urbanography, city scape?

[through my eyes]

I'm purchasing a Nikon d5300 today. My first camera. I'm going in with little to no knowledge other than what I wanna photograph. I live in Chicago I primarily will photograph the skyline and buildings. I also will fill random city shots. What type of lens should I use ? Without spending 400.00? It comes with the kit lens.

 

[snowbear116 47]

Use the kit lens until you feel it no longer does what you need.

 

[Derrel]

There are a lot of Nikon lenses that will FIT ON, and stop down to shooting aperture, and actually shoot photos on the D5300. But in order to have autofocus, your camera needs the AF-S or AF-S G model lenses, which are petty much the newer and newest lenses Nikon has made. Older, manual-focus Nikon lenses will mount and shoot, but you will have absolutely NO light metering, and no automatic flash metering, which is kind of a PITA, but those older lenses CAN be used, and there are a lot of oldies available through pawn shops, used camera outlets like KEH.com, and so on.

Using a manual focus lens on a D5300 would be a lot less convenient than a fully automated, AF-S G-series lens like the 35mm f/1.8 G-series "DX" model, which is under $200 brand new. THAT is a popular lens on the small Nikons, as a 50mm equivalent-type lens. The 50mm f/1.8 AF-S G is another good, under $200 lens that would be useful. Both these are light, small, and sharp. The 50mm has better optics--less color fringing than the 35/1.8 G DX. The 35mm G is the DX model; there is a brand-new 35mm f/18 AF-S G model that is **not**DX,but it costs more money.

The kit 18-55mm lens will get you started. It's an alright lens in decent light, or with flash.

 

[beachrat]

I'm with snowbear.
Derrel's right too,but you gotta start somewhere.

 

[wfooshee]

The thing you will eventually find with the kit lens is that it may not be fast enough, meaning its aperture is too small, allowing too little light into the camera for low-light (night-time or dusk or indoor) photography. That's why the 35mm f:1.8 is so attractive, it's inexpensive, and fast.

It may not have a wide enough field of view, though, but then you get into the money issue. Making a fast wide-angle, or a fast zoom, is expensive.

For daylight photography the lit lens will suit you just fine.

 

[dennybeall]

Sometimes a seller will offer a reasonably priced upgrade to the 18-140 lens up from the 18-130 lens.
It's not top of the line but is a small step up that's not too expensive.
Since the D5300 is a crop-sensor camera, that 18-140 lens gives you the equivalent of 27mm to 210mm if you're experienced with a 35mm camera.

 

[through my eyes]

There are a lot of Nikon lenses that will FIT ON, and stop down to shooting aperture, and actually shoot photos on the D5300. But in order to have autofocus, your camera needs the AF-S or AF-S G model lenses, which are petty much the newer and newest lenses Nikon has made. Older, manual-focus Nikon lenses will mount and shoot, but you will have absolutely NO light metering, and no automatic flash metering, which is kind of a PITA, but those older lenses CAN be used, and there are a lot of oldies available through pawn shops, used camera outlets like KEH.com, and so on.

Using a manual focus lens on a D5300 would be a lot less convenient than a fully automated, AF-S G-series lens like the 35mm f/1.8 G-series "DX" model, which is under $200 brand new. THAT is a popular lens on the small Nikons, as a 50mm equivalent-type lens. The 50mm f/1.8 AF-S G is another good, under $200 lens that would be useful. Both these are light, small, and sharp. The 50mm has better optics--less color fringing than the 35/1.8 G DX. The 35mm G is the DX model; there is a brand-new 35mm f/18 AF-S G model that is **not**DX,but it costs more money.

The kit 18-55mm lens will get you started. It's an alright lens in decent light, or with flash.

There are a lot of Nikon lenses that will FIT ON, and stop down to shooting aperture, and actually shoot photos on the D5300. But in order to have autofocus, your camera needs the AF-S or AF-S G model lenses, which are petty much the newer and newest lenses Nikon has made. Older, manual-focus Nikon lenses will mount and shoot, but you will have absolutely NO light metering, and no automatic flash metering, which is kind of a PITA, but those older lenses CAN be used, and there are a lot of oldies available through pawn shops, used camera outlets like KEH.com, and so on.

