Music Festival Lens Recommendation

Canon's Is

At Wal Mart you can get a Canon Power Shot Pro S3 or later for around $150 - $240(US). The Canon cameras with the IS (Image Stabalization) are very good at low light situations. They have an optical zoom of up to 10x and a digital multiplier of up to 4x which gives 40x zoom. Sometimes on plant pictures you see bugs that you never knew where there. Many of the Pro series will run on AA batteries, so if you forget to charge the battery pack, your goose is not cooked.

As far as digital lens range it confuses me. I just bought a Canon Eos xsi and the two lens I purchased with the camera were an 18 -55 mm zoom and a 75 - 300 mm lens (around $400 us). The 75 - 300 mm lens is about a 4X telephoto lens.

I recently took a photos out in the Western US. The photos were mainly landscapes, but in that situation the Canon Power Shot S3 was somewhat more versatile and had more zoom than the Eos Xsi. For one thing I did not have to change lenses. But the Eos absolutely has more pixels.

I have printed size C (17inch X 22 inch) from the S3 on an Epson 3800 with out degradation or pixelization and I had some room left over for cropping.

Photographed half a dozen music festivals this summer, from Lollapalooza to All Points West. a 70-200mm f/2.8 is your best friend. Every photographer worth his salt, from me to Getty, has one.

The lens you are describing is a 70-200 or 80-200 f/2.8. If cost is an issue look for a used lens. If cost is really an issue look for a used third party lens. You should be able to find something very usable for about $400. You'll be better off using a five year old Sigma f/2.8 then a new Canon f/5.6 lens.

You want a lens with a long focal length, wide aperture, and low price?


I suggest the Canon 70-200 mm f/4 IS lens, but I don't know if that's cheap enough. I don't think you have many other options, though.