hardlyboring Offline Upload & Sell: On
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MRomine wrote:
Some good tips here. Like Doug wrote, I too do not use AF assist lights, never have and probably never will. I don't like the fact they they telegraph to the subject that you are about to take a shot. Frequently that makes the subject look in camera. I too found that when I switched to Nikon my AF keepers improved.
Over the years I have found that the ultra fast lenses, the f1.2, f1.4 are not the fastest AF especially in low light situations like receptions. I have fond both in the Canon and Nikon camps that the f1.8 -> f2.8 lenses focus faster because the AF motors have less glass to move than the big f1.2 and f1.4 glass. Plus the aforementioned lenses are much easier on the pocketbook and your wrists. Therefore, I long ago ditched my big fast glass and have better results.
Like Doug wrote, don't be afraid to stop down a little. ...Show more →
This.
I do not have any ultra fast lenses (and have not recently) so I cannot say how they do. When I did have the 24 1.4 and 35 1.4 nikon I always got good results with them but ditched them for the cheap 1.8 lenses a while back because the 1.8 lenses are cheap, well built, sharp, fast focusing, and if you wreck it you can toss it and get another without crapping yourself over a $1000+ loss.
My wife uses the 24-70 and 70-200 and she never has issues focusing. The 70-200 is hella sharp especially when stopped down to like f4 during a reception. She gets some phenomenal stuff with it.
Working with no AF assist will also open up a MUCH wider range of shooting possibilities during a reception or whatever. You can move about the room, be really far away, include compositional elements you otherwise wouldn't be able to etc. Frees you up A LOT. I would hate having to be like only 10 feet away all the time so the AF assist could do it's thing.
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