Using a manual focus lens on a D5300 would be a lot less convenient than a fully automated, AF-S G-series lens like the 35mm f/1.8 G-series "DX" model, which is under $200 brand new. THAT is a popular lens on the small Nikons, as a 50mm equivalent-type lens. The 50mm f/1.8 AF-S G is another good, under $200 lens that would be useful. Both these are light, small, and sharp. The 50mm has better optics--less color fringing than the 35/1.8 G DX. The 35mm G is the DX model; there is a brand-new 35mm f/18 AF-S G model that is **not**DX,but it costs more money.

The kit 18-55mm lens will get you started. It's an alright lens in decent light, or with flash.

Do you think that a wide angle lens is the most compatible or versatile lens when it comes to shooting the Chicago sky line and city or urban scrapes?

 

[through my eyes]

The thing you will eventually find with the kit lens is that it may not be fast enough, meaning its aperture is too small, allowing too little light into the camera for low-light (night-time or dusk or indoor) photography. That's why the 35mm f:1.8 is so attractive, it's inexpensive, and fast.

It may not have a wide enough field of view, though, but then you get into the money issue. Making a fast wide-angle, or a fast zoom, is expensive.

For daylight photography the lit lens will suit you just fine.

It's that a fixed lens your referring to? The 35 mm? If you were going to buy one lens for the city sky line at dusk what once lens should you purchase? Under 400.00?

 

[through my eyes]

Sometimes a seller will offer a reasonably priced upgrade to the 18-140 lens up from the 18-130 lens.
It's not top of the line but is a small step up that's not too expensive.
Since the D5300 is a crop-sensor camera, that 18-140 lens gives you the equivalent of 27mm to 210mm if you're experienced with a 35mm camera.

Not experienced at all. That's why I'm asking questions so I don't waste money on lenses. I'm literally only going took be using my camera for the skyline and some random urban pics

 

[Designer]

It's that a fixed lens your referring to? The 35 mm? If you were going to buy one lens for the city sky line at dusk what once lens should you purchase? Under 400.00?

Yes. Fixed at 35mm focal length. I think it is a good all-round focal length for urban photography.

If you want to blow the whole $400, get BOTH the 35mm AND the 50mm 1.8 AF-S G Not that you'll feel the need to switch lenses, but the 50 is sweet for a short telephoto on your camera.

 

[Derrel]

Well, the kit zoom lens, 18-55mm, or the 18-55mm VR lens, either one, will allow you to get started and have wide, normal, and a very short (55mm) telephoto in one, affordable lens. I'm not a huge fan of wide-angle lenses for skylines, because for the most part, a wide-angle lens makes whatever is over 20 feet away look small, and insignificant. A wide-angle works a lot like a telescope in reverse; it makes the distance stuff look verrrrrrry small, and it makes what is close-up look verrrry big. I would stick with the 18-55 kit zoom lens to start.

 

[wfooshee]

The thing you will eventually find with the kit lens is that it may not be fast enough, meaning its aperture is too small, allowing too little light into the camera for low-light (night-time or dusk or indoor) photography. That's why the 35mm f:1.8 is so attractive, it's inexpensive, and fast.

It may not have a wide enough field of view, though, but then you get into the money issue. Making a fast wide-angle, or a fast zoom, is expensive.

For daylight photography the lit lens will suit you just fine.

It's that a fixed lens your referring to? The 35 mm? If you were going to buy one lens for the city sky line at dusk what once lens should you purchase? Under 400.00?

Yeah, the 35mm f:1.8 is a fixed length lens. On the D5300 it's not a wide angle lens, though, so you might do better getting the shots you want if you stay with the kit lens so you can zoom back a little ways. The 35 lens has the advantage of a large aperture, so low-light shooting will be easier, but its field of view is not very wide. You find yourself wishing you could fir more "stuff" into the frame.

It's all compromises. Fast but fixed focal length. Wide angle but slow. Or wide and fast but expensive!