New Lense Time

sh0rtofdaybr3ak · Jan 17, 2005

Ok, i'm still new, and you guys rock, and always seem to help me out. I recently took some "promo" pics for some of my close friends' band. Well, everyone likes them and two other bands have asked me to take pictures for them. I have a Nikon N75 with the regular 28-90 lense and a qaf 6600 flash and my tripod. haha. Any suggestions on a lense that would work well with my set up that would improve some of my shots would be awesome, im kind of on a budget but still willing to pay for quality. I want to do night shots as well. Any help or questions, please! Thanks guys.

MDowdey · Jan 17, 2005

50MM f1.8

its about 60-100 bucks and its one of the sharpest lenses money can buy!!

md

Nytmair · Jan 17, 2005

yep, i'm gunna have to agree with Bill... i mean MD on this one

rmphoto · Jan 17, 2005

agreed. 50mm's are pretty versitile... it will be your lense of choice for night photos.

sh0rtofdaybr3ak · Jan 17, 2005

well , looks like we have a winner. thanks a lot guys! ill let you know what I end up purchasing.

sh0rtofdaybr3ak · Jan 17, 2005

one more question, this is a good all-around lense correst, what conditions would i choose this lense from my other one? vice versa?... thanks!

walter23 · Jan 17, 2005

You'd use this when it's really dim and you don't want to use a flash (because of the small maximum aperture f/1.8 ) or when you want a really narrow depth of field (again because of the small maximum aperture). It also might be a bit crisper looking than your zoom lens, at intermediate apertures like f/8 or f/5.6.

The 50mm f/1.8 (or f/1.4 if you want to spend the extra money) is what I use for available light stuff in dim lighting, usually with iso 800 film... It's a lot cheaper than longer fast lenses like 100mm f/2.8 and that kind of thing which can cost $1000, a bargain for the price really.

sh0rtofdaybr3ak · Jan 17, 2005

that helps a lot! thanks mangggg.

Unimaxium · Jan 17, 2005

Isn't that 50mm 1.8 made by and for Canon? Or does Nikon make a similar one too? I'm guessing they do, but I don't feel like looking it up.
I actually just got a new Canon camera with their 50mm f/1.8 lens and I am quite happy with it, although all I ever used before that I can compare it to was some 20-some-year-old 50mm f/2 that was on my parents' Pentax K1000. In my opinion, this lens f/1.8 really is quite sharp and good, especially for the price. But you're using a Nikon camera, so I'm not really being of much help :meh:
The best thing to do is just search around the internet for reviews of various lenses to see what's out there and what sounds like it would of the most use and value to you. With your current lens you already seem pretty well covered in terms of focal lengths that you might use to shoot a band, but if you're mostly shooting concerts of the bands playing then I think you might want to go with a nice wide-angle prime or an all-wide-angle zoom (basically staying below 50mm). A 50mm prime is very versatile and useful for lots of purposes, and might get you the most bang for your buck if you want a nice sharp lens that you can use for lots of different shots, or if you want one that you can use for good shots for lots of things when you're not shooting a band. If you want more portrait-like shots of the band (like group photos and such) then I think a longer lens would be better, as the longer you get the less distortion there is to the subject. Of course if you want all of this you can invest in a good zoom lens, but I don't know how much better it might be than what you have, nor at what price (I know nothing about the lens and I'm too lazy to research it lol). But I wish you luck in finding something that you'll like. If your current lens is as crappy as the one I upgraded from, then you'll probably be happy with anything :wink:

sh0rtofdaybr3ak · Jan 17, 2005

ok now i feel really dumb or annoying, or both? sorry... "rmphoto" said this lense would be good for night shots but walter said it would be ideal for shots where a flash is not needed? so i guess im confused on that... flash or no flash, i have a qaf 6600. haha i hate being newwwwwww.

sh0rtofdaybr3ak · Jan 17, 2005

Unimaxium said:
Isn't that 50mm 1.8 made by and for Canon? Or does Nikon make a similar one too? I'm guessing they do, but I don't feel like looking it up.
I actually just got a new Canon camera with their 50mm f/1.8 lens and I am quite happy with it, although all I ever used before that I can compare it to was some 20-some-year-old 50mm f/2 that was on my parents' Pentax K1000. In my opinion, this lens f/1.8 really is quite sharp and good, especially for the price. But you're using a Nikon camera, so I'm not really being of much help :meh:
The best thing to do is just search around the internet for reviews of various lenses to see what's out there and what sounds like it would of the most use and value to you. With your current lens you already seem pretty well covered in terms of focal lengths that you might use to shoot a band, but if you're mostly shooting concerts of the bands playing then I think you might want to go with a nice wide-angle prime or an all-wide-angle zoom (basically staying below 50mm). A 50mm prime is very versatile and useful for lots of purposes, and might get you the most bang for your buck if you want a nice sharp lens that you can use for lots of different shots, or if you want one that you can use for good shots for lots of things when you're not shooting a band. If you want more portrait-like shots of the band (like group photos and such) then I think a longer lens would be better, as the longer you get the less distortion there is to the subject. Of course if you want all of this you can invest in a good zoom lens, but I don't know how much better it might be than what you have, nor at what price (I know nothing about the lens and I'm too lazy to research it lol). But I wish you luck in finding something that you'll like. If your current lens is as crappy as the one I upgraded from, then you'll probably be happy with anything

yeah i haven't done any 'live' shots of bands , they are more of just group shots for their website and such, promo pics of just them. ahh so many lenses to choose from!?!

rmphoto · Jan 18, 2005

sh0rtofdaybr3ak said:
rmphoto said this lense would be good for night shots but walter said it would be ideal for shots where a flash is not needed?

usually when you refer to night shots there is no flash used.

im reffering to night shots as in time exposure.

walter23 · Jan 18, 2005

sh0rtofdaybr3ak said:
ok now i feel really dumb or annoying, or both? sorry... "rmphoto" said this lense would be good for night shots but walter said it would be ideal for shots where a flash is not needed? so i guess im confused on that... flash or no flash, i have a qaf 6600. haha i hate being newwwwwww.

What I meant was that sometimes you don't want to have a flash )even though you might need one with some lenses), and would rather use something else like stage lighting during a concert or something. A fast (as in, wide aperture) lens like the 50 f/1.8 is good for this becuase you can take photographs with a fast shutter speed, without using a flash, for those times that you don't want the effect of flash lighting.