What Lenses would suit???

[coleman18]

Hi,

Im am a student from New Zealand and looking to get into photography as a hobby on the side. Im looking for an SLR and after looking around, think the D5000 would suit me. Just wanted to see if anyone knows what lenses I should get if I were to take photos of the following activies sports (snowboarding ect), landscape, and people (as im new to this whole concept). What lenses would suit? I was also thinking about doing a bit of photography on the side for cash (maybe weddings ect)…what lenses and other equipment would I need to do so.

Thanks a lot for your time, its very much appreciated.

[Franglais]

These are the focal lengths that I would use for the subjects you mention:

- Sports (snowboarding etc.) = anything from an 18mm (get really close to the subject going past) to a 200mm (telephoto view from a safe distance)

- Landscape = 18mm to get in a broad panorama to 200mm to pick out details

- People = from 28mm (normal view) to 105mm (head-and-shoulders portrait)

- Weddings = 28mm to 70mm is usually enough for me

If you want to do it all in one lens then the 18-200 VR is the obvious choice. A more economical solution would be the kit with the 18-55 VR and 55-200VR. Or you could get the kit with the 18-105VR and add a 70-300 VR later.

The one accessory a STRONGLY advise if you're going to do a wedding is a powerful flash like the SB600/SB800/SB900. The built-in flash on the camera is almost useless beyond 10 feet and you need to have light in dark places, use fill-in flash to reduce contrast in sunny conditions, etc.

BTW Lots of people on this forum start by saying "I want a D5000" but most finish up by buying a D90.

[KevinLormand]

Franglias I have a question here is an all in one lens more or less quality than a single lens? I have the 18-55 VR and 55-200 for my Nikon D60 ( A gift from my brother to get me out of point and shoot cameras like the Panasonic FZ-20 ) There are so many lens's out there how do you determine you need a new lens and how do you know which one is the one you need?

[Franglais]

Franglias I have a question here is an all in one lens more or less quality than a single lens? I have the 18-55 VR and 55-200 for my Nikon D60 ( A gift from my brother to get me out of point and shoot cameras like the Panasonic FZ-20 ) There are so many lens's out there how do you determine you need a new lens and how do you know which one is the one you need?

You mean is it better to get a fairly expensive all-in-one lens (18-200VR) or two fairly cheap lenses (the 18-55 + 55-200)?

I have the 18-200, the 18-55 and the Sigma 55-200 (plus a load of others). I use them all I do my own testing.

There is a compromise in quality with an all-in-one lens (the 18-200). Whenever I test it it is always the worst in terms of definition (ability to distinguish fine detail). But the difference with my other lenses is hardly noticable. I have to stare at an A4 print for quite a while to see any difference. And it is so useful to have a fairly small lens on the camera with the ability to go from wide-angle to telephoto in one zoom. I just try to make sure that I use it in good light where I can use medium apertures (f8-f11) at which it's sharpest.

There is a compromise in quality with kit lenses (18-55 and 55-200). The feel of the lenses is rather poor and plasticy. I've never noticed any problem with the performance of these lenses. My impression is that the 18-55 has quite a lot of distortion (bad) but lots of contrast (good). I take them with me whenever I do anything risky (example: holidays).

The ideal lens is one that gives excellent performance all the time at all focal lengths and apertures. This sort of lens is usually fairly expensive and has a limited zoom range (examples: 18-70, 16-85VR, 28-70 f2.8). It's what I use most of the time (especially the 16-85) because I can just forget about the lens and concentrate on the subject.

[KevinLormand]

Thank you this is a lot of information to absorb an I appreciate it.

[freygr]

Just remember the D5000 will not use any of the older AF lenses but the D90 will. Also if you wish to shoot indoor sports you will need F2.8 lenses.

[havana_joe]

I have the Sigma 18mm-200mm 6.3 zoom lens, which is great because I can get up close or far away without changing lenses. I can almost always get the shot. However, the pictures have some distortion, the color is sometimes off, and I can usually see some fuzziness. Also, I need either bright sunshine or a powerful flash, or else performance drops off quickly and I either need a tripod, get blurry pictures, or both.

I also have the Nikkor 35mm 1.8 lens, which is great because the pictures are as sharp as can be, the color is bright and accurate, and some of the pictures literally look like they are in 3D, they are so clear. I can use the lens indoors without a flash, and still get nice, sharp pictures. In fact, I can get useable pictures almost to the point of darkness before the lens won’t focus. However, I cannot zoom in or out. What I see through the viewfinder is what I am going to get. If I need my subject to be closer or father away either the subject has to move or I have to move. If neither of those can be done, I lose the shot.

I consider them different tools in my tool box, with different uses, like a hammer and a screwdriver.

If I know that I can control the shot (such as posing someone or some object), or that it will be a low-light or an indoor situation, I almost always use the Nikkor 35mm.

If I have no control over the shot (say, walking around outside, looking for interesting things, or going away on vacation), and I know that there will be either bright sunlight or I have a flash with me, I almost always use the Sigma zoom.

If I truly have no idea what to expect I mount the Sigma zoom, but keep the 35mm in my pocket, as it’s quite small. I’d rather get a slightly distorted, not perfectly clear shot but get the shot rather than miss it. And it only takes 30 seconds to swap lenses if I find the Nikkor is the better choice.

[gryphonslair99]

Here is a list of most of my current lenses.
Canon Lenses:
16-35mm f2.8L II
24-70mm f2.8L
70-200 f2.8L
35mm f1.4L
50mm f1.4
85mm f1.2L
85mm f1.8
100mm f2
100mm f2.8 Macro
135mm f2L
200mm f2.8L
300mm f2.8L
400mm f2.8L
EF 1.4X II
EF 2.0X II

Other Lenses:
Tamron 17-50 f2.8
Tokina 11-16 f2.8

Every lens serves a purpose or a few purposes. The two obvious overlap in lenses are due to different purposes. The 85 f1.2 is for portraits, the f1.8 for sports. The 100 f2 is for sports while the 100 f2.8 macro is for macro and portraits.

The zooms are for situations, such as sports when I need the range. But as good as zoom lenses have gotten a prime of equal quality will usually be sharper than the zoom. Picking a lens is a matter of determining the need, and then determining the lens that best fits that need in the price range you can afford.

[n8]

TS, for what you're doing, and the level of experience it sounds like you have, the 18-200 would be a best bet for you, and if you see yourself continuing on with this hobby to the point of going semi-pro, then you really want to consider the d90 like franglais said. I started with a d40, which for what it is is a great camera and capable of doing a lot, but it doesn't offer the level of control I ended up wanting (not on the fly anyway), and so I upgraded to a d90 within a few months. Since then I haven't seen the need for another body for what I do, which is hobby shooting, and very occasional stuff for others that isn't even paid work. I use a 18-200, and also have the 35mm that havana was commenting on, as it's better for low light then the 18-200, and it's compatible with my d40, and just plain smaller.