NSR: Any photographers? I have a question.

[padawala]

My husband plays in a band and likes me to take pictures when they play. I just bought a faster lens, but I'm not sure if I should have gone faster. I bought a Nikkor AF 60mm 2.8. Should I have gone all the way to the 1.4? They like the look of the stage lighting in their pictures and I need to be able to shoot at a shutter speed fast enough that will freeze their motion.

Thanks!

[Charmed]

IMHO faster is always better, espically given the lighting situation you bought it for.

The difference between f2.8 and f1.4 is one full stop, which means, everything being equal, your exposure time will be double with the 2.8 over the 1.4.

So, if with the same film (iso 800 is fast, but grainy for larger prints) the 2.8 lense might give you an exposure time of 1/30th of a second (will be blurry if hand held) the 1.4 will have an exposure time of 1/60th of a second. This is about the slowest shutter speed that can be taken handheld, and is usually fast enough that there wont be any motion blur.

My advice, is if the price difference is not to huge, invest in the better lense. We did that when we purchased our new DSLR, and have not regretted the extra expense once. The extra flexability you get with a faster lense is so worth it IMHO. Same with better quality glass, but that is a different matter!

Hope it helps!