Recommended lens

mrstravis · Apr 1, 2012

Hello everyone,
My sons birthday is coming up in May and I want a really good lens to take pics at his party. I currently have a Tamron 70-300mm, nikon 50mm 1.8, and the 18-55 kit lens. I want the photos to be as sharp as my 50mm but with a better depth of field . I'm using a Nikon d3100. Any suggestions for a good lens for no more than $400? Thank you for your help in advance.

KmH · Apr 1, 2012

Does 'better depth of field' mean a deeper, or a shallower depth of field than you get with your 50 mm f/1.8?

The photographer controls the DoF by choosing the lens focal length, focus point distance, lens aperture used, and focus point to background distance.

Unfortunately $400 likely won't be enough for a 'really good lens'.

For a situation as dynamic and fluid as a birthday party I would recommend getting a used Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4.0D IF AF Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras, but it won't auto focus on your D3100, becuase it's not an AF-S lens.

So next best would be a used Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 SP XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) with Built-In AF Motor for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras for about $400.

Do you have a hot shoe flash unit?

mrstravis · Apr 1, 2012

Thank you for the suggestions. I have a Nikon sb700.

Kerbouchard · Apr 1, 2012

mrstravis said:
Thank you for the suggestions. I have a Nikon sb700.

Personally, I would probably use the 18-55 and the SB700 that you have now. Work a bit at learning how to effectively bounce flash and the gear that you currently have should me more than adequate. Personally, I can't think of anything in your price range that would be a significant upgrade. Maybe a second SB700 off camera?

mrstravis · Apr 1, 2012

Thank you for the help kerbouchard. I think that I tend to overlook my 18-55 bc once I saw how sharp the nifty fifty was there was no turning back! Using the sb700 of camera. Does that require some special tools/cords to get it to work?

WhiskeyTango · Apr 1, 2012

mrstravis said:
Thank you for the help kerbouchard. I think that I tend to overlook my 18-55 bc once I saw how sharp the nifty fifty was there was no turning back! Using the sb700 of camera. Does that require some special tools/cords to get it to work?

Yeah, to use the SB-700 off camera with a D3100, you'll need some add'l hardware. You can pick up another flash that has "commander" functionality, such as a used SB-800 or SB-900, or a new SB-910. You can also get Nikon's dedicated commander, the SU-800. Another option is radio triggers, like PocketWizards. If you don't mind being wired, you can also go with a pc-cord. The SB-700 doesn't have a pc-cord socket, though, so you'll need to also get a hotshoe to pc-cord adapter.

Personally, if the area you are shooting in has light colored ceilings and/or walls, I'd stick to learning/playing with bounce flash.

Check out:
http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/4-bouncing-flash/

Credit to Schwettylens who posted that link in the thread I pulled it from

Kerbouchard · Apr 1, 2012

Well, your 18-55 stopped down to around f/8 or so should be just as sharp as your 50mm 1.8. So, to shoot at f/8 indoors, you have to use flash. What I was suggesting was using your current SB700 on your hot shoe, bouncing it off the ceiling/wall, and perhaps using a second SB700 that can be controlled from your current SB700 to illuminate the background or use it however you see fit.

For instance, when I do Christmas Photos with my family, I'll generally take an SB600 and put it on a shelf that will be out of the shots and bounce it off the celing. Then I will use my SB800 to trigger that flash and also to bounce the on camera flash where I want it to go knowing that my background will be illuminated properly. You don't need to pick up a second flash, but if you are itching to spend money and $400 is your budget, it would open up a lot of new possibilities. I think with your budget you could pick up a light stand and umbrella as well. Perhaps not exactly useful for this shoot, but may come in handy later.

Kerbouchard · Apr 1, 2012

WhiskeyTango said:
mrstravis said:

Thank you for the help kerbouchard. I think that I tend to overlook my 18-55 bc once I saw how sharp the nifty fifty was there was no turning back! Using the sb700 of camera. Does that require some special tools/cords to get it to work?

Click to expand...

Yeah, to use the SB-700 off camera with a D3100, you'll need some add'l hardware. You can pick up another flash that has "commander" functionality, such as a used SB-800 or SB-900, or a new SB-910. You can also get Nikon's dedicated commander, the SU-800. Another option is radio triggers, like PocketWizards. If you don't mind being wired, you can also go with a pc-cord. The SB-700 doesn't have a pc-cord socket, though, so you'll need to also get a hotshoe to pc-cord adapter.

