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Archive 2015 · DX lens for people photography?

  
 
Nate Haskovec
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · DX lens for people photography?


A very nice friend of mine came to me for advice since I am a photographer. He told me his wife wants a newer, better camera.

She shoots a Nikon DX model and I told him, as I tell all of my other friends, a new camera will likely disappoint her where a new lens (the right lens) would probably blow her away.

I'm a Canon (FX) shooter, and know what I would recommend to her if we used the same format.

Since she and I shoot different brands and formats and I am not familiar with Nikon, can someone recommend a Nikon lens that is regarded as a lens that shines on a DX body?

Ideally (but not limited to) the 18mm - 50mm (plus or minus) range and an f2.8 lens.

She likes "people" photography according to her husband, but I don't suspect she will be shooting portraits full time, and I do suspect she will want the versatility of a zoom.

Thanks in advance!



May 19, 2015 at 01:14 PM
thegame81
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · DX lens for people photography?


Nikon options
Nikon 17-55 2.8
Nikon 70-200 2.8 vr1

3rd party options
sigma 17-50 2.8 os
sigma 50-150 2.8 os



May 19, 2015 at 01:36 PM
Nate Haskovec
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · DX lens for people photography?


Thank you. I'll do some looking at the 17-55 2.8.

That sounds like what I was looking for.



May 19, 2015 at 01:40 PM
fotobandi
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · DX lens for people photography?


These lenses are, respectively, $1,400.00 and $2,400.00. Aren't there less expensive alternatives for "people photography"?





May 19, 2015 at 02:51 PM
VTXT
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · DX lens for people photography?


35mm 1.8, $220, 50mm 1.8, $200, 85mm 1.8, $500.

Just get the 35 and the 85 and it will blow her away more than a new camera ever could. I don't recommend the 17-55 for females because it is too heavy and could lead to wrist/finger joint problems later, especially with a flash attached. Equal right movement advocates please feel free to hate, I'm just stating the truth. Using heavy lenses repeatedly for long periods of time can lead to hand/finger problems for men too by the way, but the risk is bigger for women for obvious reasons.

Oh and if she doesn't have an external strobe, she should get the Sb-700 and try some high speed wide open sync shots in bright sunlights (if she has a camera that can support it)



May 19, 2015 at 03:02 PM
fotobandi
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · DX lens for people photography?


VTXT wrote:
35mm 1.8, $220, 50mm 1.8, $200, 85mm 1.8, $500.

Just get the 35 and the 85 and it will blow her away more than a new camera ever could.
/

Yeah, those are the ones.




May 19, 2015 at 03:07 PM
curious80
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · DX lens for people photography?


The Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 OS and Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 are excellent standard zooms for DX. The old version of the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 can be had for $250-275 in the used market (the more recent Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 VC is not as good I believe). It was my standard zoom for my Nikon D7000. Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 OS would be a bit more expensive but still in the $400 range used or just over $500 new. I don't recommend going for the Nikon 17-55mm f2.8. It is a big lens and an old design which is not as good wide open as you would expect from a $1400 lens. And you don't even get image stabilization that you get with much cheaper and excellent Sigma.


May 19, 2015 at 03:07 PM
CanadaMark
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · DX lens for people photography?


You don't mention budget, but assuming you don't want to break the bank, I would look very closely at:

Tamron 17-50/2.8 VC (25.5mm-75mm FF equivalent)

Sigma 17-50/2.8 OS (25.5mm-75mm FF equivalent)

Nikon 50/1.8 G (75mm FF equivalent)

Nikon 85/1.8 G (One of the highest bang for the buck lenses around IMO, but 127mm FF equivalent is getting to be a bit long for general use)

Sigma 50-150 OS is a good lens if you want to stay DX, and can be had for a decent price, but again it's a bit long for general people photography

If budget is less of a concern, you could look at the Nikon 17-55/2.8 but IMO that lens is not worth it anymore. Not only does it lack VR in a range where VR helps immensely, but the 3rd party options are as good or better optically for less money. Ever since they got rid of the screw-drive AF motors, updated their designs, and put stabilization in their lenses, the 3rd parties have made the Nikon 17-55/2.8 a tough sell, especially at it's price. It's built incredibly well though.

