D5000 indoor dancing photography

TheCheekyPixel · Nov 14, 2016

Hi all, so I am sort of a newbie to photography. My discipline is mainly Graphic Design so my photography so far has been just for family/friends/projects.

My question is; I have a Nikon D5000 which is about 6 years old.
As for lenses I have;
-Nikon AF-P Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR
-Nikon 55-200mm VR AF-S f/4-5.6G ED
-Nikon 60mm AF-S G Micro-NIKKOR G

I am wanting to shoot indoor dancing photography, where light is very low.
What lense do you recommend?

**NOTE: I am not in a position to change camera's, but as I am looking to sell my Macro lense, and my 18-55mm has recently cacked itself and got jammed (cost more to fix it than to buy a new one), I am looking at buying something new.

Derrel · Nov 14, 2016

A fast-aperture lens would likely be helpful, meaning an f/1.4 or f/1.8 prime lens, in most cases. You do not mention any distances...nor any budget...both could be make or break deals.

Possibilities for close-range? 20mm f/1.8 AF-S G? 24mm f/1.8 AF-S G? 35mm f/1.8? 50mm f/1.8 AF-S G?

TheCheekyPixel · Nov 14, 2016

Whoops. Budget is basic. I am only a beginner and this is only a hobby. So under $1,000 I guess.
Distance. I'm generally shooting quite close. So 2-25metres away from my subjects

Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app

Derrel · Nov 14, 2016

Distance is a key....beyond 25 meters, one is usually located in a balcony, where 100-200mm lenses are pretty useful.

On-line field of view calculators can be useful to determine how BIG of an area a lens will show, at the various, different distances.

Check out this site and its Dimension Field of View Calculator panel:

http://tawbaware.com/maxlyons/calc.htm

With a 1.5x sensor camera like the Nikon D5000, at 15 feet, the field of view would be 18 x 12 feet, exactly, using a 20mm lens.
With a 1.5x sensor camera like the Nikon D500, at 15 feet, the field of view of a 24mm lens would be 15' x 10'.
With a 35mm lens, the field of view at 15 feet would be 10' 3.4" x 6' 10.3".

With a 50mm lens at 40 feet, you would have 19' 2.4" x 12' 9.6".

TheCheekyPixel · Nov 14, 2016

Thanks... I'm always on the same level as target.

Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app

robbins.photo · Nov 15, 2016

The 50mm 1.8 would be a good one to have for shorter distances, as you start getting further out I'd probably look at a 70-200mm F/2.8. An older model sigma without image stabilization would fit well within your budget.

The_Traveler · Nov 15, 2016

Do a search for Scott Nilsson dance photographer. He is a great dance photographer and a great guy. He has some articles around on how to and those may be of help.
He is responsive to emails.

Lew

TheCheekyPixel · Nov 15, 2016

Thank you very much!

Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app

Dave442 · Nov 15, 2016

I have often used the 35mm f/1.8 DX lens for school presentations and such where you can be fairly close to the dancers. It can still be a balance between how high you want to go on the ISO and the shutter speed.

I also have that 60mm Micro, you can try with that lens and see if there is enough light. So if you are at f/2.8, ISO 6400, 1/125 then with the faster lens you could be at f/1.8, ISO 3200, 1/160. On the other hand, if you are at f/2.8, ISO 6400 and the shutter speed is under 1/30 of a second then probably even the faster lens is not going to help. (Note that the 35mm lens focuses much better for me than the 60mm micro in dark environments - using the center focus point).

Braineack · Nov 15, 2016

Dave442 said:
I also have that 60mm Micro, you can try with that lens and see if there is enough light.

this is what i was thinking...

TheCheekyPixel · Nov 15, 2016

Thank you both I will give it a try! I do still need to buy a new standard lens though

Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app

Derrel · Nov 15, 2016

Braineack said:
Dave442 said:

I also have that 60mm Micro, you can try with that lens and see if there is enough light.

Click to expand...

this is what i was thinking...

See if the 60/2.8 Micro will even focus well enough to get decent hit rate...my 60 Micro is the earlier f/2.8 AF-D version, and it has incredibly, incredibly HAIR-TRIGGER autofocusing at distances longer than 3 feet...it is so,so,so touchy that the slightest miscue results in focus that is 3,4,5,6,10 feet "off". Secondly, the f/2.8 aperture collects less light than a wider aperture.

On a camera like a D5000 ( simple AF system, low-powered CPU to run the AF system), I really do not expect the AF-S f/2.8 60mm Micro~NIKKOR to do all that well as a lens used indoors in dimmer lighting, or on moving subjects; it is not a "standard lens", and never was designed to be a standard lens nor a sports lens; look at where Infinity is, and then look at where 10 feet is on the focusing scale.

I've owned a number of macro lenses...typically they are NOT very good at focusing in lower light, or on fast-moving action, and there's the issue of how many out of focus shots they tend toward giving you; macro lenses are not designed as "field" lenses...

TheCheekyPixel · Nov 15, 2016

Ok then what would you suggest?

Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app

Derrel · Nov 15, 2016

My original suggestion, and Dave442's post kind of dovetail.

I originally suggested 20mm f/1.8 AF-S G, 24mm f/1.8 AF-S G, 35mm f/1.8, or 50mm f/1.8 AF-S G lenses.

Check Thom's reviews here for lenses. Camera, Lens, and Accessory Reviews | byThom Sites | Thom Hogan

My idea is that for the D5000, you want a semi-wide to normal lens for most shots, and perhaps a long lens, like a 50mm, for your close-range, short telephoto uses. The 35/1.8 DX-Nikkor is low-cost;$199 is the normal price for that lens. Note:there is also a high-priced 35mm f/1.8 but it is NOT a DX-Nikkor.

The 50/1.8 AF-S G is inexpensive. It might also be too long a lens length for many situations, unless you can back up a bit, or want close-framed shots. The original question is a bit broad and vague. Not sure if you mean ballroom dancing, or people in dance clubs? For flash shots of 2 and 3 and 4, the 20mm lens is good from 5 to 12 feet on APS-C cameras.