Hi all,
TLDR: If I have to step down my aperture on a Full frame to get all people in focus, do I just lose the low light advantage I'm looking for compared to APSC?
Long version:
I am shooting a lot of low light parties. As a hobby for our little anime comunity. As it is rather casual, I don't bring a flash. (Have a little corner with a flash setup for cosplayers though).
Now, to my "issue". This is always in a very dark environment. With my Sony a6000 and a Sigma 30 F1.4, I always have to up to ISO 5000-6400 and still have to pull up shadows in post. While the new denoising features in LR is extrememly helpful, it can't safe everything. Pulling up the shadows in that area results in very colorful noise, then applying AI denoise with 40-50 results in artifacts and too soft images. (Apart from the fact that it takes very long to apply this to a bulk of images)
I therefor looking to upgrade to full frame for additional low light performance. sometimes shallower DOF is also desired. The issue is, during the events I'm taking pictures of groups of people. Multiple sitting together at tables. not in the same plane of focus.
Therefor I'd have to step down my aperture, but in this case, I'd guess I just loose the low light advantage I'd gain over APSC right?
Thank you for your help!
Instead of upgrading cameras, you're better off investing $40-$90 on a speed light. Your photo quality will increase dramatically for those indoor photos. If you're worried about bulk/weight (and if you're just using it for casual/personal situations like these) you can even get away with a mini speedlite like the Godox TT350. It fits in your pocket, has TTL (auto exposure), wireless trigger capabilities and runs on 2 AA batteries.