Looking to upgrade my lens.please help

KwikE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hello, I am looking to upgrade my lens that came with my nikon d750 it came with a NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens.. I looking to carry one lens if possible. I have been looking around just cant seem to find something that would fix all my need. thanks
 

NowInc

Well-Known Member
There is no one lens that will fit ALL of your needs. Seeing how you pulled the trigger on a D750 (not a cheap or beginner camera by any means), you must have at least a general idea of what you are trying to achieve. Please provide a bit more information as to what you are looking to capture and we can be of way more assistance :)
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
That seems to me about as close as you can get to an all-purpose lens.

If I had that lens, my next purchase would be a fast prime; maybe a 50mm 1.4 or 1.8 which is a versatile focal length for a full frame camera.
 

KwikE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Yeah, Thats what I thought about the lens. I wanted to see if they mad anything better. Indoor outdoor and low light situations. Characters meets
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Yeah, Thats what I thought about the lens. I wanted to see if they mad anything better. Indoor outdoor and low light situations. Characters meets
Indoor low light you'll need a faster aperture and/or higher ISO. The D750 happens to be one of the best high ISO cameras on the market. You should be able to shoot quality images at ISO 6400 and decent shots at ISO 12,800. Getting a faster lens like the 50mm 1.8 will give you a wider aperture than your f/4. You should be able to shoot very good shots at f/2.8 in low light. The biggest challenge then will be making sure everything is in focus.

I shoot Sony so not sure if Nikon has this, but sometimes in low light I'll use their "twighlight" or "hand held low light" settings - these take a few quick shots and blend them in one for very reapectable results (jpeg only).

Just some thoughts.
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
Yeah, Thats what I thought about the lens. I wanted to see if they mad anything better. Indoor outdoor and low light situations. Characters meets
The lens you have is good enough for what you want, but what you need now is a good flash. Reality is the indoor meet and greets are not that dark for the most part so you don't need any crazy fast lenses, but a good flash will allow you to set the ISO back down a bit and still get well lit photos.

The only other options you might consider lens wise will be faster lenses and those aren't going to be all purpose... I don't think the lens is your weak point right now I think it is the flash.... And if you go the flash route then you'll get the best results by bouncing it or getting a good diffuser for the meet and greets.
 

KeithVH

Well-Known Member
I would second the recommendations for a 50/1.8 (or 1.4 if you have the money) AND a flash. Not the on-body flash. But to get the results I think you may want, you can't just put the flash on and shoot. You'll want to look at slow/second curtain sync settings. This allows ambient lighting on the background to be captured naturally while illuminating the subject (kinda like fill-flash but not exactly). This takes a little more work/experimentation with settings. Many modern cameras can easily do this, even in manual mode (search grip&grin settings). Nikon is better than Canon in this area as their flash algorithms have always been better. If you want great character/meet shots, this is the way to go.

Then again, I think my personal pref would be to crank up the ISO a little and invest in a 17-35 or 12-24 lens for an FX body. W/o going all the way to the wide end and maybe introducing some distortion in the shot, it's amazing how close you can get to the subject and still have a decent framing of the characters and your family and such. In the parks, to me, wider is always better due to the enclosed conditions. Just don't get a DX lens (considering the D750 frame).
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
Also a gentle reminder, a flash is a good idea...but please don't even think of using it on a ride :)
Very true... not only will it annoy other riders but your photos will look like garbage because you'll see the wires behind the magic and honestly who wants to see that the shadow of Peter Pan is really a metal plate held up with a steal rod...
 

KwikE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
The lens you have is good enough for what you want, but what you need now is a good flash. Reality is the indoor meet and greets are not that dark for the most part so you don't need any crazy fast lenses, but a good flash will allow you to set the ISO back down a bit and still get well lit photos.

The only other options you might consider lens wise will be faster lenses and those aren't going to be all purpose... I don't think the lens is your weak point right now I think it is the flash.... And if you go the flash route then you'll get the best results by bouncing it or getting a good diffuser for the meet and greets.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/734997-USA/Nikon_4808_SB_700_Speedlight_Shoe_Mount.html , I was told this was a good light.
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
It is. Would likely serve you well for quite some time to come. If you decide to get it I would suggest you play around with it a bit before you go to use it on your trip so you are familiar with the controls, also make sure and take the diffuser that come with it with you, it will help to eliminate the harsh shadows that a flash mounted on a camera tend to cause.
 

LSUxStitch

Well-Known Member
Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art.

I use it as my walkaround on my d610. It's wide, but doable in everyday use. I'm not a long zoom or any zoom type of person, I only own prime lenses
 

NowInc

Well-Known Member

LSUxStitch

Well-Known Member
The 1.4 is amazing...but not really the best solution. You gain (around) 1/3rd a stop of light, which helps on dark rides..but at the cost of a VERY VERY shallow depth of field. Wide open, you will get your focus point, but if something (you or the object) moves about an inch, you will find your shots all blurry.

All depends on the distance you are from your subject. If you are very close, then yes, an inch or two will throw your subject out of focus. But say if you are 10 ft or more away from your subject, your total DOF is around 2 foot.

It's all about how you use it honestly. I also have the 85 f/1.4 and have had no issues.

Edit: WHOOPS...thought you were responding to my suggestion of the 35mm 1.4 :|
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
The 1.4 is amazing...but not really the best solution. You gain (around) 1/3rd a stop of light, which helps on dark rides..but at the cost of a VERY VERY shallow depth of field. Wide open, you will get your focus point, but if something (you or the object) moves about an inch, you will find your shots all blurry.

I've found that with the very fast lenses the other big problem is that in well lit places the lenses loose some contrast unless you stop them down quite a bit... and if you stop them down quite a bit what exactly is the point of the fast lens? To me the fast lens is great for play around in the dark but for anything else it is not the best option, probably the worst.
 

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