Lenses for starters

[ekcroft]

I have recently bought a Nikon D5200 and have a 18-55mm kit lens and a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 prime lens.

I am looking to buy a couple more lens for portrait and another for extended zoom.

Can anyone suggest a couple of lens that would fit the bill?

Thanks,

ekcroft

 

[DanielLewis76]

An 85mm prime would be good for portraits and either the 70-200 2.8 or (for cheaper) the 18-200 VR.

 

[ruifo]

I have recently bought a Nikon D5200 and have a 18-55mm kit lens and a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 prime lens.

I am looking to buy a couple more lens for portrait and another for extended zoom.

Can anyone suggest a couple of lens that would fit the bill?

Thanks,

ekcroft

I have the same equipment.
I extremely recommend you to go for these first:

For portraits, consider having the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G will give you great quality, autofocus, and a field of view equivalent to a 52.5mm in a full frame camera. As an alternative to the 35mm and the 50mm, you can also consider the Nikon 85mm f/1.8G as well (field of view equivalent to a 127.5mm in a full frame camera).

For landscape photograph, consider this wide angle/fisheye lens too: Pro-Optic/Samyang/Rokinon/Bower 8mm f/3.5 with the confirmation chip

For all-in-one/super-zoom lenses, review these options here:
- Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
- Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM
- Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD
- Nikon 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

Have fun!

 

[ekcroft]

I have recently bought a Nikon D5200 and have a 18-55mm kit lens and a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 prime lens.

I am looking to buy a couple more lens for portrait and another for extended zoom.

Can anyone suggest a couple of lens that would fit the bill?

Thanks,

ekcroft

I have the same equipment.
I extremely recommend you to go for these first:

For portraits, consider having the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G will give you great quality, autofocus, and a field of view equivalent to a 52.5mm in a full frame camera. As an alternative to the 35mm and the 50mm, you can also consider the Nikon 85mm f/1.8G as well (field of view equivalent to a 127.5mm in a full frame camera).

For landscape photograph, consider this wide angle/fisheye lens too: Pro-Optic/Samyang/Rokinon/Bower 8mm f/3.5 with the confirmation chip

For all-in-one/super-zoom lenses, review these options here:
- Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
- Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM
- Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD
- Nikon 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

Have fun!

Thanks for the replies, I hope it's ok to ask a bit more...

With portrait lens etc, some are recommending 35mm and some 85mm.

I currently have a 50mm prime. What would going for a lens in either 35mm or 85mm equate to?

I'm still trying to understand what different lens options brings.

Thanks

 

[ruifo]

The 35mm will allow you to fit more thing into the frame, and to get closer to the person you are photographing (in case you do not have enough room/studio space available). You can be closer to the subject you're photographing. It can add some extra landscape as background scenario to your picture, giving you more flexibility.

The 85mm will require from you more space, as you will need to be far away from the subject you're photographing. It will allow you to concentrate the picture in the person, not in the landscape, that tend to be very limited. That's why the 85mm is important for portrait, but you will need room/space.

So it will depend on how much space you have, and how much of the landscape you want to use to compose your frame.

Comparing to your 50mm, the 35mm will allow you to be closer to the subject, than your 50mm. And the 85mm will require you to be more far way from the subject, than you 50mm.

Don't forget that the 50mm itself, is great for portraits as well.

Watch this video:


Read these posts too:
The Top 8 Reasons Why I'm a Big Believer in 35mm Lens Photography
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3483858#forum-post-51416233
http://www.adorama.com/alc/0011812/article/Top-Portrait-Lenses
Best portrait lenses: 8 tested | News | TechRadar

In the end, it will depend on you, your space, and your style.

 

[ekcroft]

The 35mm will allow you to fit more thing into the frame, and to get closer to the person you are photographing (in case you do not have enough room/studio space available). You can be closer to the subject you're photographing. It can add some extra landscape as background scenario to your picture, giving you more flexibility.

The 85mm will require from you more space, as you will need to be far away from the subject you're photographing. It will allow you to concentrate the picture in the person, not in the landscape, that tend to be very limited. That's why the 85mm is important for portrait, but you will need room/space.

