However, I think there are two big contributing factors to the perception of noise, or lack thereof, in these shots.

1) Size: At such small resolutions for screen, even much noisier cameras than the D3/D700 will look pretty clean, so shots like this are no sweat.

2) “Grain”: The noises pattern of the D3 and D700 is really quite fine, so at small sizes, it’s not really visible. There is little chroma noise to speak of, so that’s not an issue, either.

So, no real secret here!

In general, accurate exposure and WB will help keep noise down for all cameras.

Amazing shots. How do you shoot at 3200 and get absolutely no noise?! what’s your big secret?!! Thanks!

Thanks for the update, glad to hear the show was so excellent. I’ve heard that Death Cab has not has such “good” lighting for other shows, which is strange, since they should have the same lighting techs on the tour.

However, if the set list is changing from date to date, I’m sure that affects the lighting, and of course if they’re the support, Death Cab probably didn’t have their own tour rig.

Sadly, Neil was so incredible that he didn’t just overshadow their opener, he totally eclipsed it. One of the best concerts I’ve ever seen.

Thanks for the note! I see you must have shot Stars, Grizzly Bear, and Teagan & Sara with Chris. Yup, NYC is an interesting place for shooting gis, there are always some characters in the pit. ;)

The lighting for Death Cab was actually the best I’d seen it, so I think we’re somewhat lucky on this tour. Of course, they’re also touring with a much larger rig this year. That said, I think the band just must like their stage treatment on the dimmer and more atmospheric side.

Noahm here :) we do Live Music photography in NY - I’ve been meeting your brother on several occasions now, as we both shot some of the same gigs in the City. I must first say I’m a big fan of your work, those angles you get sometimes just drive me insane. Full frame is at just used at its fullest with that type of camera in your hands !

I had the chance to shoot Death Cab For Cutie at Radio City Hall, same thing, tough show, not a lot of space plus I was kind of expecting more intense lighting conditions… the second song actually turned out to be ALL RED. Though, Harmer provided some action, I mainly focused on him :)

Fell free to have a look at them, I’d love to hear from you.

http://noahm.com/2008/10/09/death-cab-for-cutie-radio-city-music-hall/
Will be happy to hear from you

I did not use flash for this set, it was not allowed. For shows of this size and production, I prefer not to use flash, and it’s almost never permitted.

The brightness of these shots is a product of exposure. A few were pushed a stop in post, which the D3 and D700’s files handle very well up to about ISO 3200 pushed +1EV.

The Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 has Vibration Reduction (Nikon’s term for image stabilization), while the 24-70mm f/2.8 does not. At the shutter speeds and focal lengths I used, VR wasn’t a major factor so much as the motion of the performers.

That said, I don’t think VR/IS hurts, and it can be useful even at wider focal lengths and slow shutter speeds as long as the subject isn’t moving. For most rock shows, though, there’s too much motion on stage for VR/IS to make a huge difference.

Hope this helps!

Your shots are always so brightly exposed. Is that the 2.8 kicking in or did you use aux flash?

Are those two lenses ISed and if not do you wish they were or does the high ISO and wide ap make it not an issue?

Great shots!!

Harry