HELP photographing moving dancer on stage in low light!

[Sony fan]

Could anyone tell me which is the best lens for photographing moving dancer on stage in low light!

sincerely,

Sony A700 fan from UK London

[NoKnees]

Depending on the distance to the stage, the popular lenses for this are Minolta/Sony 50mm f1.4 or f1.7, 85mm f1.4, or, if you need some reach, 135mm f1.8... Cheapest lens to give it a shot is the 50mm f1.7...

It's just not an easy task, no matter how much you spend on the glass... Good luck!

[Sony fan]

Thanks mate, I will be photographing from the 5th row away from the stage ( also with a stand )

[Sony fan]

Dear NoKness,

Thanks for the reply I already got the Sony 50mm f1.4 of course I use the highest iso 6400 and the images came out good but noisy. Is the ISO the problem? and how come the Sony 85mm f1.4 ZA Planar T* Lens is 10 times more exensive than the 50mm f1.4?

[DonSchap]

It's a Zeiss lens ... which has an "overhead charge" for that Zeiss certification. If it were a SONY "G" lens, it would probably be $500 cheaper.

If you happen to get closer,I have found the SIGMA AF 20mm f/1.8 DG EX lens provides good light response, quick focus and excellent depth of field, at that wide aperture. You should be able to get solid shutter speeds with it (1/30 or faster) trading off higher ISO (800).

[Anbesol]

The ones reccomended are the best for the job. Sounds like the 135mm is the best choice with the distance you've got. There is also a 100mm f/2, it would be a bit cheaper than the 135mm if thats going to break the bank.

[SmartWombat]

Thanks for the reply I already got the Sony 50mm f1.4 of course I use the highest iso 6400 and the images came out good but noisy.

If there is a spotlight on the stage, then I'd expect you could use ISO 800, I used to manage with that shooting 35mm B&W film with an f/2 58mm.
Depends how much movement you want in the image, if you're trying to stop the motion or use the motion blur as part of conveying the movement.
From the 5th row I'd expect you would want 200mm at least to pick out an individual, depends on the depth of the stage.
I use f/2.8 zooms for almost everything, wider aperture lenses are much more expensive, and get more and more expensive with longer focal length because they need more glass.
Perhaps if this is a one-off then renting a lens may be more cost effective?

[Sony fan]

Thanks SmartWombat !