need help finding lens!

nrois02 · Aug 21, 2009

ok so i have a nikon d80 and i have a 18-70mm lens, 70-300mm lens, 60mm macro, and a promaster 11-18 wide angle but im starting to get interested in the photojournalism side of photography and was wondering if anyone could help me pick out a lens in this area? also i shoot mainly at night with long exsposures.

also i was checking out the af dc nikkor 135mm f/2d
AF DC-NIKKOR 135mm f/2D from Nikon

anyone have any input on this lens. i liked it because the defocus aspect of it.

and the af vr zoom nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5 - 5.6 ed
AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED from Nikon

anyone had use with this one?

thanks for any of the help anyone can provide for me. i know most of you will have questions so shoot and i will respond the best i can. thanks again!

also forgot to mention im looking for a lens that produces sharper images and a lens that is good in low light situations!

dhilberg · Aug 21, 2009

Photojournalists typically shoot with a fast wide angle zoom, like the Nikon 17-35 f/2.8, and a fast telephoto zoom, like the Nikon 70-200 f/2.8. Many times these are mounted on separate bodies. These will give you excellent low light performance and sharp results straight out of the camera.

What you have is adequate as far as focal length is concerned (18-70 and 70-300), but you'll find your lenses are not fast enough for low light photography because of their smaller maximum aperture. They are fine for outdoor daylight shots.

Instead of the 80-400, I'd spend the extra couple hundred and get the 70-200 f/2.8.

I've read the 135mm f/2 DC is one of the best lenses out there for portraits.

nrois02 · Aug 21, 2009

yeah i was reading that they were shooting with the wide angle zoom. why is that?
and is there any other lens that are lesser cost? but still produce the same quality? or a lens great for night time photography?

dhilberg · Aug 21, 2009

Why do they shoot with a wide angle? Why do you shoot with one?

A good sharp wide angle zoom for your D80 would be the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 HSM Macro. I have one and it's excellent, supposedly sharper than the Nikon 17-55 f/2.8, at about 1/3 the cost. If cost is a concern, you can also try third-parties for your telephoto end, although I have no experience with them.

If you're shooting long exposures at night, then what you should really be looking for is a good sturdy tripod. Even fast lenses won't help you there.

nrois02 · Aug 21, 2009

haha true. and i do have a good tripod. that was one of the first things i got.
the sigma 18-50 is the one. i think im going to give it a try good reviews and good night time use. thanks for the help! and what do you mean i can try third parties for the telephoto lens? like craigslist type thing?

KmH · Aug 21, 2009

Sigma, Tamron, Tokina etc are 3rd party lens makers.

anldyxp_gd3 · Aug 21, 2009

I've got the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8. Its an awesome lens. Give it a try. I plan to replace my nikon 55-200 VR with the Sigma 70-200 F2.8 soon. As for "cheaper", the only way out of that is 3rd party lenses as mentioned above. You still have to pay a premium for the F2.8 aperture.

Also, from what I've "heard". Photojournalists shoot with high megapixel canons and usually only have 1 lens attached. Than they just shoot and crop what they need.

I'm also a photocomm major, so photojournalism was one of my options. But i've decided to go with advertising/product photography =]