Canon 18-55 IS or Sigma 18-50?

The IS is useful for when you're shooting scenes handheld (like getting away at 1/5s at Christmas lights whilst you'll probably get a blurred shot with the Sigma). The optics is also very good for a kit lens.

IS is useful for handheld shot but not quite as useful when people are involved as they move faster than 1/50s, usually.
 
Would 18mm on a crop body (1.6) be good enough for wide shots in a confined space?

I take lots of photos at gigs and want to be at the front of the crowd and able to get enough of the stage in shot. does 18mm have any noticeable distortion? Ideally I would like a fish eye, but proper ones are too much for me.
 
All wide angles will have distortion. The distortion I had was not too bad, a little +2.5-3 on photoshop does help, but to be honest, distortion adds abit of an edge for gig shots. The 18mm is about 28-29mm on a cropped body, it'll be OK but probably not as 'wow-wide' as say a Sigma 10-20mm.
 
Yea, I do not mind the distortion at all -I love fish-eye shots!

A Sigma 10mm-20mm is way out of my budget range sadly.

Is there anyway to work out how much I can get into a shot (width) based on focal length and distance from subject? E.g. on my 50mm (80mm on crop) I would have to stand say about 3-4 metres away to get in a subject of about 2 metres wide.
 
Focal Length = Percent of frame filled x Sensor Size x Subject Distance / Subject Size

For example 0.65 x 22.2 x 3
__________
2

SO we have a good amount of the frame filled our sensor is 1.6x and we have distance. Then divided by length.

However at a gig we want to use the 14.8mm sensor height and lets fill th frame more!!
So use the following:

0.75 x 14.8 x 3
_____________
2

And so on and so on...
 
22.2mm is the sensor dimension in your camera (width ways). And the 14.8mm is it height wise.

Use the side you will FILL the most of the frame. I.E if you shoot a person with the camea landscape use the 14.8. If you shoot them portrait use 22.2 If the person is lying down use 22.2 in landscape 14.8 if portrait.

The next number is how much of the frame we will cover. So for example if we want the subject in the entire frame use 1.0x or if we want a normal ampunt 0.65x or perhaps the subject will be small in the frame 0.247653987x ect ect.

The rest i hope you get.
 
No focal length is actual. The sensor dimensions will compensate for the 35mm equiv. So when the calculations say 100mm it's 100mm on YOUR camera.
 
Paul_Canning said:
Would 18mm on a crop body (1.6) be good enough for wide shots in a confined space?

I take lots of photos at gigs and want to be at the front of the crowd and able to get enough of the stage in shot. does 18mm have any noticeable distortion? Ideally I would like a fish eye, but proper ones are too much for me.
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Definitely get the sigma. the 2.8 is much more important than IS.

IS wont stop people moving and dancing. an apperture twice as fast will be very useful
 
I'd go for the Canon with the IS. 18mm is pretty wide on cropped sensors still but what you really want for gigs is a UWA lens, such as the Sigma 10-20mm which would give you some great results.
 
D.P. said:
Definitely get the sigma. the 2.8 is much more important than IS.

IS wont stop people moving and dancing. an apperture twice as fast will be very useful
Click to expand...

I don't think he meant the f2.8 version. £15 difference would make it the f3.5-5.6.
 
Yeah, he'll be talking about the 3.5-5.6. If he was talking about the F2.8 version though then that would be the definite choice. I'm considering the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 at the moment. Having F2.8 across the whole range seems a little too good to be true :p
 
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ah yes, my bad sorry.

Sadly not the 2.8 :(

Really would like a wide zoom lens with a wide aperture, but I simply cannot afford it.

My kit 35-80mm f4 is simply terrible :( My nifty fifty hasnt left the camera since I got it.

So I am really considering either of the options mentioned. Unless there are any other similar lenses about? £100 budget?
 
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