Newby question

[CaptainNapalm]

A wide angle lens is not the lens you want for shooting people from any significant distance. The best bang for the buck would likely be the Nikkor 70-300 VR which will cost you around $400 or for about half that price you can get the 55-200 VR, less reach though and a less well made lens but still good optics.

 

[Vandergriff101]

For daytime the 55-200 is a good suggestion. I do not think your budget will allow you to get good results at night under the lights on a football field.

What should I look for if I want to achieve good results at night on a football field? A lot of her band competitions are at night unfortunately.

 

[DanielLewis76]

You will need something with a wider aperture (lower f/stop number). However, these tend to get more expense especially when they are zoom lenses. Its really a play off between requirement vs cost.

 

[Vandergriff101]

You will need something with a wider aperture (lower f/stop number). However, these tend to get more expense especially when they are zoom lenses. Its really a play off between requirement vs cost.

Newby here. Don't know what you mean, but I will do my research on all these terms as soon as time allows. I need to find a book or app for my iphone to learn about photography and video. Can you elaborate on the exact or close to exact lens I should start looking for please?

 

[raventepes]

I have to agree with the Nikon 70-300. It's an excellent choice for lenses. Decently sharp and fast focusing. Granted, it'll struggle in some low light conditions, but in those situations, turn your ISO up to 800 or 1600, and you'll be fine!

 

[Vandergriff101]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I very much appreciate all the valuable information.

 

[goodguy]

A wide angle lens is not the lens you want for shooting people from any significant distance. The best bang for the buck would likely be the Nikkor 70-300 VR which will cost you around $400 or for about half that price you can get the 55-200 VR, less reach though and a less well made lens but still good optics.

Another vote for the 70-300mm VR
Outstanding lens for its price, very sharp results and on a crop sensor you really are getting a lot of zoom for the buck (105-450mm).

I bought mine for 280$ used.

Worth every penny!!!!!!!!!

 

[PaulWog]

A wide angle lens is not the lens you want for shooting people from any significant distance. The best bang for the buck would likely be the Nikkor 70-300 VR which will cost you around $400 or for about half that price you can get the 55-200 VR, less reach though and a less well made lens but still good optics.

Another vote for the 70-300mm VR
Outstanding lens for its price, very sharp results and on a crop sensor you really are getting a lot of zoom for the buck (105-450mm).

I bought mine for 280$ used.

Worth every penny!!!!!!!!!

I think the 70-300 vr is my favorite lens so far. It's definitely my sharpest lens. At 70mm the bokeh and sharpness really hits home for me... Love it every time. Although I do like my 35 1.8g and 16-85 vr.

 

[ToddnTN]

For daytime the 55-200 is a good suggestion. I do not think your budget will allow you to get good results at night under the lights on a football field.

What should I look for if I want to achieve good results at night on a football field? A lot of her band competitions are at night unfortunately.

You are not going to like this answer
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VR II Nikkor ED-IF Lens - Nikon USA Warranty 2185

Shooting in low light gets really expensive. Basically you need a lens that opens up really wide to allow a lot of light in. Opening really wide means bigger more expensive glass used in the lens and that is what makes them more expensive.

If you don't mind manual focus then you can get:
Nikon 180mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF Nikkor Lens - Nikon U.S.A. Warranty 1940
I am using that lens with a D5200 right now. I plan on upgrading the body to a D600 which will then make the 180mm lens autofocus. The D3xxx and D5xxx need lenses that have a focus motor built into the lens, which makes the lenses a little more expensive. The 180mm will not zoom, you are stuck with the focal length, but they can be found in really good shape for as low as $300. That is what I paid for mine. It is the cheapest solution I could come up with for shooting low light from a distance. I am doing exactly the same thing you are doing. This is my daughters first year in band and I am also new to the photography thing. BTW, I find that manually focusing that lens is very difficult which is why I am going to upgrade the body.

If you want an example of the D5200 with the 180mm lens, there is a picture in this thread. The picture is taken at night in a small college football stadium about halfway up.

Hope this helps.

 

[sandollars]

^^ You must have missed the part where we were told the OP is a newbie and has a 500 dollar camera body.... ^^

That being said, I also agree that the 70 - 300 VR is an excellent lens for your use. I DISAGREE that it will have problems for the uses you describe (i.e. shooting at night at a football field). This lens has plenty of light capability for this use and I wouldn't hesitate buying it for your use.

UNLESS of course you want to spend over 4 times more than you spent on your whole camera and buy a member of the Holy Trinity (70-200mm f/2.8 VRII). I would make DAYUM sure you were serious about photography before you step into Pro lenses because it can be an expensive road to roll down. Besides, the Holy Trinity lens EVERYONE should buy FIRST is the 24-70mm. Everyone knows that... LOL! By far my favorite all around lens.

 

[ToddnTN]

^^ You must have missed the part where we were told the OP is a newbie and has a 500 dollar camera body.... ^^

That being said, I also agree that the 70 - 300 VR is an excellent lens for your use. I DISAGREE that it will have problems for the uses you describe (i.e. shooting at night at a football field). This lens has plenty of light capability for this use and I wouldn't hesitate buying it for your use.

UNLESS of course you want to spend over 4 times more than you spent on your whole camera and buy a member of the Holy Trinity (70-200mm f/2.8 VRII). I would make DAYUM sure you were serious about photography before you step into Pro lenses because it can be an expensive road to roll down. Besides, the Holy Trinity lens EVERYONE should buy FIRST is the 24-70mm. Everyone knows that... LOL! By far my favorite all around lens.

I understand where the OP is, I just don't want the OP to spend another $300 and still not be happy with the results. I am in a very similar place and I can tell you that I would not be happy with f/5.6 in that kind of lighting.