new lens

photo girl · Sep 7, 2004

I want to get a new lens for my D100, can anyone give me a heads up on the best lens that will give me sharp pictures. What kind of glass should I be looking for?

Digital Matt · Sep 7, 2004

You should let us know what focal length you are looking for.

Harpper · Sep 8, 2004

I agree with Matt. It's a lot easier if we knew what zoom range you are looking for and what type of photography you are into. Some lenses are better suited for different types of photography. Since you already have a 28-200 then I say a 50mm 1.8 would be a good compliment.

I don't know which 28-200 version/company you have but my 50mm Nikon lens is definitely sharper than my 28-200. That maybe one of the reasons why your pictures aren't as sharp as you would like.

Since your complaint about sharpness awhile back, I've looked at some D100 pictures from dpreview and other galleries. The pictures look sharp to me. You can check out the gallery at dpreview here. (the first picture has motion blur but look at the others) There are several reasons for unsharp images so your problem may not be completely the camera.

photo girl · Sep 8, 2004

I will be shooting portraits. I like a zoom lens because it gives me a little more flexability. I have also heard about getting a lens that has a stabelizer on it. Will this help?

Digital Matt · Sep 8, 2004

If you are shooting portraits you are most likely (or should be) using a tripod. You don't need image stabalization. You should really look into a prime lens. 85mm or 100mm, or 135mm. Something like that. A 50mm actually makes a decent portrait lens also because of the crop factor.

Primes will give you the sharpest pictures.

ksmattfish · Sep 8, 2004

Any modern lens will be very sharp, even the cheapies.

It looks like you already have a 28-200 zoom. I'd recommend a fast (f/2 or faster) fixed focal length lens for general low light use. I'd say 50mm for 35mm film, something else might be better for digital with the mag factor.

Edit: just reread you latest post, the 50mm might work well as a portrait lens on a digital camera.

green · Sep 8, 2004

I would definitely go with a 50mm... they have so little distortion. use a wide angle and people don't like you so much when they get their pictures back. and if you get something with an f1.4 or 1.8, you can have a lot of fun with low depth of fields... this is especially helpful if you don't have an ideal background.