Birthday party photos

[Emma]

I've been asked to take photos at a friend's surprise party at the weekend.
It will be in the evening in the house and marquee.
I have an Eos 60D. Should I use my kit 17-85mm or my 50mm, I think the 50mm. Only have the camera flash. Am worried about the amount of light and getting grainy photos. Any tips?

[Jacqueline Reyna]

I would use the 50mm and if you must use flash you could difuse it? I diffused my flash wi a little piece of coffee filter over my popup flash.

[Mike]

I'd be tempted to use the 17-85 because you might need to take a group shot so having the wide angle could be handy. Also, the slight zoom could also be handy if you can't get close to something you want to get a pic of. Onboard flash isn't terrible, go ahead and use it. You might just dial down the flash compensation a bit when needed. If you have time, you could go to a camera store and see if you can get one of those diffusers or bounce attachments for your onboard flash. Or, possibly, see about renting something in a similar zoom range with f2.8 aperture.

[lil Buddha]

What @mikehamm said. The fifty will let in more light, but unless the house is posh, you might not have enough space.