Help with first lens purchase........

T

Ted

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Name
Tim
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I got my first DSLR, Nikon D40, about 6 months ago and am itching to expand beyond my kit lens (18-55).

I am mostly interested in travel shots and landscapes and want to get a lens that adds some detail, sharpness and clarity to my images.

Would the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM be a good option?

And here's the killer question....am I better to spend the dosh upgrading my D40 to something a bit further up the food chain? Or is it all about the glass? I bought my D40 without knowing I would get the photography bug!

Thanks for your thoughts (y)
 
My view is always spend on the glass. If you are interested in landscapes and want to go wider than the 18 will let you then the 10-20 is the one to get, the HSM will mean it will focus on the D40.

However, you may get better long term gain by going longer, as 18mm is perfectly adequate for landscapes. Depending on your budget you can look for a 55-200 VR or a 70-300 VR from Nikon (unless of course you can stretch to a 70-200 f2.8 VR :D).

That said you should be able to get detail, sharpness and clarity with the 18-55mm especially at f8, so if you are having problems and have a limited budget perhaps you could get along to a meet and get some tips.
 
Nice. Thanks Simon, much appreciated.

I have just been comparing my photos to others and have notice that they lack the punch and sharpness of many others. I use highpass sharpening etc but they always seem softer. But your point about f8 is interesting. I didnt realise that that was the optimum for clarity with that lens. I sometimes use f22 cos I thought it would keep the entire scene sharp, but maybe this is my issue???

heres an example of a shot I took which I really like but was not very sharp and I was dissapointed with the clarity and have had to sharpen a lot. I think this was taken at f7??

So it sounds like you are saying that I wont get much better image quality with the 10-20 (compared to my kit lens), just the wider angle?

venus4.jpg
 
Your photo looks good to me, very good infact (y) remember that all digital photos will need some level of sharpening (more if you shoot RAW). If you want to add "pop" to your photos convert to LAB colour mode and steepen the "a" and "b" curves (keeping the "curve" straight and going through the centre) and then convert back to RGB colour mode.

However, f22 could be your problem. Digital cameras with 10MPs suffer from diffraction at apertures greater the about f11 and diffraction results in soft pictures. Keep your aperture to between f8 and f11 and you'll get the best from your lens. It's worth knowing that at 18mm if you focus at the hyperfocal point at f8 (2m) everything between 1m and infintiy will be in "acceptable" focus.
 
Ok, lots to take in there Simon but appreciate you sharing your knowledge. I use software like PAint Shop Pro and the GIMP so will see if I can try your LAB colour mode tip (or is it only possible on photoshop?)

Am still trying to work out exactly what you mean in para 2. its the 2m and 1m to infinity bit that I dont get ??
 
LAB colour should be available in most good image editing programs I am pretty certain both PSP and GIMP have it. This link provides a bit of info on what I mean, but it is based in PS, though I'm sure you can use the same principles in PSP and GIMP.

As for the hyperfocal thing you appear to understand the basic principles of DoF and aperture so it's worth looking at this link for info on Hyperfocal distances. Basically if you set your lens at f8 and set focus point at2 meters (i.e. the subject you are focusing on is 2meters away) then but the wonders of optics everything beyond 1 meter away should "appear" to be in focus.
 
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