Essential Lenses For Concert Photography

Music photography, as I say all the time, is about “low-light, fast action, and high ISO”. All of these challenges make your camera equipment more important than other types of photography. The right lenses are essential for concert photography. Having the right equipment makes music photography easier.

Have you got the right lenses to photograph concerts? I’ve listed my top picks for the best lenses to use when photographing live music.

It can be difficult to choose the best lenses for concert photography. This article will cover the lenses that are used by professional photographers of live music. This article does not cover faster prime lenses, which are useful but may not be necessary for small clubs with dim lighting.

This list is exclusively zoom lenses, as the utility of a zoom has a huge benefit for music photography, where access, time, and positions are often very limited.

Zoom lenses are used by most professional musicians because of their convenience and utility. You can see my complete music photography kit in my Concert Photographer’s Gear Guide.

Let’s move on to the recommendations for lenses!

The Holy Trinity Of F/2.8 Zooms

There are only three lenses on which professional musicians seem to agree: the “holy trio” of f/2.8 Zooms. There are three main zooms: an ultra-wide, a midrange, and a long zoom.

This kit includes:

• Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8
• Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8
• Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8

Three lenses with a constant aperture of f/2.8 cover everything from ultra-wide at 14mm up to telephoto at 200mm. This kit of three lenses covers almost everything a photographer working in live music could possibly need to capture.

These three lenses will be found in almost everyone’s kit, whether they are professional musicians or not.

Let’s now look at each lens and its uses in music photography. But let’s do it a little out of order. I will instead cover the lenses in the order I would recommend purchasing them when building your photography kit.

The Midrange Zoom – 24-70mm F/2.8

The 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is called a “midrange zoom” because it covers a range of focal lengths from wide-angle to telephoto. This lens is the most popular for general concert photography, especially when you are not too close to your subject or very distant. This range of 24mm to 70 mm is ideal for general music photography.

A 24-70mm zoom lens is a good choice for those who want a lens that can do it all. This is not the case for large festivals, where there are photo pits available; however, when stages are tall enough to make a 70-200mmf/2.8 more useful.

The 24-70mm F/2.8 zoom lens is the first one that most photographers should purchase. The 24-70mm f/2.8 will perform well in any venue, from the smallest to amphitheaters and arenas.

The Telephoto Zoom 70-200mm F/2.8

A 70 to 200mm f/2.8 lens is a must-have for photographers who want to capture live music. This is the second zoom you should purchase to complete your kit for most music photographers.

Telephoto zooms allow you to get closer to performers and capture beautiful close-ups.

A 70-200mm lens is best for large venues, such as amphitheaters, arenas, and festival settings. A telephoto zoom is also ideal for photographing individuals, and in particular, drummers or other members of the band that may be further away. Remember: Do not forget the drummer.

14-24mm F/2.8 – The Ultra-wide Zoom

The 14-24mm F/2.8 will be the last zoom lens most concert photographers want to add to the bag. This lens is a wide-angle extreme that produces dramatic perspective distortion.

A wide-angle lens such as the 14-24mm will allow you to get up close to your subject or even the front of the stage. It is also ideal for capturing the atmosphere of an event and the size of the crowd.

The Nikon 14-24mm F/2.8S is a great lens to use when photographing large crowds in an amphitheater or arena. When I have access to the stage, it’s one of my favorites lenses for photographing drummers.

Due to the wide angle, I would recommend purchasing an ultra-wide zoom lens last. The ideal situations are much more limited for this lens than those of the midrange or telephoto zooms. The look of an ultra-wide lens is also very specific and can make the image appear more monochromatic, even in the best circumstances.

Summary Essential Lenses Essential For Concert Photography

Here are my top three recommendations for concert photography lenses. These three lenses were used to create almost every image in My Photography Portfolio.

There are, of course, exceptions to this recommendation. For more information, including examples of photos taken with each lens, read the Best Lenses to Photograph Live Music article.