Personally, if the area you are shooting in has light colored ceilings and/or walls, I'd stick to learning/playing with bounce flash.

Check out:
http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/4-bouncing-flash/

Credit to Schwettylens who posted that link in the thread I pulled it from

I thought the SB700 had a commander mode? Also, I second that link. I've been linking to it for years. It is a great resource.

brush · Apr 1, 2012

Have you considered renting a lens? I don't know what they have in VA but one of the shops here in Atlanta will rent you pretty much any lens on the planet for $30 a weekend or less. I get Canon L glass from there whenever I have a big event to shoot. I'm worthless on Nikon stuff because I know nothing about it, but if you had a canon I'd say to rent a 24-70 F/2.8L and a 70-200 F4L.

mrstravis · Apr 2, 2012

Kerbouchard said:
Well, your 18-55 stopped down to around f/8 or so should be just as sharp as your 50mm 1.8. So, to shoot at f/8 indoors, you have to use flash. What I was suggesting was using your current SB700 on your hot shoe, bouncing it off the ceiling/wall, and perhaps using a second SB700 that can be controlled from your current SB700 to illuminate the background or use it however you see fit.

For instance, when I do Christmas Photos with my family, I'll generally take an SB600 and put it on a shelf that will be out of the shots and bounce it off the celing. Then I will use my SB800 to trigger that flash and also to bounce the on camera flash where I want it to go knowing that my background will be illuminated properly. You don't need to pick up a second flash, but if you are itching to spend money and $400 is your budget, it would open up a lot of new possibilities. I think with your budget you could pick up a light stand and umbrella as well. Perhaps not exactly useful for this shoot, but may come in handy later.

Ok thanks. I will play around with the kit lens and see how it goes. I think I would prefer a light stand and umbrella over another flash. I would imagine the l stand Willie easier to position and maneuver.

Mach0 · Apr 2, 2012

brush said:
Have you considered renting a lens? I don't know what they have in VA but one of the shops here in Atlanta will rent you pretty much any lens on the planet for $30 a weekend or less. I get Canon L glass from there whenever I have a big event to shoot. I'm worthless on Nikon stuff because I know nothing about it, but if you had a canon I'd say to rent a 24-70 F/2.8L and a 70-200 F4L.

My local store puts a hold as much as the camera or lens is worth. People better clear up their credit cards hahahaaaa. I've never rented anything so I wouldn't know how it works but I can see some backing off for that reason.

mrstravis · Apr 2, 2012

WhiskeyTango said:
Yeah, to use the SB-700 off camera with a D3100, you'll need some add'l hardware. You can pick up another flash that has "commander" functionality, such as a used SB-800 or SB-900, or a new SB-910. You can also get Nikon's dedicated commander, the SU-800. Another option is radio triggers, like PocketWizards. If you don't mind being wired, you can also go with a pc-cord. The SB-700 doesn't have a pc-cord socket, though, so you'll need to also get a hotshoe to pc-cord adapter.

Personally, if the area you are shooting in has light colored ceilings and/or walls, I'd stick to learning/playing with bounce flash.

Check out:
http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/4-bouncing-flash/

Credit to Schwettylens who posted that link in the thread I pulled it from

Thanks for the link! If it doesn't rain the party will be outside so bouncing off walls and ceilings may not be an option. However I could have someone with me holding a white piece of cardboard.

mrstravis · Apr 2, 2012

brush said:
Have you considered renting a lens? I don't know what they have in VA but one of the shops here in Atlanta will rent you pretty much any lens on the planet for $30 a weekend or less. I get Canon L glass from there whenever I have a big event to shoot. I'm worthless on Nikon stuff because I know nothing about it, but if you had a canon I'd say to rent a 24-70 F/2.8L and a 70-200 F4L.

I haven't looked into renting bc I can't even find a camera shop in my area. I have to rely on Best Buy and the internet for any gear I look at. I would imagine you can find just about anything in Atlanta. I envy you, lol. Thanks for your help, and switch to Nikon for Pete's sake! jk

mrstravis · Apr 2, 2012

Mach0 said:
My local store puts a hold as much as the camera or lens is worth. People better clear up their credit cards hahahaaaa. I've never rented anything so I wouldn't know how it works but I can see some backing off for that reason.

I'd be open to it but if they are going to hold as much as the product is worth then i may as well just buy it! Wow, oh well.