New Lens

[Aroleggim]

I'm fairly new to photography. At least shopping for new lenses. I have a Nikon D3100 and the standard kit lens (28-55mm). I'm looking at either getting a 55-200mm or a prime 50mm lens. I understand the purpose for each. I'm wondering which people think I would get more use out of as a second lens and what the real difference is between a prime lens and a zoom lens. Thanks!

 

[NowInc]

55-200 for sure..make sure you get the VR option. Its a great lens and a lot more versatile than a prime. HOWEVER...if you can swing it, try and get either the 35mm or 50mm primes as well (they are pretty cheap)..just because I feel they are great to learn on. I myself use a D3100 a lot and have both the 55-200 and the 35mm and have never ran into any major limitations.

 

[ddbowdoin]

different between a prime and a zoom... in general terms you are looking at a sharper lens in a prime. This really only goes when comparing glass in the same class and price range. 50mm f1.8 D or G is not sharper than the 70-200 VRII f2.8, simply because one is a pro level lens and the other isn't.

Typically speaking, the few number of moving parts and glass elements will produce a sharper image, am I correct here?

 

[NowInc]

The prime lens is WAY faster and thus can do a lot cooler "open" shots..but you do sacrifice the zoom. Which if you want an all around lens, then you really can't go with a prime. As a basis for comparison:

This was taken with the 35mm 1.8 prime...shot at F1.8 and absolutely could not have been done using the 55-200 as the subject was about..2 feet from me. Also using 1.8 helped me keep the shutter speed fast so I could capture the "motion" in this shot while keeping the subject in focus, shooting in aperture priority mode no less.


Walt Disney World Trip - June 2012 by DreGGs, on Flickr

Now..this was taken using the 55-200 zoom. I was about...maybe 15 rows back. You could never get a shot like this using a prime unless you are literally on the "stage". But even tho Its shot at F4.5, it still does a decent job..as long as you shoot in shutter priority mode and set it accordingly. It does take a lot more time to "get used" to the lens and how to set it..but once you do you should be happy with the results..especially with how low the price is for the glass.


Walt Disney World Trip - June 2012 by DreGGs, on Flickr

That being said, I still recommend trying to get both a zoom and a prime. Why? Well for once, there are things that each lens can do that the other can't. Aside from that, a Prime is great for "learning" how to make a shot. It forces you to physically move around and compose, and that is something that is better to learn by doing than guessing, plus a 35mm or 50mm are awesome for landscape shots. The zoom however, is going to fill in those gaps for things that a Prime just can't do..such as...zooming. LoL. Now I'm hardly a photographer, its just a hobby of mine, but I have the D3100 body and can say that those 2 lenses are the best investments I've made so far to compliment the body.

 

[ddbowdoin]

a few issues to think about...

shooting wide open at f1.8 is great as nowinc mentioned, it allows you to keep your shutter speed fast and therefore capture motion, but looking at his image... notice the DOF and focus points, the wider the aperture the smaller the focus point. The only areas of the image in focus is an element of her glasses frame. For many, shooting wide open becomes a challenge because the AF system in your camera will often miss focus. This has to do with the number of AF points in cheaper cameras, the less expensive the less AF cross points.

 

[NowInc]

a few issues to think about...

shooting wide open at f1.8 is great as nowinc mentioned, it allows you to keep your shutter speed fast and therefore capture motion, but looking at his image... notice the DOF and focus points, the wider the aperture the smaller the focus point. The only areas of the image in focus is an element of her glasses frame. For many, shooting wide open becomes a challenge because the AF system in your camera will often miss focus. This has to do with the number of AF points in cheaper cameras, the less expensive the less AF cross points.

I knew I forgot to mention something..lol. Yeah I meant to talk about the focus points etc. Wide open = shallow DOF (which is sometimes awesome..but others not so much). This just adds to why I feel getting BOTH lenses would be a great investment.

 

[ddbowdoin]

I knew I forgot to mention something..lol. Yeah I meant to talk about the focus points etc. Wide open = shallow DOF (which is sometimes awesome..but others not so much). This just adds to why I feel getting BOTH lenses would be a great investment.

there's always something...

I wish there really was a all-in-one lens, it would have saved me money!

The only lens I really want/need is the 24-70f2.8. I've noticed recently my 70-200 is too deep at some weddings and the 50mm is just not a great lens.

 

[Allen C]

I agree with NowInc that you will need both. I use the 50 mm f/1.8 wide open for dark rides (Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion). I've also tried it for Festival of the Lion King and Nemo: The Musical with pretty good results.

 

[Aroleggim]

I think I'm going to go with the 55-200mm first. I will get a 35mm eventually. I'm a student so I don't have a lot of money and I'm still learning photography so I'll go one at a time. I'm going to Scotland this summer and my friend is taking her Canon and 50mm lens. Between that and the zoom we should get a variety of shots between the two of us. Plus I might get to try out a prime lens a little. Thanks for all the help! It explained a lot!

 

[ddbowdoin]

I think I'm going to go with the 55-200mm first. I will get a 35mm eventually. I'm a student so I don't have a lot of money and I'm still learning photography so I'll go one at a time. I'm going to Scotland this summer and my friend is taking her Canon and 50mm lens. Between that and the zoom we should get a variety of shots between the two of us. Plus I might get to try out a prime lens a little. Thanks for all the help! It explained a lot!

scotland... you want WIDE ANGLE, landscape and it will be money