Nikon lens for low light

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beefybarn40

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kevin
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Ok guys after my mate let me down on the purchase of a Canon dslr I have picked up a Nikon D3100 with kit lens and a Nikon 55-200 vr lens.

Now im a true novice but an area of photography that really interests me is night time shooting....stars, light trails and lit night time cityscapes.

Now would the lenses I have allow me to capture these images or would a prime lens be better, the only problem is I only have around £150 to spend on another lens.

Any advice welcome.
 
I would say go for a Tamron 17-50 f2.8. You should be able to get one for around that price (maybe a bit more).
Excellent image quality and nice fast glass:)

EDIT - I used one a lot previously for many night shoots of star trails etc. and they make great everyday lenses.
Also a big step up from the standard kit lens you have
 
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I've used the tamron 17-50 for night shooting, mainly astrophotography, not so much star trails, and it performs very well for the price and focal length.

Autofocus is terribly slow and noisy, so bare that in mind, but for night stuff you'll be manually focusing anyway.

Realistically the tamron 17-50 would be the best bet for your money.
 
nikon 35mm 1.8 really sharp fast prime lens i have one its great
well within your budget
 
I'd also say go for the Nikon 35mm f1.8 as it's the sharpest Nikon lens I've ever owned - even sharper than their pro glass I own.
 
Now that is a good idea :) how much do you think I could get for it as the cheapest Tamron I can find secondhand is £229
 
beefybarn40 said:
Ok guys after my mate let me down on the purchase of a Canon dslr I have picked up a Nikon D3100 with kit lens and a Nikon 55-200 vr lens.

Now im a true novice but an area of photography that really interests me is night time shooting....stars, light trails and lit night time cityscapes.

Now would the lenses I have allow me to capture these images or would a prime lens be better, the only problem is I only have around £150 to spend on another lens.

Any advice welcome.
Click to expand...

Skip the lens and buy a tripod....
 
I found the 18-55mm to be quite a decent kit lens when I had one.

I think it's a little understated.
 
Guys you're forgetting, he's gonna need a wide lens for star photography, I've used the 35mm f/1.8, and I'd much rather use the 17-50(which pops up on ebay for 200 frequently, and far less on forums sometimes) but I'd rather an UWA even with f/4, or rather a 11-16, but that's far out of budget.
 
Well I think I will have a go with the kit lens first while saving a few more quid and go for the Tamron when I can afford it.
 
The kit 18-55 is more than up to this stuff. You don't especially need fast glass for most of what of what you're doing. It helps for stars but isn't a necessity. Cityscapes can use long exposures anyway and light trails positively require it so no fast glass needed here, you'll likely be shooting at F/8-11 anyway.

With a kit lens and tripod you're all set to go. A couple of tips though, turn VR off when on a tripod. It can dramatically soften your images if you forget. Use the self timer, so that you don't move the camera pressing the shutter. And remove any filters if you use them as bright lights at night can cause nasty flair effects when using a filter.
 
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