need to replace nikon kit lens with better lens
Nov 19, 2016 13:40:55 #
the kit lens that came with my d7100 (18-140mm 1:3.5-5.6 G ED) is incapable of focusing in low light and low dynamic range conditions. it has been a wonderful learning tool, but i now need a lens that has better focusing capability, and a focus distance indicator. and i need help understanding the difference between similar fx & dx versions (the price seems to be about the same.) i would like to stick with a zoom, relatively light weight & in the $1000 range (will have to use the money that was going to a zenbook for this.)
Nov 19, 2016 13:42:05 #
btw, my avatar is an example of the lens' inability to focus. the bird-wood is not in clear focus, but i was centered on it, using single point focus.
Nov 19, 2016 13:43:45 #
I'm in a similar situation, decided to order the Nikon 16-80 f2.8 today, gets good reviews as a walk-around lens and fits your budget
Nov 19, 2016 14:15:55 #
Low light focusing is limited by :
a) The amount of light passing through the lens when wide open (max aperture, here 3.5-5.6)
and b) the senstivity of the focusing system in the camera. (The d7100 is rated down to -2 ev, pretty good.)
a) The amount of light passing through the lens when wide open (max aperture, here 3.5-5.6)
and b) the senstivity of the focusing system in the camera. (The d7100 is rated down to -2 ev, pretty good.)
Nov 19, 2016 14:24:24 #
pelha wrote:
the kit lens that came with my d7100 (18-140mm 1:3... (show quote)
If you do not mind saving about $500-600, I can recommend the Sigma 17-70 2.8-4 Contempoary. But, please do a focus calibration on whatever you use.
Nov 19, 2016 14:34:59 #
imagemeister wrote:
If you do not mind saving about $500-600, I can recommend the Sigma 17-70 2.8-4 Contemporary. But, please do a focus calibration on whatever you use.
I'm exceptionally pleased with my Sigma 17-70 "C" for focusing in low light (that's where the 2.8-4 max aperture helps no matter what the "taking" aperture turns out to be. That's how it works with manual focusing when your eye (not the auto focus "eye") is doing the seeing.
It has been a great general purpose lens on my Canon 50-D which is nowhere as advanced as your 7200. And you can get the "dock" to fine tune if you need it. And all for lots less than your $1Thousand.
I can't say it is better than many other lenses, but it certainly gives me great results across the spectrum of landscapes, events, and close in sports and Portraits--on location and in Studio.
Nov 19, 2016 15:19:58 #
ChrisEdwardsUSA wrote:
I'm in a similar situation, decided to order the Nikon 16-80 f2.8 today, gets good reviews as a walk-around lens and fits your budget
that's a dx lens, yes? i'm wondering if chosing an fx would be better.
Nov 19, 2016 15:36:42 #
pelha wrote:
the kit lens that came with my d7100 (18-140mm 1:3... (show quote)
I may be out to lunch on this, but if I understand correctly, the lens will focus under any conditions provided the camera is able to tell it to do so. IOW, it will only focus if it receives a signal from the camera to focus the subject. So unless there is something dreadfully wrong with the lens, as in, lens elements being out of alignment, or loose, you may have a camera issue. Try using manual focusing and see if it will focus properly. If so, then the AF function in your camera has a problem, and you might do well to contact Nikon and see about an inspection and repair.
Nov 19, 2016 16:28:35 #
Wingpilot wrote:
I may be out to lunch on this, but if I understand... (show quote)
i have tried manual focus, but i recently changed my eyeglass prescription, the diaopter dial is no longer good enough to give me a clear image through the viewfinder. i haven't tried using live view to focus. i'll do that. i apparently do have a camera issue in the change from manual to shutter priority mechanism -- shutter priority appears to act as though i'm still on manual. this is new & i want to fully check it out before contacting nikon. but i do want a lens that has focus distance markings. in my ancient film days, i could guess distance really accurately and only relied on the lines as backup.
Nov 19, 2016 17:21:27 #
I have never had any trouble using my 18-140mm...these two shots were taken in quite dark areas and I think they turned out OK...no noise and pretty sharp I reckon...the hotel dining room had very low light conditions but I just set the camera accordingly...
Nov 19, 2016 17:26:32 #
here's one i took yesterday. as far as i an determine, nothing is in focus.
Nov 19, 2016 17:36:30 #
pelha wrote:
here's one i took yesterday. as far as i an determine, nothing is in focus.
I agree but don't know why if you have looked at my two shots...here are two more from an event I photographed yesterday... :sm07
I also use mine on my D7100 and my D90, no problems...
Nov 19, 2016 20:17:52 #
I'd say it's definitely a camera problem. Or is it? Have done a lens calibration test to determine if you have a front or back focusing issue? If that is not an issue, or if you can't manually focus in live view, then there is a problem with the camera's AF function. If you set up for a lens calibration and you can't find a focus point on the ruler scale, this should confirm a camera problem, and should that be the case, even the best lens in the world won't focus.
Nov 19, 2016 20:25:50 #
Wingpilot wrote:
I'd say it's definitely a camera problem. Or is it? Have done a lens calibration test to determine if you have a front or back focusing issue? If that is not an issue, or if you can't manually focus in live view, then there is a problem with the camera's AF function. If you set up for a lens calibration and you can't find a focus point on the ruler scale, this should confirm a camera problem, and should that be the case, even the best lens in the world won't focus.
wingpilot, if it is a camera problem, then i should think i would routinely see bad focusing. but i'm only seeing it in low dynamic range settings. all the other location images, all of which were high contrast conditions, came out beautifully. but i will investigate this more with these suggestions during this coming week. tomorrow's forecast is rain & snow, so the conditions should be good for low contrast scenes.
Nov 20, 2016 00:26:09 #
pelha wrote:
wingpilot, if it is a camera problem, then i should think i would routinely see bad focusing. but i'm only seeing it in low dynamic range settings. all the other location images, all of which were high contrast conditions, came out beautifully. but i will investigate this more with these suggestions during this coming week. tomorrow's forecast is rain & snow, so the conditions should be good for low contrast scenes.
For some reason, it's struggling to focus in low contrast situations. But it sounds like the camera and lens work ok otherwise. Is there a firmware update to deal with that? Otherwise I'm out of ideas. Could you post an image taken in normal lighting situation that shows the focusing?
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