Feel very limited with the current lens.

Axel · Oct 12, 2004

I feel very limited with my current lens, since it only goes down/up to f/5.6. It's a Sigma 35-70 AF and there are times when I would like to have a faster shutter but it's not possible.

Another limitation is the area of focus. Does anybody have a recommendation for another/additional lens for my Nikon N50? I cannot afford a top of the line lens right now, but would like to know what I should look for at least.

Thank you

Axel · Oct 12, 2004

Been looking at a few lenses now and I found this one interesting.

The only thing I wonder about is, what does "gray (sic!) market" mean? I see it all the time, whether it is film or camera lenses!

ferny · Oct 12, 2004

In terms of cars, grey market means cars from Japan. Say you want yourself a Supra. You have a choice between an expensive one here or a cheaper one imported from Japan. I'd imagine it's the same with everything else referred to a "grey market".
If you've got all the warranties and other junk that you want, then there is no problem with buying lenses from abroad. I'd just warn you to check the postage costs of cheap items as that is where lots of companies make their money. Check the reputation of the shop if you can, as some are known to be dodgy. And make sure you won't have any other outlays after buying the lens if they're having to ship from another country.

Oh, and if you only want a faster shutter now and then, have you considered buying a faster roll of film when you need to? Unless you constantly want a faster lens.

Axel · Oct 12, 2004

ferny said:
In terms of cars, grey market means cars from Japan. Say you want yourself a Supra. You have a choice between an expensive one here or a cheaper one imported from Japan. I'd imagine it's the same with everything else referred to a "grey market".
If you've got all the warranties and other junk that you want, then there is no problem with buying lenses from abroad. I'd just warn you to check the postage costs of cheap items as that is where lots of companies make their money. Check the reputation of the shop if you can, as some are known to be dodgy. And make sure you won't have any other outlays after buying the lens if they're having to ship from another country.

Oh, and if you only want a faster shutter now and then, have you considered buying a faster roll of film when you need to? Unless you constantly want a faster lens.

Thanks.

Yes I want faster lens! I want to be able to take pictures from a slow film in order to get the pictures less grainy and still use a faster/bigger aperture.

Axel · Oct 12, 2004

BTW ferny and all others,

I notice there are a lot of brands out there. Nikon, Sigma, Vivitar, Kenko, Tamron, Tokina, Pro Optic, Phoenix etc. Is there any of these that should be avoided by any means?

Digital Matt · Oct 12, 2004

Buy a 50mm f/1.8. Nikon makes an excellent one, and it's very cheap. A must have.

Jovian · Oct 12, 2004

I had the same problem at a hockey game the other night...I was shooting with a 75-300 f4-f5.6, it made me realize for the first time that I NEED to get faster lenses.

ksmattfish · Oct 12, 2004

Digital Matt said:
Buy a 50mm f/1.8. Nikon makes an excellent one, and it's very cheap. A must have.

Yeah. I was going to suggest that fast fixed focal length lenses can usually be found for much cheaper than fast zooms.

maxwel9 · Oct 12, 2004

I see sigma lenses all over the place, just how good are these lenses. From what I remember I think these were the cheapest brand, so I am assumming they are not as good as a nikon, canon lens, etc.

Canon Fan · Oct 12, 2004

Well the Sigma EX series is the "top of the line" glass (like Canon L or Nikor) just no brand name, just Sigma. STAY AWAY FROM PHEONIX!!! Junk, crap, garbage. They shouldn't even be allowed to call them lenses! The el'cheapo pricing is enticing but you really DO get what you pay for when it comes to good glass. I have learned this somewhat the hard way. I didn't blow a ton of money, but I did buy a higher res. camera, then go through about a years worth of trying to correct soft pictures before I realized that a big part was due to my incredibly cheap lenses. Spend money on the glass - not the body. When you have good lenses, get a better body. Bodies are dispensable, good glass will last a lifetime.

I think I have repeated myself enough!

BTW, I just bought a 50mm f/1.8 myself and within 5 minutes I could already tell that I WILL LOVE IT! Do it, get one! A good prime is still better than a great zoom.

photo girl · Oct 12, 2004

I love the lens that I just baught. I'm not sure what your price range is but this is a great lens. It's a Nikon 24-120 1:3.5-5.6 with vibration reduction. I could tell a huge diffrence in my pictures within a couple of min.

Sharkbait · Oct 13, 2004

I shoot a sigma 70-200 f/2.8 for indoor sports stuff (primarily hockey games), and it works GREAT. I can shoot high shutter speeds. It's a spendy piece of glass though. I picked it up used for just over $500.

For a shorter lens, I'll second the motion for a 50mm f/1.8. I just got one of these on the recommendation of a few folks here, and it's already become my favorite short-glass.

walter23 · Oct 13, 2004

Axel said:
Been looking at a few lenses now and I found this one interesting.

The only thing I wonder about is, what does "gray (sic!) market" mean? I see it all the time, whether it is film or camera lenses!

Some xenophobes use "grey market" to refer to products that weren't produced for sale in the USA. That would include cameras and lenses destined for canada or europe, as well as asia. It's exactly the same product, just packaged and sometimes named differently (e.g. EOS 30 vs. Elan 7, EOS 300D vs. Digital Rebel, etc). Sometimes you can have warranty complications (shipping to another country, for example). I"ve heard that Canon honours their warranties no matter where you are, without any hassle. I'm not sure about Nikon.

I think mostly retailers use the word to sling mud at competitors who have lower prices. ("Watch out for their stuff, half of it is Grey Market!") Which I don't think makes much sense, because the duties applied to importing from retailers in foreign countries would probably be pretty high, and the prices not much lower in the first place... the only exception might be smuggling.

walter23 · Oct 13, 2004

Shark said:
For a shorter lens, I'll second the motion for a 50mm f/1.8. I just got one of these on the recommendation of a few folks here, and it's already become my favorite short-glass.

I got the canon 50 f/1.8 about 2 weeks ago and my 28-105 zoom (it's a decent mid-priced one, not the low end crap) hasn't left my drawer since. It's nice to lose the distraction of zooming and focus more on finding and shooting interesting scenarios, even in absurdly low light situations. I've pissed off and embarrassed more strangers in the last 2 weeks than in the preceeding 2 years, and I love pissing off and embarrassing strangers.