I've read this thing twice but your stream of consciousness didn't seem
to lead me to an objective statements such as: "here's what I'd like to
accomplish".
First thing, I think you've got too many cameras and lenses involved for
event shooting... or at least my definition of event shooting:
weddings, wedding receptions, bar/bat mitzvahs and other kids parties
plus some miscellaneous events such as conferences and charity galas.
When I first started out by assisting I used to shoot with the A1 as the
only camera. That worked because I wasn't responsible for shooting
everything. Its 5 MP sensor was perfectly adequate for the size prints
required for receptions and parties. Hardly any ever ordered more than
4x6 or 5x7. ISO 100 is adequate with studio light flash power filling
the room. And I've never used more than 200mm or its equivalent on the
A1. More than likely the zoom ring was taped down to 7mm (28mm equiv)
and the focusing ring was taped down to the hyperfocal distance. Even
at f/4 the hyperfocal distance at 7mm is only 5 feet and renders
everything from 2-1/2 feet to infinity in focus. Even at 50mm
equivalent and f/8 the hyperfocal distance is less than 8 feet giving
everything from 4 feet to infinity in focus. It doesn't pay to try to
focus that camera in low light. You could easily screw it up. This is
an A1 shot taken at a wedding reception. But there's on-camera flash
plus at least two studio flash units (or maybe even four) bouncing off
the inside of the tent. <http://www.chucknorcutt.com/party.php>
Everything after the A1 was shot with the 5D and Tokina 28-80/2.8 or
Tokina 80-200/2.8. The 28-80 was probably used 95% of the time. It was
rare to require 200mm. I didn't have 300mm available but did have a
1.5X converter. Never used it. It's usually easier to zoom with the
feet or crop a 300mm equivalent field of view if you only need smallish
prints. Having the 5D with high ISO and the two f/2.8 lenses made a
huge difference in low light shooting and focusing. But really low
light was still done with flash. The autofocus assist light with 15
meter range on the old film era Canon 540EZ flash unit (manual only on
digital) helps a lot on dark dance floors.
I think what I'm driving at is to settle on a single digital camera
(although you might choose to have two of the same model) that with two
moderately fast lenses covers 90-95% of your event shooting needs. The
5-10% that those two lenses don't cover can be taken care of by your OM
cameras and lenses. Lenses with equivalent focal lengths greater than
200mm or wide angles less than 28mm. I used to take the Zuiko 24/2.8
with me to have it available but I don't think I ever used it at any
kind of event. To me, shooting people with 24mm is too risky distortion
wise. Distorted heads and faces at the edge of the field of view is not
conducive to photo sales and avoiding distortion is too time consuming
for fast moving events.
Unfortunately, the DZ lenses that cover the equivalent of 28-70 (14-35)
and 70-200 (35-100) are both f/2 lenses and incredibly expensive. The
12-60/2.8-4 and 50-200/2.8-3.5 are probably meant to work as a pair but
still not constant aperture zooms and less expensive but not
inexpensive. I don't know how easy they are to find on the used market.
Anyhow, those are my thoughts. Somehow get down to 2 lenses and one
body or pair of the same bodies that will cover the majority of your
event work. Pull out the OM stuff for the outliers.
Chuck Norcutt
On 10/11/2010 9:44 AM, Ken Norton wrote:
> Warning: The following is a stream of incoherent thoughts of a po' boy
> attempting to find the right combination of equipment from his current
> stable. If you've already "arrived", skip this post.
>
> Since getting the DMC-L1 there has been substantial challenge to rework the
> kit to find that right balance of functionality, coverage and ergonomic
> freedom. To say it has been difficult is an understatement. Let's step back
> for a moment:
>
> For event shooting with film, I do two cameras. One with the 35-80/2.8 zoom
> and the other with usually the Tokina AT-X 100-300/4 zoom. During different
> parts of the event I might swap out the AT-X with some prime lens for
> specific reasons, but with these two lenses I've pretty much got everything
> covered. When combined with motordrives and flashes, this makes for a very
> HEAVY kit, though. If I'm trying for the low-impact coverage, I might switch
> off to an OM (non-motordrive, non-flash) with just the 50/1.4 or 35/2.8.
