Figuring out which lens to use

So I'm just getting into shooting concerts and I'm not quite sure which lens I should use, either mainly shooting with my 50mm prime or my zoom.

The two lenses I have are:

- Viltrox 50mm f/2.0.

- 28-70 f/3.5-5.6, worth mentioning it's my kit lens.

The body I use is a Sony a7ii.

On my latest shoot at a small venue, I used both which meant I had to switch lenses midway through a set which unfortunately made me miss out on good shots.

While my 50m prime lets me lower my iso and open my aperture wider, I found that I couldn't get the shots I wanted, especially in cases where I had to take pictures of the drummer and such. I did find that cropping in post has good results as long as I don't crop too much.

On the other hand with my zoom lens, while I got more flexibility with the shots I wanted, I found that I ended up having too much noise since at 50mm or tighter I could only go to f/5.6.

So should I just stick to my prime or zoom? Or do a hybrid of both with switching lenses mid-set?

Posted Jul 9, 2025, 11:22 PM UTC

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