DSLR for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

[Ballistics]

What lens would be good for what I am looking for? I am going to pick up a 50mm 1.8D for portraits and DOF pictures, but what about action shots? I am going to buy used.

The 50mm 1.8 is still your best option anywhere near your budget range, but unfortunately, you will not have autofocus, which makes sports photography much more difficult, especially with the small viewfinder in the D5000/5100 series.

Better would be an 85mm 1.8 or you might look at the 35mm 1.8 since you can get relatively close to the action. The 35mm 1.8 will autofocus on your camera, but it costs about twice as much as the 50mm 1.8.

What would be better? The 50mm or the 35mm? The 50mm is 220 and the 35mm is 230 refurbished. They are both AFS.

 

[Kerbouchard]

The 50mm 1.8 af-s is not released yet. I'm not sure what the delivery date is going to be and nobody will really know the quality until after it has been around for a while. To tell you the truth, I didn't know it was about to be shipped, so I am the wrong guy to ask about it. I figured after the earthquake in Japan, it would be months away.

I assume you got a kit lens with your D5100...I would stand at about the place you will be shooting during the matches with a friend and figure out if 35mm or 50mm works better for you.

 

[dallasimagery]

35 is too wide for a sport like that.

 

[Ballistics]

The 50mm 1.8 af-s is not released yet. I'm not sure what the delivery date is going to be and nobody will really know the quality until after it has been around for a while. To tell you the truth, I didn't know it was about to be shipped, so I am the wrong guy to ask about it. I figured after the earthquake in Japan, it would be months away.

I am seeing reviews for it on the nikon website from customers including someone from NY(where I live) a few weeks ago. I dont know if that matters.

I assume you got a kit lens with your D5100...I would stand at about the place you will be shooting during the matches with a friend and figure out if 35mm or 50mm works better for you.

Yes I got a kit lens, 50mm would probably be best. Thanks for your help.

 

[ausemmao]

The 50mm 1.8 af-s is not released yet. I'm not sure what the delivery date is going to be and nobody will really know the quality until after it has been around for a while. To tell you the truth, I didn't know it was about to be shipped, so I am the wrong guy to ask about it. I figured after the earthquake in Japan, it would be months away.

I am seeing reviews for it on the nikon website from customers including someone from NY(where I live) a few weeks ago. I dont know if that matters.

I assume you got a kit lens with your D5100...I would stand at about the place you will be shooting during the matches with a friend and figure out if 35mm or 50mm works better for you.

Yes I got a kit lens, 50mm would probably be best. Thanks for your help.

The AF-S 50mm 1.8 is out now, has been for a while. As far as lengths go, I sometimes do pictures for my capoeira school, and I think distances from roda to players is about the same from you to the fighters if you're ringside. So 15-60mm is about the range you want to use, depending exactly how far away they are and the framing you want. The kit lens will make taking frozen motion shots painful. One of the 17-50 2.8s or the primes you've looked at will make it fairly easy - at 2.8 or below and ISO2600-3200, you'll be able to drop to 1/250-1/500, which will be enough to freeze everything but the feet of the fastest kicks, and then it often adds the impression of the power behind things.

 

[Ballistics]

The 50mm 1.8 af-s is not released yet. I'm not sure what the delivery date is going to be and nobody will really know the quality until after it has been around for a while. To tell you the truth, I didn't know it was about to be shipped, so I am the wrong guy to ask about it. I figured after the earthquake in Japan, it would be months away.

I am seeing reviews for it on the nikon website from customers including someone from NY(where I live) a few weeks ago. I dont know if that matters.

I assume you got a kit lens with your D5100...I would stand at about the place you will be shooting during the matches with a friend and figure out if 35mm or 50mm works better for you.

Yes I got a kit lens, 50mm would probably be best. Thanks for your help.

The AF-S 50mm 1.8 is out now, has been for a while. As far as lengths go, I sometimes do pictures for my capoeira school, and I think distances from roda to players is about the same from you to the fighters if you're ringside. So 15-60mm is about the range you want to use, depending exactly how far away they are and the framing you want. The kit lens will make taking frozen motion shots painful. One of the 17-50 2.8s or the primes you've looked at will make it fairly easy - at 2.8 or below and ISO2600-3200, you'll be able to drop to 1/250-1/500, which will be enough to freeze everything but the feet of the fastest kicks, and then it often adds the impression of the power behind things.

I'm assuming that is where the difference comes in between the 1.8 and the 1.4?

 

[ausemmao]

I am seeing reviews for it on the nikon website from customers including someone from NY(where I live) a few weeks ago. I dont know if that matters.



Yes I got a kit lens, 50mm would probably be best. Thanks for your help.

The AF-S 50mm 1.8 is out now, has been for a while. As far as lengths go, I sometimes do pictures for my capoeira school, and I think distances from roda to players is about the same from you to the fighters if you're ringside. So 15-60mm is about the range you want to use, depending exactly how far away they are and the framing you want. The kit lens will make taking frozen motion shots painful. One of the 17-50 2.8s or the primes you've looked at will make it fairly easy - at 2.8 or below and ISO2600-3200, you'll be able to drop to 1/250-1/500, which will be enough to freeze everything but the feet of the fastest kicks, and then it often adds the impression of the power behind things.

I'm assuming that is where the difference comes in between the 1.8 and the 1.4?

The 1.4 will give you 2/3 of a stop of extra light, so where you may have had 1/400 with the 1.8, you could get 1/600 with the 1.4, or drop your ISO some. Your DoF becomes even smaller - I think you'd have a foot or two of DoF shooting at 15 feet (certainly not much either way) - good if you want to isolate individual body parts, less so if you want a whole person in focus. That obviously depends on their orientation compared to you, but it is something to think about.

 

[Ballistics]

Ok so with recent events and research I have decided to return the D5100 and pick up the D7000 and a 50mm 1.8D. I think I will be much happier with this combo.