Nikon d3100 + sigma 17-70 & nikon 50 1.8

KreGg

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So hey guys, this is gonna be my first DSLR purchase ever, as i ve been a point & shoot user so far.
So, after lots of thinking, I am (almost) decided in buying the Nikon d3100 (body only) + sigma 17-70 2.8-4 and a prime lens, nikon 50mm 1.8.

I dont have a great amount of money to spend, and would like to stay around 1000 dollars.

My main priority will be shooting sports action (baseball mostly) and travel photos with people and landmarks.
And also some portrait pictures of my people here.

So, my questions are...
I'm gonna use the nikon 50mm, 1.8 mainly for portraits and low light situations. And use the sigma 17-70mm 2.8-4 as a walkabout lens... but the thing is, since i am really into amateur level baseball, i wanna shoot some pictures of the players etc. Since its amateur level, I can get quite close to the field.
So I think with the 17-70 I will be able to get pretty close to the action, so I dont need bigger zoom. But will I be able to blur the background, getting some bokeh with this lens, considering it does not stay 2.8 through out the focal length?

Thanks.
 
I'm sure others will comment on your question about circle of confusion/bokeh - it's not dependent on the aperture alone. I'm not technically savvy enough to explain the details to you, however. I will tell you that you're probably going to quickly realize that 70mm is not enough on the long end for sports even if you can get close to the field. If you're not shooting primarily at night I would think you might do well to look at the Nikon 70-300 VR it has a smaller max aperture but will give you more flexibility in focal length and is in a similar price range. Just a suggestion - others might have different/better opinions or ideas.
 
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It is only 1 stop from f/2.8 to f/4, so there would be little change in the DoF (not CoC, bokeh) if lens aperture is the only DoF variable that changes.

To shoot baseball from inside the fence, I used an 80-200mm zoom for the infield shots, and a 150-500 mm, or 200 - 400 mm zoom for the outfields shots.
 
My friend bought a 50mm nikon lens for her d90 and it didn't have a motor(they also sell one that does) so keep an eye on this or you wont have autufocus on a d3100.
 
My friend bought a 50mm nikon lens for her d90 and it didn't have a motor(they also sell one that does) so keep an eye on this or you wont have autufocus on a d3100.

Yep, you want the 50mm 1.8 G AF-S. Or I would want the Sigma 50 1.4. I just sold my 50mm 1.8, great lens, it really is but the bokeh is just incredibly BAD and distracting. It showed in pretty much every image too. I think the new G is slightly better, but not enough for my liking. The bokeh of the 50mm 1.8 AF-D ruined some of my portraits, which is why the Sigma was the better choice for me.
 
Yeah, I am aware of the autofocus thing. Thanks.

Hmm I should probably take a bigger telephoto lens indeed, but the problem is that I cant really right now.
I was taking a look at various pics taken with a Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 constant lens and they look quite good. I think that would actually satisfy my need for my walkabout lens. Indeed i would not have the super wide lens, but i dont think i really shoot completely wide.

So i am now inclined on buying the nikon d3100 + tamron 28-75 2.8 constant + 50mm 1.8 nikon prime lens.
That would put me around 1000-1100 dollars. What you guys think?
 
Ok folks. I just clicked on the buy button for the nikon d3100 + tamron 28-75 2.8 constant + nikon 50mm 1.8 prime.
I hope its good and it fits to me and gets me started in this dslr world.
 
17-70 or 28-75 are fine for landscape but not right lens for sports. It seems you are looking for a zoom lens that will work for multiple purposes, maybe 18-200mm lens is right for you. Here you are a reference of Nikon zoom lenses.
 

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