> Overall, this is a decent setup and weddings, parties or similar events are
> well served by this two-camera configuration.
>
> Digital has been a bit different. For the longest time I've been using the
> E-1 with 14-54. My second digital camera was the Minolta A1 with the 28-200
> equivalent zoom lens. I'd switch lenses on the E-1 as necessary, but it did
> force lens changes more often than not.
>
> Now, with the second E-system camera I've been trying to find the right
> equipment balance with it. This weekend I experimented quite a bit and did a
> pretend event to practice my stuff. I think I got something--it's not
> perfect, but it is quite doable.
>
> The L1 with 14-50 is a wonderful kit--when it isn't fighting you. I'm
> learning what settings work for what kind of things, but pretty much for
> event work the L1 kit is pretty good and remarkably comfortable. Best of
> all, it has a few checks and balances which prevent some mistakes which are
> common with the E-1. For instance, if I'm using a flash, no matter what
> shutter-speed I select, the camera will limit the fastest shutter-speed to
> 1/160. I can set slower, but no faster. A Vivitar 285HV with Lumiquest
> LightDome diffuser on the L1 is a good combination and it is extremely easy
> to control aperture, light-ratios, etc. I have found that the L1 is
> uncomfortable to use on the stroboframe because of the overall grip shape
> and lack of a shutter-release for verticals. I'm frequently using the
> wireless trigger on the L1 for stand or clamp mounted off-camera flashes.
> It's "OK" with the T45, but this camera really is designed for lefthand
> balancing, right-hand guiding which precludes most bracket operations. The
> camera is designed for low-profile handling. The 14-50 lens is simply
> glorious at any aperture, so it's an easy decision to leave that lens on the
> L1 where it functions best and gives the most ergonomic clout.
>
> So, this means I have the E-1 to contend with. The L1 becomes the "primary"
> camera for wide-normal-short-tele operation, but I need a camera/lens
> combination for the long stuff. Now, understand that the following kit is a
> tried-and-true combination which I've been using for quite a while now, but
> just not officially as part of a defined kit configuration. The Zuiko
> 35-80/2.8 on the E-1 (with battery grip) is an immensely powerful setup.
> This lens is easily shot wide-open or at F4. It's easy to focus and
> amazingly stable. The look of the bokeh is unlike most lenses today and it's
> a true F2.8 at 80mm. The lens is still a little short for some things, but
> that's why I always pack a 100-300 or a set of 100/200/300mm lenses. It's
> not the one-off shots I'm concerned with--it's the rank-and-file coverage.
> As most events are dimly-lit affairs, unless I plan on blinding everybody
> with flash all the time, I really need that lens-horsepower which means the
> F4 and darker lenses need not apply. The 80mm (160mm equivalent) long end of
> the 35-80 is a bit short, but the reality is, I can't successfully get too
> many shots longer than that anyway because of shutter-speeds. The E-1 kit is
> my right-shoulder kit. The L1 is hanging from my neck, the E-1 hangs
> backwards from my right shoulder. This setup works for me and grabbing the
> camera is an easy affair with one hand.
>
> The 14-50 and 35-80 have a lot of focal-length overlap, but even in the
> overlapping focal-lengths the lenses produce remarkably different images.
> Also, the 14-50 shortens the focal-length at closer focusing. When shooting
> at one-body length from a subject at 50mm focal length, the 14-50 is not
> only restricted to a reduced aperture, but the focal-length shortens to
> probably 40mm or so. The 35-80 at 50mm is producing a wildly different
> result. So, because of the focal-length shortening, when at closer distances
> the lenses don't have much overlap at all.
>
> I've groused a bit about the DMC-L1 for various reasons, but the camera
> really does deliver the goods. I feel like I selected wisely and am not
> disappointed. That goes for the E-1 too.
>
> AG Schnozz
--
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
|