from kit to prime to good zoom. help me :)

jamiebonline

jamiebonline

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Jamie
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Hi all,

I need advice. I have been taking portrait photos and learning a lot about what makes a good photo or not. I started with a kit lens and then got the nikon 50 mm 1.8G, which produces much sharper pictures. However, taking a prime lens to a photoshoot is so limiting! I have to move for every picture, which is a challenge and at times very annoying. I also know that there is some distortion on headshots, plus you have to get a bit too close to the model sometimes, which is impractical and can make them uncomfortable, I find.

I am looking for a zoom lens that is as sharp as or close to what I have with my prime lens without breaking the bank completely. I need to be realistic, I think and consider I won't get something good secondhand for less 800 pounds (?) Which is my limit. Something for a bit less would be great, of course. So I am interested in portraiture. I would like something in the focal length region of 35 to 110 or so.
By the way, I have a D7000 so cropped sensor, for what it's worth

Thanks so much!

J
 
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For the price and range you mention I can think of only Nikon 17-55(dx) or 24-120 f4 , which is a full frame lens.
 
I'm not sure you'll get a lot of sympathy with not wanting to move for a better shot. ;)

As you're on a budget and looking for a good portrait lens, surely a good fast prime at a more suitable focal length would be a better option? I'm not a Nikon user, so can't give you specifics, but 85mm on a crop sensor would allow you to give the model much more breathing space.
 
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To do good portraits you really need to move around, unless all you want to do is headshots. Getting a variety of shots at different focal lengths and distances will help to tell a story and give you a much more interesting set of pictures.

The nikon 17-55 2.8 is a great lens and a must have IMO on a crop nikon body. But it won't offer you anything in the focal length you need apart from the wide end.

I would get an 85mm 1.8G or 85mm 1.4D and then get the very good 35mm 1.8G.
 
Hi again,

Thanks. Someone suggested the older 35-70 AFd. Anyone have an opinion of this? It's quite a lot cheaper.

Incidentally 17-55 on the crop body would give me a decent portrait focal length for headshots even on the narrow end? 85mm I.8 G is nice. Maybe I should get it instead... It means I am changing lenses during the shoot and I still could do with a wider angle for some of the shots. My 50mm on the crop body lacks wideness
 
The 85mm f1.8g would be a good choice and a very reasonable price, other than that you are probably looking at a 70-200mm f2.8 lens, they can be had from sigma and tamron for your budget but I wouldn't fancy the weight or a second hand Nikon I think can be had for your budget, there is also 50-150mm f2.8 available from sigma I think.

Also take a look at Tamron 28-75 f2.8, not the widest but a bargain price.
 
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Nothing wrong with changing lenses....that's the great thing about a dslr. One thing I forgot to say is the nikon 17-55 doesn't handle flare very well, the nikon 24-70 2.8. Is much better in this regard. Shooting backlit portraits into the sun can be problematic with the 17-55. Primes will handle flare a lot better.

A 70-200 28. Would be good....you will notice a huge difference in your portraits. If your lucky you could get a used nikon 70-200 2.8 VR 1 for £800. They handle flare very well...In fact I would encourage it.
 
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If it's just portraits, how about the Sigma 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM? New it's well within budget. I've had my eye on the Canon version for while.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I am not sure now. I don't mind moving around really :) But the point is that sometimes I don't have room to get a shot. I need a bit more width than 50mm on the crop body and for headshots a bit more leverage on the narrow end. One lens to do both would be nice.
 
I had a quick look at a certain well known auction site and could find the nikon 17-55mm for under £600 (lightly used). Search a bit more and I reckon you could get a nikon 85mm f1.8 to complement it for a bit over £200.

That combo would give you 2 excellent lenses, one for the wider stuff you seem to require and the 85mm f1.8 for shallow depth of field type portraits
 
jamiebonline said:
Thanks for all the advice. I am not sure now. I don't mind moving around really :) But the point is that sometimes I don't have room to get a shot. I need a bit more width than 50mm on the crop body and for headshots a bit more leverage on the narrow end. One lens to do both would be nice.
Click to expand...

35mm F1.8 + 85mm F1.8?
 
I bought a 35-70mm 2.8 as a stop gap until I could afford the 24-70.
It's a fantastic lens. Pin sharp, and very little distortion or abberation.
On a D7000 it equates to a 52-105mm, so a very useful range. Oh, and it does macro too.
They can be picked up for very little money, so would leave something to put towards your next glass.
 
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