Help choosing best lens! - My First post

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srmaggio

Member
Hello everybody! ; this is my first post- woo hoo!

I am trying to figure out which lens to purchase for our upcoming trip. ; All I currently have is the 14-42 mm lens that came on the camera. ; ( I shoot with an Olympus E620).

I struggle in low light, and my parade photos haven't been great.

I've looked around and seen some people who suggest a wide angle lens, others recommend a prime lens....what does that mean?

Any help or thoughts would be great. ; My goal is to be able to take better pics inside attractions without a flash, parades and nighttime fireworks.

Thanks in advance and happy easter!
 
Welcome to the forums srmaggio!

I think you probably have two needs. ; For inside attractions pics without a flash, I'd look at either the Sigma 30/1.4 or the Panasonic 25/1.4. ; The latter is very expensive, but it would a little wider than the Sigma after the cropping conversion.

For fireworks, your kit lens should be fine; you just need a tripod and a remote release. ; However, if you need something wider, you have a few options.

Here is the Four Thirds lens chart:

http://www.four-thirds.org/en/fourthirds/lens_chart.html

For wide angle they list four, three by Olympus and one by Sigma. ; The Sigma would be the cheapest.


Parades: ; What are you exactly having problems with? ; Do you want something longer so you can zoom into characters in the parade? ; Or is your camera having problems focusing at night?
 
Roger- ; Thanks so very much for your thoughts. ; I have done some research on the Sigma lens, and it appears to have very mixed reviews- quite a few people have given it negative feedback. Do you have this lens? ; Any problems with it?

Also, in regards to the parades, yes, they are the nighttime parades. ; I have tried several settings on my camera, and used my external flash with not much success. ; I think I am still having a hard time knowing when to do "what" on my settings.

I've taken several classes at the local camera store too....just can't seem to get it.

I thought maybe I just didn't have the right equipment. ; Low light has been really the tough spot for me. ;
 
Which Sigma are you referring to? ; The wide angle one?

I've never used either of them, however, the Sigma 30/1.4 comes very widely respected. ; For nighttime parades, I would start with that lens. ; I was going to recommend renting it first, but I noticed that Lensrentals doesn't actually carry the 30/1.4 for the 4/3 line. ; They have the Panasonic 25/1.4 and the Sigma 50 (the latter of which I think would be too long of a lens for you to start with....)

I would try the Sigma out first to see how it performs...in theory the camera should autofocus better because you'll have more light reaching the AF sensor.
 
Yep, the Sigma 30 mm f 1.4. ; In theory, if I purchase this lens, do you think I can get fairly decent shots inside darker attractions ?

Again, I really appreciate your thoughts. ; This is all just so new.
 
"srmaggio" said:
Also, in regards to the parades, yes, they are the nighttime parades. ; I have tried several settings on my camera, and used my external flash with not much success. ; I think I am still having a hard time knowing when to do "what" on my settings.
Click to expand...

Disney photography is it's own little niche that doesn't quite fit into most photography classes. :) ; One of the big reasons for this site.

Anyway, ; for night parades other than MSEP/Spectromagic, I would use shutter priority mode, shoot at 1/60 sec or faster, ISO probably 1600 or maybe faster, and center weighted metering (spot if you can add a stop of exposure to the what the meter is telling you). ; That's with the 30/1.4. ; If the camera is telling you that your aperture can go to 2.8 or more, you can turn down the ISO or shoot even faster, like 1/100 sec.

MSEP/Spectro: ; You'll need every ounce of light to get the pics to turn out. ; Not sure if you can set a minimum shutter speed on the 620 or not, and use Auto ISO (with no AutoISO and ISO of 1600 to start)....But I would start with 1/30 or 1/45 sec shutter priority mode, center weighted metering but add a stop or two of exposure compensation. ; After taking the first few pics, check the shots on the camera and adjust the exposure compensation as needed for proper exposure. ; Full manual mode is best but needs more attention than one of the other modes.


Inside the rides will do well with the 30/1.4 as well, with about the same exposure settings as MSEP/Spectromagic, but you'll need an ISO of 1600 or maybe even 3200. ; Yes 3200 will be noisy but you can correct that later with software. ; You should be able to get decent pics inside then!
 
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