PentaxForums.com - View Single Post - which lens for shooting fireworks? 14mm, 28-75 or 70-200?

asdf · 01-13-2009, 12:37 AM

Originally Posted by raider

Hi.

Australia Day (26th Jan) is coming real soon and there will be a big display of fireworks here. I would really like to try shooting fireworks for the first time using DSLR.

1 question: which lens is more suitable for the application?

DA14, Tamron 28-75 or Tamron 70-200?

Thanks for the help!

I shot fireworks with my "assistant" who shot them using a camcorder. I was unhappy with the results: overexposing the digital sensor on BOTH, the Canon camcorder--in its "fireworks" mode--and my K200D resulted in very noticeable dark horizontal lines in the photographs and video! I shot in Bulb mode with, as far as I remember, F8, but I guess we were too close. Go for Bulb mode, high F stop, ISO100, use a cable switch and don't stand too close or use even a higher F stop. Since I'd recommend standing farther, I'd go with a more telephoto lens.

When googling about the horizontal lines, I discovered that people get the same funny effect on Canon DSLR's when trying to do astrophotography.

EDIT: I'm not too unhappy since the aforementioned display was pretty crappy anyway.

01-13-2009, 12:37 AM	#16
asdf Loyal Member Location: Canada Gallery Photos: 0 Posts: 596	Originally Posted by raider Hi. Australia Day (26th Jan) is coming real soon and there will be a big display of fireworks here. I would really like to try shooting fireworks for the first time using DSLR. 1 question: which lens is more suitable for the application? DA14, Tamron 28-75 or Tamron 70-200? Thanks for the help! I shot fireworks with my "assistant" who shot them using a camcorder. I was unhappy with the results: overexposing the digital sensor on BOTH, the Canon camcorder--in its "fireworks" mode--and my K200D resulted in very noticeable dark horizontal lines in the photographs and video! I shot in Bulb mode with, as far as I remember, F8, but I guess we were too close. Go for Bulb mode, high F stop, ISO100, use a cable switch and don't stand too close or use even a higher F stop. Since I'd recommend standing farther, I'd go with a more telephoto lens. When googling about the horizontal lines, I discovered that people get the same funny effect on Canon DSLR's when trying to do astrophotography. EDIT: I'm not too unhappy since the aforementioned display was pretty crappy anyway.