Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
07-02-2013, 05:15 AM   #1
Junior Member




Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Batam
Posts: 43
What lenses should i get for political campaign

Hallo all.

here come some story. just about a week ago, i help out a political party to documentary their campaign and social visit ect, because that photographer they hire got sick or something so i take his place. after 3 or 4 days i delivered my work, they quite like my work so they hired me for all their campaign. this is my 1st paid photography job. i afraid if i keep using my manual lenses i might screw up something maybe wrong focus or didn't get any important picture.

i think i need to buy couples Auto focus lenses i got about $1000. i'm consider these 2 lenses Tamron 17 - 50mm F2.8 and Tamron 70 - 200mm F2.8, what do you think? or some better lenses?


Regard,
Mario

07-02-2013, 05:49 AM   #2
Veteran Member
i83N's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lithuania
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,203
good lenses, 300mm would be advantage
07-02-2013, 05:55 AM - 4 Likes   #3
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
JimJohnson's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Summer:Lake Superior - Michigan Winter:Texas Hill Country
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 2,771
Political campaign? Go for fuzzy rather than sharp. Politicians prefer to not get too specific or sharply focused on the issues. And a WR lens is a good idea with all the mud flung in past campaigns.
07-02-2013, 06:30 AM   #4
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
rbefly's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Denver, Colorado
Photos: Albums
Posts: 2,030
Good Start!

Hello Ignmar,
Those two lenses will be perfect for all-around shooting and from what I've seen posted, both perform very well. They will likely be your most-used lenses.
But I'd still take a few primes, whether manual or auto. Two reasons; they're small, light and unobtrusive and most primes are faster than zooms. For example, a 50mm f/1.7 is a stop + 1/2 faster than the f/2.8 zoom. Might be the difference between getting the shot or a blurry photo.
A dedicated flash with diffuser, extra SD cards, extra batteries and the camera-battery charger are a few more essential items.
Good Luck!
Ron

07-02-2013, 07:16 AM - 1 Like   #5
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
mattb123's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Colorado High Country
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 10,867
I second the fast 50 recommendation. Do you have two bodies? If so I'd put a prime in one and a zoom on the other.
Those two zooms would be good choices. I have the 28-75 2.8 and it's quite nice too.
07-02-2013, 08:41 AM - 2 Likes   #6
Veteran Member
Na Horuk's Avatar

Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Slovenia, probably
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 11,186
Depends on what photos you took, though. If you can get very close, then get a good wide angle lens. If you can't get close, then tele. If they hired you, you can probably be close enough for just a good 17-50mm for now. But of course, if they like your work so much that they hired you, you must be doing something right
And yes, don't worry too much about IQ. With political campaign photos nobody expects studio quality. What is more important is that you get photos of all the important rituals, handshakes, the important people. And good angles, to make the politician look good and confident, make the room look full of supporters.
07-02-2013, 09:32 AM   #7
Senior Member




Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 157
Mood

Were some of the shots that impressed them taken with manual lenses? You may want to consider that the older lenses expressed the mood that they were going for.
Lenses from different eras express portraits differently, and a political campaign is sensitive to subtle messages images of their candidate deliver.
I would suggest having a talk with your client about the image they are trying to express. Modern high-contract lenses may be perfect - or a complete disaster.

07-02-2013, 11:41 AM   #8
Senior Member




Join Date: May 2011
Location: Malmö, Sweden
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 128
Maybe this one in blue or red, depending?
Attached Images
 
07-02-2013, 11:50 AM   #9
Veteran Member
EarlVonTapia's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Vancouver
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,207
Be sure to get a pistol grip trigger to go along with your telephoto lens. It's perfect for taking pictures of important politicians.*

Pistol Grip Camera Stabilizer Handles


*I am just kidding do not do this
07-02-2013, 12:26 PM   #10
Junior Member




Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Batam
Posts: 43
Original Poster
QuoteOriginally posted by rbefly Quote
50mm f/1.7 is a stop + 1/2 faster than the f/2.8 zoom. Might be the difference between getting the shot or a blurry photo.
A dedicated flash with diffuser, extra SD cards, extra batteries and the camera-battery charger are a few more essential items.
Good Luck!
Ron
Good point Ron, i got Pentax M 50mm F/1.4 and Pentax M 100mm F/2.8 these 2 lenses landed me that job and i already owned other stuffs like dedicated flash with P-TTL function and 1 manual flash for back up. thank you.

