Which Lens

[CelticMiscreant]

Hey

I am new here and a complete newbie to the world of photography. My Girlfriend is an artsy sort and loves photography. She was constantly crawling in and out of bushes or climbing trees/walls when we would be on walks to get shots with her Canon G9. So for Christmas 2008 I did a lot of research and decided to buy her a Nikon D300 with the Nikkor 18-200 VR lens. It cost me a fortune but it was worth it to make her happy. We were living in Japan and there was so much to take photos of and she took 1000s of photos with it.

She is not technical and hasn't completely come to terms with all the functions of the camera but recently has taken back up her interest. This time I am taking an interest too and have every intention of learning how to take photos effectively.

This leads me to my first question. Besides Practise where would you recommend learning the basics of DSLR photography. I can learn from her but are there any Books or on-line guides for beginners to learn from that you think are especially good.

The Second Question and the main Topic of my Post is this. Recently her brother has had his first baby. She wants to take lots of photos of it over the next few months and finds (and has always found) that in low light situations that she doesn't get great shots. Is there a lens you would recommend for taking pictures of babies? She has always wanted to get a Macro Lens but lenses are expensive! Is there a Macro Lens which would be good for taking pictures of her Nephew. Good for these indoor, low light situations and also good for close ups of things such as flowers, Our Border Collie, Tree Bark, Bugs.... you know... Macro stuff.

My main issue is cost. We don't have much money at the moment. We are 26 now and setting up a business. MONEY IS TIGHT! What I'm looking for is bang for my buck.

Any and all advise is welcome. I want to learn!!

 

[3bayjunkie]

The Digital Photography Book, by Scott Kelby is a great book for amateurs and anyone wanting to learn more about photography. you can find it on amazon. here is scotts website Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider Blog » Photoshop & Digital Photography Techniques, Tutorials, Books, Reviews & More

It is written in plain English, easy to understand and he also recommends many other books in his book that you can also check out!

Have fun =)

 

[CelticMiscreant]

Thank you very much for the quick response . Ill check it out!!

 

[Alter_Ego]

Well coming to this forum is a great start besides books you can always post work up here for C&C which will always teach you something new.

 

[CelticMiscreant]

Hey

Thanks for the encouragement. I know I will make leaps and bounds.

So does anyone have any advise for my lense needs?

 

[sobolik]

Many photos can be surprising rescued/corrected with software. I recommend that you get Photoshop elements 5.0 and learn that end of photography. It is necessary anyway for DSLR's. I have seen it on eBay for ten dollars with free shipping. I would consider Photoshop "another lens" and I would wait if I were you on buying a lens. Work with PS elements instead. You can lighten simulating a faster lens. You can crop simulating a macro lens etc etc.

 

[CelticMiscreant]

Hey.

Good thinking. This is the side of things I could see myself being good at. Thanks.

Ok with that in mind does anyone have any thoughts on what the best bang for your buck Macro lens for the D300 is? What about a fast, indoor, low light lense? Any reccommendations for the future? Is there any point on getting something like the 50mm f1.8 when I already have the 18-200 Nikkor?

 

[xjoewhitex]

Many photos can be surprising rescued/corrected with software. I recommend that you get Photoshop elements 5.0 and learn that end of photography. It is necessary anyway for DSLR's. I have seen it on eBay for ten dollars with free shipping. I would consider Photoshop "another lens" and I would wait if I were you on buying a lens. Work with PS elements instead. You can lighten simulating a faster lens. You can crop simulating a macro lens etc etc.

Honestly I disagree with this statement, I don't believe that Photoshop is any end to photography. If this is something you need to use, you probably don't know how to use your camera correctly. But thats another discussion.

As for low light lens' for cheap, you have two options which are both great. Either a 50/35mm Prime lens. More leaning towards the 35mm which is what I use more often then not. Your able to open your apeture up to F1.8 which helps alot in low light, and you can focus about a foot away from your subject if needed. Its a super sharp lens, and fast focusing. Should be around $200 bucks.. only downfall, you lose your zoom.

 

[lyonsroar]

Honestly I disagree with this statement, I don't believe that Photoshop is any end to photography. If this is something you need to use, you probably don't know how to use your camera correctly. But thats another discussion.

Honestly, I disagree with your statement.

Photoshop is just another tool to improve your pictures. It has its place.

**BUT** (and it's a big but...:lmao

Even Photoshop cannot make a fantastic picture out of nothing.

 

[CelticMiscreant]

Yeh

Im a Noob biut I know of this argument and was trying to avoid it. haha.

Im interested in doing what I can with the camera itself and I know that is her focus/opinion on the topic. But whatever it really doesnt matter.

What do people think of the Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8D? This would be a good cheap lense for those low light situations right? Does anyone have any reccommendations for bang for your buck when it comes to Macro lenses?

 

[Photogger]

This is just my opinion but here goes...
Learn your camera,inside and out, read your manuals and then read them again.
Practice, practice, practice, it's digital so no reason not to as you can delete what you mess up on.
Software has it's place for sure but learn everything you can learn THEN go to software.
It'll be icing on the cake!!

 

[John Mc]

Is there any point on getting something like the 50mm f1.8 when I already have the 18-200 Nikkor?

The aperture,which is the size of the hole your shooting through is wider thus letting more light in,it also gives a really shallow depth of field which is good for portraits.i use mine most of the time for this reason

Macro lenses are different,to get a decent one,you need to pay money,theres no way about it. You can buy extension tubes and use the 50mm lens to shoot close up and then stack the images in a photoshop program,but its nothing like the real thing. macro's can cost upwards of £600.and i couldnt offer an example as im not a Nikon user.

About learning,i'd suggest taking a few workshops at local college's/comunity centre's. maybe sign both of you's up and do it together,would be fun and you might find something interesting about photography

 

[nce]

Understanding Exposure By Bryan Peterson is a good read. It helped me to understand a lot more than I did prior to reading it. I also find that looking at pictures is a good thing to do. I know it sounds strange but I really think that we can get so caught up in snapping a ton of pictures when starting out that we often forget to take the time to really look at pictures of our own and by others. I hope that makes sense.:blushing:

 

[CelticMiscreant]

Yeh

I have been reading up consistently even since starting this thread. I understand Aperture now pretty well and can see what the 50mm I mentioned would be good for. Seems like a bargain at the price Ive seen it at.

I'm surprised there are no recommendations for Macro lenses. I had hoped there might be something decent below the 300 euro mark.

 

[KmH]

You might pick up a few nuggets from my blog- How Do I Use My Digital SLR?