I have a Nikon D5100 and am looking to purchase a new lens with a reasonable budget. I currently have the kit lens and a f 3.5 55-200 zoom lens. I like to shoot anything from landscape to close-up nature. I also spend a lot of time shooting my 15 month old so something with a f stop around 2 would be ideal. Thank you for your comments and suggestions.
Indi
Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.
apdawn wrote:
I have a Nikon D5100 and am looking to purchase a new lens with a reasonable budget. I currently have the kit lens and a f 3.5 55-200 zoom lens. I like to shoot anything from landscape to close-up nature. I also spend a lot of time shooting my 15 month old so something with a f stop around 2 would be ideal. Thank you for your comments and suggestions.
I have the D5100 too. I have a variety of lenses but my favorite, and the one that's on my camera about 95% of the time is my Sigma 17-70mm f2.8. It's about $400-$500, depending on whether you want the new Contemporary model which you can fine tine the focus with a dock, or the original model. Both are excellent lenses and well-suited to your needs.
Thank you Indi! I was looking at a prime lens originally, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to capture special moments of my running toddler without a zoom.
I also shoot homes and businesses for a builder friend. Do you think the sigma would be good for that kind of photography? I've not used sigma before, how does it compare to a Nikkor lens?
Go for the fast primes! That's what I prefer to shoot with my 3 and 6 year olds.
Indi
Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.
Cdouthitt wrote:
Go for the fast primes! That's what I prefer to shoot with my 3 and 6 year olds.
I agree with the "fast primes," especially for the "fast kids," but the OP did say they wanted something for landscape & other purposes.
apdawn wrote:
I have a Nikon D5100 and am looking to purchase a new lens with a reasonable budget. I currently have the kit lens and a f 3.5 55-200 zoom lens. I like to shoot anything from landscape to close-up nature. I also spend a lot of time shooting my 15 month old so something with a f stop around 2 would be ideal. Thank you for your comments and suggestions.
I have a 5200 and not happy with my kit lenses. I was watching a video on youtube on the best lenses for this camera, and I would suspect they would be the same for the 5100, as they are about the same camera. I suggest you watch this video for some info:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSJ4trhBfFQ
Indi
Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.
apdawn wrote:
Thank you Indi! I was looking at a prime lens originally, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to capture special moments of my running toddler without a zoom.
I also shoot homes and businesses for a builder friend. Do you think the sigma would be good for that kind of photography? I've not used sigma before, how does it compare to a Nikkor lens?
If I had the money, it would always be Nikkor Lenses, but I don't so the Sigma is the next best thing for me.
As far as the architectural stuff goes, bear in mind that the D5100 has a crop factor of 1.5. That means that a 17mm-70mm lens is the equivalent of 25.5mm - 105mm.
That being said, I have used the Sigma in my son's house with pretty good results. If it's an occupation, you might want to go down to something a little wider.
So, if you're thinking Prime Lenses, you're probably going to need a variety of those.
I don't know how much the wide primes go for; I imagine quite a bit, but you can pick up the Nikkor 35mm f1.8, or the 50mm f1.8, for a fairly reasonable price. Maybe $200 + or - $50.
Indi wrote:
I don't know how much the wide primes go for; I imagine quite a bit, but you can pick up the Nikkor 35mm f1.8, or the 50mm f1.8, for a fairly reasonable price. Maybe $200 + or - $50.
Good suggestions on focal length.
Keep in mind, that you'll likely be shooting a lot indoors, and with those fast lenses and a slight bump in iso, you won't need to use a flash (of course this does help sometimes, but I'd suggest a bounce flash rather than the built-in one). The primes will also be less bulky on your camera, making it easier to carry around.
With fast primes you can do this:
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-189373-1.html
You'll also be able to blow out the background for some nice subject isolation using those primes...
Cdouthitt wrote:
Good suggestions on focal length.
Keep in mind, that you'll likely be shooting a lot indoors, and with those fast lenses and a slight bump in iso, you won't need to use a flash (of course this does help sometimes, but I'd suggest a bounce flash rather than the built-in one). The primes will also be less bulky on your camera, making it easier to carry around.
With fast primes you can do this:
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-189373-1.htmlGreat images! This is definitely something I would like to capture. Did you use a 35 mm or 50 mm prime?
[quote=Indi]
As far as the architectural stuff goes, bear in mind that the D5100 has a crop factor of 1.5. That means that a 17mm-70mm lens is the equivalent of 25.5mm - 105mm.
Thank you Indi. I am very much still learning basics and didn't know about the crop factor. I'm thinking I may need to go ahead and get a prime and one like your sigma. Maybe even a less expensive wide angle for the construction/building shots.
apdawn wrote:
Great images! This is definitely something I would like to capture. Did you use a 35 mm or 50 mm prime?
75mm f1.8...keep in mind that I'm shooting an Olympus, so that's a 150mm f2.5 in full frame terms. Back when I got into photography, my first lens (outside of the kit lens) was a 50mm f/2. Primes can be frustrating at first, but you quickly learn to adjust for a fixed focal length and learn to compose your shots better (IMHO). Now I shoot primarily with my 20mm f1.7 (40mm f2.4) and 45mm f1.8 (90mm f2.5) and the 75mm listed above.
Let me know if you want to see other examples with prime lenses and kids...I've got a slew of them.
Let me know if you want to see other examples with prime lenses and kids...I've got a slew of them.
That would be great! That's where I spend lots of time these days. I just looked at prices for the sigma zoom and a Nikkor prime and the price has jumped about $50 on the 50 mm prime. Do they normally fluctuate on prices?
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