QuoteOriginally posted by Na Horuk Quote
And yes, don't worry too much about IQ. With political campaign photos nobody expects studio quality. What is more important is that you get photos of all the important rituals, handshakes, the important people. And good angles, to make the politician look good and confident, make the room look full of supporters.
indeed that what i mean, i feel like i need getting some auto focus lenses after my 1st experience i got block my local reporter and their supporter and miss some shoot because i got 2 primes with manual focus. thank you

QuoteOriginally posted by mattb123 Quote
I second the fast 50 recommendation. Do you have two bodies? If so I'd put a prime in one and a zoom on the other.
Those two zooms would be good choices. I have the 28-75 2.8 and it's quite nice too.
yap i do own 2 bodies, K-30 with telephoto and K-R with some fash prime. 28 - 75 it will be good. thank you
07-02-2013, 12:34 PM   #11
Junior Member




Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Batam
Posts: 43
Original Poster
QuoteOriginally posted by pero Quote
Maybe this one in blue or red, depending?
blue i guess

QuoteOriginally posted by EarlVonTapia Quote
Be sure to get a pistol grip trigger to go along with your telephoto lens. It's perfect for taking pictures of important politicians.*

Pistol Grip Camera Stabilizer Handles


*I am just kidding do not do this
hahaha. i'll consider that or maybe this one Novoflex 600mm Follow Focus | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

*this will be my last post before i get photograph by sniper

Last edited by ignmar; 07-02-2013 at 12:40 PM.
07-02-2013, 12:59 PM   #12
Pentaxian
johnyates's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Saskatoon, SK
Photos: Albums
Posts: 1,345
QuoteOriginally posted by ignmar Quote
i afraid if i keep using my manual lenses i might screw up something maybe wrong focus or didn't get any important picture.
I hope you are aware that having auto focus lenses is no guarantee of not losing a shot because of missed focus. Depending on conditions, AF can be wrong.

As they like what you already do with what you already have, perhaps you might re-think your need for a new lens. Maybe a backup body might be a wiser choice. Or carry two bodies when you shoot, one with a w/a, one with a tele.

If you do go ahead with your plans to get a new lens, make sure you test it thoroughly and make any and all AF adjustments as needed.

And, good luck with your new gig!
07-02-2013, 01:06 PM   #13
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Lowell Goudge's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Toronto
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 17,869
What about rose coloured. It seems to be what political types view the world through
07-02-2013, 01:32 PM   #14
Senior Member




Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Middle of England
Photos: Albums
Posts: 296
Pistol grip, funny
07-02-2013, 08:09 PM   #15
Junior Member




Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Batam
Posts: 43
Original Poster
QuoteOriginally posted by johnyates Quote
I hope you are aware that having auto focus lenses is no guarantee of not losing a shot because of missed focus. Depending on conditions, AF can be wrong.

As they like what you already do with what you already have, perhaps you might re-think your need for a new lens. Maybe a backup body might be a wiser choice. Or carry two bodies when you shoot, one with a w/a, one with a tele.

And, good luck with your new gig!
yap i aware about auto focus lenses got it own problem. i got 2 bodies and 1 backup Fuji X10 just incase something bad happen. thank you John
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
campaign, f2.8, focus, k-mount, lenses, pentax lens, slr lens, tamron
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
What lens should I get? djam Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 22 06-03-2013 04:09 PM
What should I get? freddykrueger Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 12 12-27-2011 08:57 PM
What should I get next? MadMan Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 15 10-17-2011 11:01 AM
$350 budget, use old lenses, what should I get? Sasquatch Pentax DSLR Discussion 16 01-03-2010 11:20 AM
What kind of lenses should I get? ginglesair Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 29 12-11-2009 03:22 PM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:33 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top