Looking for a cheap FX lens for children and family photography. Any suggestions?
Picture examples I need this lens for are on www.lauriecranephotography.com in the slideshow.
28mm IMO opinion is to wide for photography and introduces not so pleasing distortion. 85mm, 180mm primes or 70-200, 105vr. Depends on your working distance.
50mm is a GREAT lens, i do not personally like it for portraits. Its to much of a common focal length and adds distortion to people. It will work ok if you can back off for group shots or a distance to show the background more, but not close up.
Thanks everyone! I will look into a 85mm, 28mm and the Tamron 28-75. I get my new D600 tomorrow and looking around for new lenses. I have a 35mm prime but it is DX. I have the 50mm FX and I have a couple of zooms but I believe they are DX. I would like to get more lenses that are FX.
labowman22 wrote:
Looking for a cheap FX lens for children and family photography. Any suggestions?
Picture examples I need this lens for are on www.lauriecranephotography.com in the slideshow.
For what you shoot - 85/2 AIS or 105/2.5 AIS. Either lens can be found around $150-200 used.
The sample images you mentioned were captured by using all sorts of focal length from wide-angle to telephoto. If you want to get a lens to do your family images, nothing beats Nikon 70-300VR since people look better between 100 and 200 FL. 70-300VR is a great lens for good light, and you can always buy lights and use them in poor light. The Nikon Store has refurbed 70-300VR for under $300.
I love prime and manual focus lenses but were I in your situation I'd likely opt for the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. A zoom gives you great flexibility in the moment and when you're shooting kids that can be helpful. Its focusing is not lightening fast but workable. It is fast enough that if you want to isolate your subject you can do so. The lens produces pleasing bokeh and fine colors. The 50 f/1.8G and 85 f/1.8G look like great affordable primes and it never hurts to have a fast lens for those low light situations. I'd probably go with the 50 simply to give myself more flexibility. The 85 pulls you quite close which can be appealing in some circumstances but not all.
Manual focus lenses are a great value, but you don't want to go there if you're chasing kids around. They can work wonderfully for portraiture and landscape work, however. A 50 f/1.8 AI or AI-s can be bought for well under a hundred dollars. I bought mine for $46. A 105 f/2.5 AI or AI-s is a great lens that can be bought for less than two hundred dollars. Don't forget MF lenses. They perform beautifully on Nikon's FX cameras.
CGrindahl wrote:
I love prime and manual focus lenses but were I in your situation I'd likely opt for the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. A zoom gives you great flexibility in the moment and when you're shooting kids that can be helpful. Its focusing is not lightening fast but workable. It is fast enough that if you want to isolate your subject you can do so. The lens produces pleasing bokeh and fine colors. The 50 f/1.8G and 85 f/1.8G look like great affordable primes and it never hurts to have a fast lens for those low light situations. I'd probably go with the 50 simply to give myself more flexibility. The 85 pulls you quite close which can be appealing in some circumstances but not all.
Manual focus lenses are a great value, but you don't want to go there if you're chasing kids around. They can work wonderfully for portraiture and landscape work, however. A 50 f/1.8 AI or AI-s can be bought for well under a hundred dollars. I bought mine for $46. A 105 f/2.5 AI or AI-s is a great lens that can be bought for less than two hundred dollars. Don't forget MF lenses. They perform beautifully on Nikon's FX cameras....Show more →
