Can 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IS + 580EX II take good photo with low ambient light?

[csphua]

Hi,


I wish to take good photo in environment with low ambient light (dinner in hotel ballroom, for instance). I read somewhere that I should use f8 and fast enough shutter speed like 1/60 to take good photo with no motion blur of subject and good depth of field for the surrounding objects.


However, my lens can only do f5.6 most of the time when I zoomed in. Because of this f5.6 and the fast shutter speed I used, the photos I taken recently are all with dark ambient light which do not look professional. Should I get a lens that can do f2.8 instead?


I have a 580EX II, can I rely on this external flash to do magic and avoid spending money to get a new f2.8 lens?


Is setting 580 EX II to do 2nd curtain sync able improve the ambient light problem in my case?

[Keith B]

Get a Sto-Fenor a Gary Fong diffuser and it will help fill the room with light as well as light the subject.

[peety3]

I wish to take good photo in environment with low ambient light (dinner in hotel ballroom, for instance). I read somewhere that I should use f8 and fast enough shutter speed like 1/60 to take good photo with no motion blur of subject and good depth of field for the surrounding objects. However, my lens can only do f5.6 most of the time when I zoomed in. Because of this f5.6 and the fast shutter speed I used, the photos I taken recently are all with dark ambient light which do not look professional. Should I get a lens that can do f2.8 instead?


I have a 580EX II, can I rely on this external flash to do magic and avoid spending money to get a new f2.8 lens?

To minimize blur, you want a shutter speed that's at least 1/60th or faster to stop action of "stationary" people, and a shutter speed that's at least 1/<focal-length> (without IS) or 8/<focal-length> (with a typical three-stop IS unit). At 200mm focal length, you'd need 1/200th (full-frame) or 1/320th (APS-C format) without IS, or 1/60th with IS.


The recommendation for f/8 is probably intended to be a safe aperture setting that provides good optical quality and depth of field. Your lens can do f/8 no problem.


If shooting in Av, set for f/8 and boost ISO to get the desired shutter speed. If shooting in Tv, set for 1/60th and boost ISO to get the desired aperture. If you run out of ISO, see if you estimate how close you are to achieving your goal. If you're within three stops, then an f/2.8 lens MIGHT solve your problem if the thinner depth of field doesn't ruin your shot. Otherwise, you may just need a camera with more ISO.


If your flash can be positioned in a way that it can evenly light all of the various elements you want to capture (i.e. bounced off a white ceiling that's of a suitable height for the shot - not too high that you lose too much light, not too low that you can't illuminate far corners), you can underexpose the ambient and let the flash do the magic. If you don't have the ceiling for this, you may just need a camera with more ISO.

Is setting 580 EX II to do 2nd curtain sync able improve the ambient light problem in my case?
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Nope. Second curtain sync doesn't increase the light output of the flash. It just serves to alter the creative effect of flash on long (enough) exposures so that blurs lead to a flash-lit stop-action subject.

[csphua]

Thank you very much.