New Lens Question...

[TXspeed6]

Ok, so I know this might be a little out of place because there aren't really many posts like this. But I figured this would be the best place to ask becuase some of you wem to be very experienced cameras and camera equiptment...

Anyway, I am looking to buy a really nice lens that will really enhance the quality and sharpeness of my photos. I have a Nikon D50, and and I normally do medium/close range product photography as vehicle photography on the side..

Does anyone have any suggestions.
Thanks.
Ross

 

[TheMAN]

as I said in the other thread to another guy... it's not worth investing any money on it... while nikon lenses are always interchangeable, it's not worth the money for *this* camera IMO because you *need* to have an AF-S lens (built in focus servos)... a higher end model such as the D80 or D90 will have a built in focus drive that allows for much more affordable lenses, which means you can have something nicer without paying for the cost of a built in motor

something that's pretty affordable though is a sigma 50mm f1.4 lens which is probably good for what you want to do... you will need a "DX format" compatible lens as anything below a D700 uses a 1.5x factor sensor

if I were you, I'd upgrade to something better that allows for more affordable lenses if you want to start playing with lenses... to me and many people out there, it's pretty absurd owning an expensive lens used on a cheap body

 

[tsunami7]

Or you could buy the new Nikon 35mm 1.8. Fast and sharp and DX format for your camera. Also has the built in focus motor. If you want a zoom the 18-200mm is stellar. No need to upgrade the body.

 

[TheMAN]

but too bad the "affordable" 18-200 only has f3.5

 

[judman13]

but too bad the "affordable" 18-200 only has f3.5

If it was 2.8 that would be stellar, But the VR makes it alot nicer too

I continually lust over a 70-200 2.8 VR Nikkor lens!! and the 24-70 2.8 VR.

Those lenses would make the perfect close to mid range combo!!

To bad getting them would cost about 4 grand.

 

[gr?]

Tamron 17-50 f/2.8

/thread

 

[tsunami7]

but too bad the "affordable" 18-200 only has f3.5

So? If you know what you're doing with your camera that's not a problem.

 

[TheMAN]

you have a point, but obviously there's still limitations/less flexibility

 

[gr?]

So? If you know what you're doing with your camera that's not a problem.

f/5.6 at 200mm

less blur of the oof area, less light, etc etc

even the skilled photographers will be limited with lighting conditions at 200mm. Put on a circular polarizer and you'll lost two more stops of light.

 

[TheMAN]

lets not forget a great vignetting possibility at that aperture step

 

[judman13]

f/5.6 at 200mm

less blur of the oof area, less light, etc etc

even the skilled photographers will be limited with lighting conditions at 200mm.

Completely agreed. Have you ever had to shoot college level basketball where you are not allowed to use a normal flash unit??
Shooting at f/5.6 even with 1000 ISO often gives very blurry and noisy images, completely lacking in sharpness.

f/2.8 gives so much more light its crazy.

 

[gr?]

lets not forget a great vignetting possibility at that aperture step

Vignetting shouldn't be much of an issue. Most of it can be removed in Lightroom or CS4, though most people are adding vignetting to their photos.

 

[TheMAN]

vignetting sucks
there's only a few cases that I probably would want to *add* that in

the 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 lens that comes with the D40, D60 (D60's has VR), and D80 kits had vignetting issues... I witnessed this first hand, thats why I ditched it in favor of the 18-135 that comes with the D90... but little did I know in a matter of 2 weeks I was running into limitations of the D60 quickly, so I traded in for a D90 while I had a chance without losing big time

yeah I should've just bought a D90 kit right from the start, but such is life

 

[gr?]

Vignetting on the crop bodies aren't that bad. Even with a slim CPL, I get bad vignetting at 16mm with the 16-35 2.8L on my FF bodies.

 

[TXspeed6]

Thanks everyone...I'll do some research on some of the lenses mentioned here, but I will also see if I can sell my D50 for an upgrade. The D90 or something else that is less expensive perhaps?

 

[gr?]

The D50 is fine for a beginner. It'll teach you the basics. Investing in good glass > new body

 

[TheMAN]

you're right, and if you put effort into learning how to take pics, it won't take you long to hit the wall like I did... thats why I upgraded the body and now I truely have great flexibility and LOTS to learn

 

[judman13]

The D50 is fine for a beginner. It'll teach you the basics. Investing in good glass > new body

Agreed, But then again like TheMan said there is a point where you will get good enough that your current body will leave you wanting more.

The D80 is still a great body for advanced learners, but if i had the money I would upgrade to the D90 or even the D300 if I really had the cash.

So for now I would say a if you can get some GOOD fast lenses (constant 2.8 zooms or >2 prime). Or you can go with a decent zoom like a 18-200 VR f/3.5-5.6.

 

[TheMAN]

what's also great about nikon is, no matter what lens you gotten within the past decade, it will go right into your newer one with zero issues... you can get ones as old as 30 years old to work, but you lose a bunch of different functionalities and a lot of it becomes manual

a D80 will be a nice second hand upgrade if you don't have much money... even new old stock is pretty cheap now since it's not made anymore... the D80 only have a couple of features inferior over the D90, but overall it's still a great camera to learn from... what's more is, a lot of accessories such as the battery and battery grip will interchange with the D90!

bottom line is, you still need a camera that can better/fully utilize a lens that you will use

 

[judman13]

^^
Troof!! I have a 50mm f/1.8 that is over 30 years old (75mm APC equivalent) Its manual focus and its kinda sticky, but still produces clean crisp images when my 18-135 f/3.5-5.6 kit lens just doesn't have enough light.

Great Info about Nikon lens compatibility.