What lens is great for indoors

[apvm]

I only have the kit 18-55 but looking for a better lens to do indoors, school gym and classrooms etc.

 

[ceejtank]

All lenses will work indoors given the proper amount of aperate/speed/iso.

What are you shooting in indoor locations?

 

[Mike_E]

Speedlights/monolights work pretty well too.

So do tripods.

A little more info would be helpful.

 

[Light Guru]

I only have the kit 18-55 but looking for a better lens to do indoors, school gym and classrooms etc.

School gym and classrooms are to VARY different indoor environments, and depending on what you are shooting you may need different lenses for each.

 

[apvm]

I am a volunteer worker at a Saturday school. They want me to capture activities of students while in classrooms, workshop or the Gym, tripod and flash is out of the question because they prefer nature result. But I do need to take class photos as well. These pictures are for their black and white yearbook. They tried with a compact camera last year but the results were not very good. Although I told them I am a newbie but since I am the only one with a DSLR (D3100) they asked me to help them.

I only have the kit lens 18-55 but I don't mind buying another lens just to help them, that is if it is not too expensive.

In any case, I need some help on how to take these pictures that will look good when they are printed in black and white.

Thanks in advance. Please bear with me since I am a newbie.

 

[greybeard]

I would recommend a Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8. ($200) This lens is a fixed focal length so you will have to zoom with your feet. It will however, work in much lower light than the 18-55 kit lens. This translates to faster shutter speeds and a shallower depth of field. You will be able to hand hold in much lower light. I'm a band director and it is my go to lens for indoor shots at school.

Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX

 

[apvm]

Thank you so much, this is exactly the result I am looking for and that lens is within my budget too. Any tips on the techniques?

 

[greybeard]

Take some pictures and post them. Members will be more than happy to give you some tips.

 

[apvm]

Thanks, I'll do that.

 

[skieur]

I only have the kit 18-55 but looking for a better lens to do indoors, school gym and classrooms etc.

I have shot in all of the above. A 2.8 wide angle 28mm prime works great for close up, isolating an individual student, or on the floor with kindergarten kids. It has the benefit of increasing apparent depth of field in low light. A 50mm 1.8 on a crop body camera is best in really low light in a gym for example. It helps if you position yourself in a classroom with the windows at your back or in the gym close to the basket and having the action come toward you.