As much as I love the 70-200's, if the goal is one lens for general portraiture, it's probably a bit long on a DX body. If I were you I would probably point her to one of the stabilized 17-50/2.8 third party options, and she won't break the bank either. If she gets a little more serious, she can look into a 35/1.8G, 50/1.8 G or 85/1.8 G if she wants to get more specialized on a budget.

I should also add that light stand and umbrella can be had for very cheap, and can add a lot to people pictures. If she has a flash, the "Demb Flip-it" (is he still making those??) works awesome and is around $20.



May 19, 2015 at 03:23 PM
jbouchard
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · DX lens for people photography?


Do you now what her camera body is? If it's a couple years old like a D3200, i agree with everyone wlse, get a nice lens (+1 vote for 85/1.8). If she has a 10 year old D40, then a newer kit is due.


May 19, 2015 at 03:49 PM
lorac
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · DX lens for people photography?


You've already gotten some great suggestions, but it's important to know budget and possibly weight. For a women a fast Sigma lens can have amazing IQ but be quite heavy for example. I think you need to ask this before narrowing the suggestions.


May 19, 2015 at 08:48 PM
Two23
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · DX lens for people photography?


Everything I have I bought used--over $8,000 worth. Never had a problem, and have saved thousands over the years. Ebay is your friend.

I suggest starting with the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 OS. It's relatively light, a great value used, and an excellent lens. I've bought the very best lenses available for Nikon in the past year, and two are Sigma.


Kent in SD



May 19, 2015 at 09:04 PM
Andre Labonte
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · DX lens for people photography?


17-55 indoors
70-200 outdoors
50 f/1.8 for low light where you don't want flash or for close ups with shallow DOF

A few other alternatives that I use:

85 f/1.8 and 300 f/2.8

Just check out my profile ... I'm a dedicated DX shooter and shoot mostly children and people ... with a camera of course.




May 19, 2015 at 10:42 PM
Frogfish
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · DX lens for people photography?


It seems she's not new to photography so we really need to know what she's using now. At a minimum it's likely the kit lens, 18-55mm. So does she like that range and just want a better lens or is she looking for something else ?

When I used to shoot with Pentax I absolutely adored the Sigma 50-150 2.8 OS, it's a really excellent lens with a great range (equivalent to 75 - 225mm in FX). If its for dedicated portraits then my favourite on the Pentax was the FA77/1.8 Ltd, awesome lens, so maybe the budget, but high IQ, 85/1.8 would be her best option, though if in confined spaces it's a little too long (but fine for say a long dining table distance) and maybe a 50-60mm would be better.

It depends in budget, there are the cheaper new f1.8 Nikon primes (35/50/85) or the much better but also more expensive, Sigma Art lenses. If she wants to keep to a zoom then maybe the DX lenses 18-105 or 18-140 would open up more options than she has now (someone can tell you which is the better lens as I haven't used either of those). If she doesn't mind heavy lenses then the Nikon 24-120/4 (36-180 on DX) or Sigma Art 24-105/4 (a superb lens) would both give her much improved glass that can produce pro-level output and are definitely suited to portraiture - though without the low DoF some people prefer.

So :
a) what lenses is she using now and
b) what's the budget !



May 20, 2015 at 07:51 AM
Nate Haskovec
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · DX lens for people photography?


I am quoting instead of replying since I'm on my phone and reply isn't an option.

Her budget is around $1000 according to her hubby. She has a kit zoom and a cheap telephoto zoom.

I shoot professionally and am very familiar with lenses and FOV, DOF, etc.. I am just unfamiliar with Nikon, and their DX line especially.

I wanted to recommend a 35mm equiv of the 24-70 range at a 2.8 aperture that is well regarded. The 17-55 sounds like just that lens.

