for 1 point autofocus and move that point around manually at events like this. If I am shooting at f1.8 I like to have full control over what's in focus (without having to use manual focus) so 1 point AF works very well for me. Also, and I know it's quite obvious, but always shoot in colour. I know a lot of amateur/semi-pro who decide to shoot a lot in mono because it looks good and then decide later that it would have looked better in colour. Also, I don't know what your preference is, but always shoot RAW too. I could go into the reasons but you probably already do. Just worth bearing in mind :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argote Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 What is your current walkaround lens? I'm guessing you already have something that covers the 17-55mm range so you can bust that out if needed. I'd go with a 30-35mm prime like the Sigma 30/1.4 HSM or the Nikon 35/1.8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Both 50 and 35 are small enough to take them both with you. If you do have 17-55/2.8, take that as main and 50 or 35 as secondary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mealies Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 In the end the vicar refused all photography in the church so was a waste of time in that respect. |I did however, get some good photos at the party afterwards. To answer the last few questions i only have a 50 1.8 and 18-200 so the 35 was needed. the 50 would have been too long at the party. I need to get a 17-55 2.8 but am waiting till i can afford the nikon version Cheers for all the help Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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