Camera Decent low light lens for Canon camera?

Aces170

Aces170

ex-Mod
Now that I got a Canon EOS 1000D, I find the 18-50mm lens's performance in low light unsatisfactory, was wondering what are the options I have and at what price points?
 
For low light photography you need very fast lens(f/2.8 or lower) so that you can shoot pic at respectable ISO and shutter speed.

My suggestion would be to shoot at lower shutter speed with tripod, which is a must for low light photography.

@salluks

50mm f/1.8 price is around 5k in grey not 3.5k.
 
Aces170 said:
Now that I got a Canon EOS 1000D, I find the 18-50mm lens's performance in low light unsatisfactory, was wondering what are the options I have and at what price points?
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Since you have bought a new camera, my first suggestion would be to use the first lens at hand to its maximum, get to know its limitations and try to workaround them.( Sorry i'm assuming you are a newbie.;))

But if you have decided to buy a new lens then 50mm f/1.8 prime is a no brainer, mind you it does not have 'f' and distance indicator, so setting it to hyperfocal length will be little tricky but otherwise the lens is very sharp at f/2.8.
In Bangalore, you can get this at 5.8k with warranty. Cheapest & lightest lens from canon.
 
I am a newbie, and yes you are right, I need to find the best performance yet, but any pics in the night without flash come out very grainy....

I guess I will try some lenses before making a decision...
 
Aces170 said:
I am a newbie, and yes you are right, I need to find the best performance yet, but any pics in the night without flash come out very grainy....

I guess I will try some lenses before making a decision...
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If it is the noise in the picture you are talking about then its a little different issue, with a slow lens you will not get noise, the pic will be dark and blurry that's all..only if you blow the pic to 100%, you will notice noise, remember canon use CMOS sensor so noise is not that big of a problem.

Use a tripod or keep ur camera on some stable place like a book, increase shutter time, decrease ISO to 400-800 and if you have lights/street lights in the frame then increase the f value a little.
IMPO, a tripod is something you should buy with a lens, or buy a tripod before a lens. It will increase your chance of getting a stable shot.:):cool2:
 
If you think using a 50mm f/1.8 instead of the kit lens will solve your low light problems then you're totally wrong.

The 50mm f/1.8 might be fast but the Kit lens has IS. IS itself is worth 2 stops of light.

I've used both and i take better still pictures on the kit lens rather than the 50mm f/1.8.

I even had rented the awesome 85mm f/1.2 L II and 24mm f/1.4 L II to cover a night event. 90% of the pictures were hopeless.

So either get a f/2.8 VC or IS lens ( EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS or Tammy 17-50 f/2.8 VC ) or a bigger flash. However the canon lens will set you back by 55K? and Tamron by 34K?

I'd recommend you loan a lens from a friend and try it for yourself first.

PS: I can take a still 1.6sec exposure from my Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC however i've mamanged to take just one decent pic with the 50mm f/1.8 at 1/4sec.
 
I agree with Sh@sh and Sunny..

If noise is the problem, lens could not be blamed..

if U were using auto or program mode, probably ISO sets automatically..

So, to control noise, control the ISO.. dont exceed ISO 800 in general case...

Secondly.. 50mm f/1.8 will not perfectly solve the low light shooting issue...

A tripod is must evil.. specially when it comes to low light shoot..

A tripod with kit lens will do solve the problem to good extent..

However, I will stand still with my view of getting a 50mm f/1.8..

just because for the price it comes, you can never wonder of a better deal...

IQ is good, 75mm focal length is decent..

and when it comes to use DOF creatively, the lens evolves out as a boon...

f/1.8 might not perform handsomely in low light, but you cannot get shallow DOF for portraits from any other lens for such low price..

SunnyBoi said:
I even had rented the awesome 85mm f/1.2 L II and 24mm f/1.4 L II to cover a night event. 90% of the pictures were hopeless.
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I dont think its right to blame 85mm f/1.2L and 24mm f/1.4L...

Coz, you forget that with lower f nummber, the DOF also reduces..
and with f/1.2 it remains to just few centimeters...
also in night, camera often hunt for focus, thus it is no surprise if camera locks a wrong focus..
and with even the minor wrong focusing, the photo will go out of focus at f/1.2
moreover, more the focal length [in case of 85mm] faster the shutter speed you need..
 
ashvarybabul said:
However, I will stand still with my view of getting a 50mm f/1.8..
just because for the price it comes, you can never wonder of a better deal...
IQ is good, 75mm focal length is decent..
and when it comes to use DOF creatively, the lens evolves out as a boon...
f/1.8 might not perform handsomely in low light, but you cannot get shallow DOF for portraits from any other lens for such low price..
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True. Get the lens for its awesome IQ at low price and the DOF. dont expect it to work wonders at night.

ashvarybabul said:
I dont think its right to blame 85mm f/1.2L and 24mm f/1.4L...

Coz, you forget that with lower f nummber, the DOF also reduces..
and with f/1.2 it remains to just few centimeters...
also in night, camera often hunt for focus, thus it is no surprise if camera locks a wrong focus..
and with even the minor wrong focusing, the photo will go out of focus at f/1.2
moreover, more the focal length [in case of 85mm] faster the shutter speed you need..
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I'm not complaining about the lens :p just that I had 2 options, go with bigger flash or a faster lens. Went with a faster lens and paid the price. Anyways a lesson well learnt :)
 
SunnyBoi said:
If you think using a 50mm f/1.8 instead of the kit lens will solve your low light problems then you're totally wrong.

The 50mm f/1.8 might be fast but the Kit lens has IS. IS itself is worth 2 stops of light.
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Could not agree more with you and ashvarybabul but In india they don't give IS in the kit lens, and ya the issue with night and a wide aperture is kinda proportional.
Lower f= more light (good for night shooting) but shallow DOF(won't be able to cover multiple subjects in the frame).:)
The guy is a newbie so we are suggesting 50 f/1.8, if you are giving a 50k worth of L lens to a newbie, its limitations and advantages are not as visible to them as they are to you as a pro. Well totally my personal opinion:)
 
Hehe, those are some good discussions. BTW I have the IS kit lenses, and I might pick up the 50mm f/1.8.. if they are good VFM as you guys suggest. In the meantime will get a tripod too...
 
I dunno why you are saying the 50mm f1.8 is useless in low light. A fast lens allows you to speed up the shutter so that you don't get blur.

A 50mm f1.8 lens is 3 stop faster than the 18-55mm kit lens. So if your kit lens gives you a slow shutter speed like 1/15 secs, the 50mm lens will give you 1/125 secs instead which will ensure a blur free image.
 
For moving objects, yes the 50mm f/1.8 will be better. But for still images, an IS lens is better in my opinion.
 
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