I know she isn't experienced in fast glass, likely doesn't focus/recompose, likely doesn't understand how great her camera can be with the right glass.

I'll be recommending the 17-55 and I'll try to explain the usefulness of the focal range and the benefits of 2.8 to him. I'm sure her kit lenses are what is holding her back as of right now.

Thanks to you all.



May 20, 2015 at 09:06 AM
curious80
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · DX lens for people photography?


I would still recommend going for Tamron 17-50mm or Sigma 17-50mm instead of Nikon 17-55mm. Even if you put the price on a side, It is a big and heavy lens and doesn't offer any real IQ advantage over say the Sigma. You can look at the following links for comparison of size and performance:

http://www.bythom.com/Sigma17-50mm_lens_review.htm
http://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Compare/Side-by-side/(lens1)/377/(lens2)/173/(onglet)/0/(brand)/Sigma/(brand2)/Nikkor/(camera2)/680
http://www.bythom.com/1750lens.htm

I would rank them as:

Old Tamron (not the VC) = 90% of Nikon performance and the smallest and lightest
Sigma 17-50mm OS == Nikon performance (In some aspects Sigma IQ is better, in others Nikon). Still significantly smaller and has image stabilization.
Nikon = beast

Personally in my opinion the Tamron is best for a beginner since the smaller size and wight is going to be far more noticeable than the 10% IQ loss. If not then the Sigma is a no brainer. She could use the freed up money to get a better telephoto zoom or a good portrait lens such as 50mm 1.8G or 85mm 1.8G etc. Just my 2 cents - ultimately the choice is yours.

Edited on May 20, 2015 at 11:26 AM · View previous versions



May 20, 2015 at 11:19 AM
wellsjt
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · DX lens for people photography?


With that budget, do not recommend the Nikon 17-55 f/2.8 to her - you will simply scare her off with a very expensive and heavy (albeit excellent) lens. As others have posted, third party options like the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 or Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 are very good for a fraction of the price.

As someone else posted, it would help to know what she has now because that will change the advice. (Apologies if you have posted that and I missed it.) For example, if she is using an old body then she is likely limited in high ISO capability and resolution - getting a newer body makes sense in that case.

The Nikon 18-55 and 55-200 lenses (which she likely already owns a revision of), while kit lenses with variable apertures... they're actually not bad for casual shooters.

Also, a watchout is that lower level Nikon bodies (eg. D40, D3xxx, D5xxx) lack an internal focusing motor, so she would be limited to getting lenses that have integral motors (Nikon calls these AF-S). In this case, she needs to stick with lenses that have a motor and avoid the lenses that require a screw-drive focus from the body.



May 20, 2015 at 11:25 AM
sjms
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · DX lens for people photography?


Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4. one of the best DX lenses around at any price. it ithe the standard on my D7000.


May 20, 2015 at 11:32 AM
InlawBiker
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · DX lens for people photography?


Yeah when you're talking about DX zooms Sigma is the go-to brand. I use the 17-50 2.8, I like it a lot. They can be had cheap, new directly from Japan for $300 on ebay. The 17-70 "C" is another great choice but I have not used the latest version.

The Sigma 17-50 performs just where I would expect - somewhere above the kit zooms but below the primes. It's not very big or heavy either.

For even better quality the 1.8G lenses are unbeatable. 35(DX), 40 DX macro, 50, 85 are all great, light and inexpensive (relatively).



May 20, 2015 at 11:53 AM
Fishinfool
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · DX lens for people photography?


My opinion, the Nikon 17-55 f2.8 is a very good lens. I don't find VR that important in that focal range, but some do. Yea, its heavy, but very well built, a pro quality lens. Very clean examples can be found used in the $700 range.

The 1.8 primes are also a good choice, but may not offer her the versatility of a zoom, if that is a consideration.

Larry



May 20, 2015 at 02:35 PM
chuhsi1
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · DX lens for people photography?


I would also get the sigma 17-50 2.8 os. That's what I recommend to everyone.


May 20, 2015 at 03:42 PM
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