D90 and 50mm Len

[camjam]

I am looking to purchase a new lens for my wife's D90. Will the auto focus feature on an AF-s Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G lens work on a D90?

Current lens:
18-105 Nikkor
17-50 2.8 Tamron
50-200 2.8 Tamron

Thank you,
Jim

 

[Kerbouchard]

Yes, but since she already has fast lenses, an SB700 would probably make a bigger difference to her photography.

 

[camjam]

Sorry, I forgot to mention she has an external flash. She shoot mostly sporting events (high school soccer and swimming) and in/outdoor performance canine events. She will be taking basketball pictures for the first time this weekend. Purchased the camera about a year. Amateur photographer and shoots for fun but, really wants to take good pictures. Our son, his team mates and our dogs are her favorite subjects. We chose fast lens as most of the indoor pools have poor lighting conditions as does the stadiums at night. Also flash is prohibited there as well as at most dog shows and field trials. She also did a wedding as a favor, but not likely to repeat. Thinking the 50mm would be give her sharper individual/team pictures and for places were space is tight.

Thank you
Jim

 

[orb9220]

Sorry, I forgot to mention she has an external flash. She shoot mostly sporting events (high school soccer and swimming) and in/outdoor performance canine events. She will be taking basketball pictures for the first time this weekend. Purchased the camera about a year. Amateur photographer and shoots for fun but, really wants to take good pictures. Our son, his team mates and our dogs are her favorite subjects. We chose fast lens as most of the indoor pools have poor lighting conditions as does the stadiums at night. Also flash is prohibited there as well as at most dog shows and field trials. She also did a wedding as a favor, but not likely to repeat. Thinking the 50mm would be give her sharper individual/team pictures and for places were space is tight.

Thank you
Jim

Well the 50mm will be too short for sporting events. Zooms of 100mm and prefered is 200mm-300mm range as a starting point. There is a reason those sports shooters use those fast,large,heavy & expensive zooms. Because they don't have a choice. On the D90 you can let her use your f2.8 50-200 and crank up the D90 to 3200 iso And countinous shooting to capture the action. And there is a lot of practice in acquiring the necessary skills & technique for upping the keeper rate and capturing action in lower light situations.

And if that still fails then yep your stuck. As wouldn't find the 50mm any good except for behind the scenes and sidelines shots. But would be disappointed shooting actual event. Depending on lighting the Nikon 70-300VR would be an option and used by some with practiced technique and higher ISO.
.

 

[camjam]

"Thinking the 50mm would be give her sharper individual/team pictures and for places were space is tight."

Sorry I was not clear on the intended use....should have clarified better. She doesn't want a 50mm for action shots. She wants to use the 50mm for individual photos of the kids sitting on the starting block or diving board or on the bleachers kind of thing...like a portrait picture; head and shoulders photo, but taken on the pool deck. Everything posed, setup, formal; not casual behind the scenes stuff that happens at a meet. She recently took the swim team's group photo and individual swimmer photos. Pictures of the swimmers were given to each swimmer, pictures of the seniors were used in the local paper, published in the sports program, team website and will be used to make a scrap book at the end of the season. Also, at the end of the year, she will be taking photos for Senior Night....posed picture of swimmer with parents.

She was thinking the 50mm lens would do a better job on the for the closer static shots than her current lens. ????

She uses the 70-200 2.8 Tamron for action shots in the pool. And yes, she takes lots of pictures to get the one shot where the swimmer is breathing on the side of the pool where she is standing though the better swimmers breath both side and infrequently on the short races.

Jim

 

[Nikon_Josh]

Wouldn't the 70-200 2.8 be good for this, specially if it is for headshots? And just out of interest, why does she still have the 18-105 when it overlaps the other lenses? Admittedly its not an expensive lens, but that money could be used for other photographic investments.

 

[camjam]

Wouldn't the 70-200 2.8 be good for this, specially if it is for headshots? And just out of interest, why does she still have the 18-105 when it overlaps the other lenses? Admittedly its not an expensive lens, but that money could be used for other photographic investments.

The 18-105 came with camera. She used the 17-70 for the head and shoulder shots as well as head-to-toe shots with swimmer seated on the blocks. Not a lot of room on pool deck behind the blocks. The 17-70 is new and hasn't deccided what to do with the 18-105.

 

[9ballprodigy]

the 50mm 1.8g would be a good portrait lens for the d90 with the crop factor. assuming you do not want to fork over the exorbitant amount of money for the 85mm 1.4g, i'd say the 50mm would be a great choice. i have one. that being said, i'd pick the 1.8g over the 1.4g simply because the 1.8g has ED elements. but if you are really looking for a portraiture lens, i would look into the 85mm 1.4 from rokinon. i hear it is only second to the nikkor version. although you have to deal with manual focusing. but for under 300 bucks! who needs AF?

 

[camjam]

I believe the one secret to a happy life is balance and moderation..... She really wanted a Nikon 24-70, but at $1,900 compared to the type of camera we have, how she uses the camera and our skill level; the Tamron 17-70 made more sense economically. Sounds like this will be the same issue with a 50mm vs, 85mm. Correct? You seem to like the 55mm 1.8G, is this a better choice over the 1.8D or 1.8F?

I have read many of the posts on prime vs zoom lens. In fear of starting argument, I will still ask the question. For a beginner, amateur just learning basics, will she notice a difference in her photos with the 50mm vs the 17-70 she currently owns for a portrait type picture? Is the 50mm a nice addition to the lens she already owns, particularly if we pickup a used one at a discount compared to purchasing new?

Thank you,
Jim

 

[9ballprodigy]

i will always recommend a zoom lens over any prime lens for a beginner. there's more versatility and ease of use. however, a portraiture lens is in a league of its own. you want something 1.8 or bigger aperture to separate the subject from the background. that being said, i have not seen a 1.8 zoom before. i think a 50mm 1.8g would be a fine addition to the already fast zooms your wife has.

the only reason i brought up the 85mm 1.4 from rokinon is because it is one hell of a deal! i would have gotten one if it wasn't for two reasons: 85mm on a crop sensor brings it to about 123mm (way too much length for it to be useful for street shooting) and it is pretty heavy (again, it would suck to have that thing, along with a d7000, and a battery grip around my neck for hours).

as for 1.8g or 1.8d, i would take the 1.8g any day. for less than a $100 more, you get ED elements, newer technology, a sleeker design, and here's a big one: silent wave motor. and i think the 1.8g has a manual focus override switch. another plus.