So it will depend on how much space you have, and how much of the landscape you want to use to compose your frame.

Comparing to your 50mm, the 35mm will allow you to be closer to the subject, than your 50mm. And the 85mm will require you to be more far way from the subject, than you 50mm.

Don't forget that the 50mm itself, is great for portraits as well.

Watch this video:


Read these posts too:
The Top 8 Reasons Why I'm a Big Believer in 35mm Lens Photography
Do i need to buy 35mm prime lens for portrait?: Nikon SLR Lens Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review
5 Best Lenses for Portrait Photography from Adorama Learning Center
Best portrait lenses: 8 tested | News | TechRadar

In the end, it will depend on you, your space, and your style.

Great post, thank you for all that info. I really appreciate it. Off to read your links

 

[ruifo]

[h=1]5 Reasons You Need a 35mm Lens[/h][h=1][/h]

 

[ruifo]

[h=1]5 Reasons Why You Need a 50mm lens[/h][h=1][/h]

 

[ruifo]

[h=1]5 Reasons You Need An 85mm Lens[/h][h=1][/h]

 

[ruifo]

[h=1]Nikon Prime Lens Comparison - 35mm f/1.8 - 50mm f/1.8 - 85mmf/1.8[/h][h=1][/h]

 

[ruifo]

[h=1]Nikon 28mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm 1.8g comparison[/h]

 

[Braineack]

I currently have a 50mm prime. What would going for a lens in either 35mm or 85mm equate to?

That's a pretty good lens to use now for portraiture. I wouldn't get a 35mm as suggested to use for portrait work, maybe if you need the working space to get a full length shot, but if you're focusing on the face alone, you'll need to be so up-close to the subject that it will lead to unflattering distortion.

the 85mm is a GREAT lens, but on a crop-sensor you need a LOT of working space if you want to do anything but tight crops on the face.


So since you already have coverage from 18-55mm, what I do suggest is that you look into the 70-300VR as your extended zoom.

 

[o hey tyler]

I like the 85mm length for portraiture quite a bit. However I shoot on a full frame body. But even on a crop frame body you can get a similar level of background separation. The photos I posted in this thread were of the 85mm focal length. Not the only lens I used but I used it for the majority.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/professional-gallery/345061-few-traditional-family-shoot.html

 

[hirejn]

Congratulations on your D5200 purchase. That should serve you well. It's hard to explain the benefits of longer lenses for portraits without demonstration, but if you're serious about portraits, look into something like an 85 or 70-200. A 50 is great for wider environmental shots but nothing close-up to the figure. A 70-200 is a great all-purpose lens and you'll find most pros have one in the bag because it's perhaps the most versatile lens. I can't tell you what to get. I can only explain how I approach it. Please see my article here for help buying lenses.

 

[ronlane]

The 35mm will allow you to fit more thing into the frame, and to get closer to the person you are photographing (in case you do not have enough room/studio space available). You can be closer to the subject you're photographing. It can add some extra landscape as background scenario to your picture, giving you more flexibility.

The 85mm will require from you more space, as you will need to be far away from the subject you're photographing. It will allow you to concentrate the picture in the person, not in the landscape, that tend to be very limited. That's why the 85mm is important for portrait, but you will need room/space.

So it will depend on how much space you have, and how much of the landscape you want to use to compose your frame.

Comparing to your 50mm, the 35mm will allow you to be closer to the subject, than your 50mm. And the 85mm will require you to be more far way from the subject, than you 50mm.

Don't forget that the 50mm itself, is great for portraits as well.

Watch this video:


Read these posts too:
The Top 8 Reasons Why I'm a Big Believer in 35mm Lens Photography
Do i need to buy 35mm prime lens for portrait?: Nikon SLR Lens Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review
5 Best Lenses for Portrait Photography from Adorama Learning Center
Best portrait lenses: 8 tested | News | TechRadar

In the end, it will depend on you, your space, and your style.

Should we discredit him because it is thatnikonguy and he is shooting with canon gear and lenses?