Best lens for the D90

[ziploc]

next qns, do i need a sb400/600 external flash to take good images under poor lightings?

You'll need a flash under poor lighting conditions (unless you're taking night landscape in which you'll be using a tripod & long exposure). Whether you can make do with your internal flash or need external flash is a different question. The main purposes of external flash are: more reach, bounced flash, and off-axis lighting. If you're on a budget and needs to soften the internal flash, you can consider using Sto-fen Omni-Flip.

suitable for outdoor night landscapes? or jus purely indoor.

No not for night landscape, unless your external flash is so powerful it can light up the whole landscape. :bsmilie: For outdoor night portraiture yes, but you'll need to use slow sync flash and a tripod.

 

[wenbin0215]

Best lens should be Nikkor 14-24 f2.8 for landscape, Sigma 50mm f1.4 or Nikkor 85mm f1.4 for portrait, Nikkor 135mm f2.0 for stage event shoots, Sigma 150mm for macros, Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 for F1 and sports shoots and bazooka 600mm for taking premier league action from the sidelines. I will dream on.

:thumbsup: well said..

 

[japlook]

I think TS is now gabrraa with so many good recommendations but cheap(?)

What is your budget? How deep is your pocket? IMO start with the 18-105 kit lens then slowly move to UWA anything from 10-24mm, Tokina ATX 124DX is also cheap & good at $500-$600 2nd hand, followed by a tele zoom such as a good 80-200AFD can get at a bargain <$1k compared to 70-200VR can:hung:you unless of course you are rich:lovegrin: or the 55-200VR also cheap & good for <$250 2nd hand, finally some prime like 50f1.8 cheap & good for <$200.

In the end you have 10 lenses and slowly you start to lelong:bsmilie:

budget around 2k.. ya.. will looking in the market for good deals.. if not will go shop for 1st hand.

 

[japlook]

hey ziploc, tks for ur clarification.. i guess i dont need a ext flash at this point of time..

any good d90 kit deal at our friendly local shop that u guys came across?

 

[greengoblin]

nikon 18-70. Really cheap and good

 

[ionicbeam]

you may wish to consider tamron 17-50 f2.8 too, decently wide and pretty sharp, double off as an indoor lens. but the bokeh is kinda onion ring-y though.

 

[kilkenny]

Hi TS,

Just givin my 2 cts worth, i had got D90 in June (great camera btw ) along with the kit 18-105 and 50f1.8. Could not live with the kit lens, got rid of it and was using only 50f1.8 almost whole of july till i got the tokina 11-16 (this is a great lens btw but in my opinion too wide to be a walkabout lens for me though i am sure this is a highly debatable issue), 4 months into my camera, i am missin the zoom range of the kit lens, not the quality so i am lookin at the 16-85mm which was one of my initial option or the 17-55f2.8 which will cause me to eat bread again ;p.

if I had my chance @ buyin D90 again, i would just get the body and buy a 2nd hand 16-85mm. That would cover me for a while at i think just about the $2000 mark.

If you are not a lens chaser, i think this combi can last throughout and get better pictures results versus just using the D90 and 18-105, ceteris paribus at $300 extra?

If you are a lens chaser, the 16-85mm will have enough range to help determine which lens one will need, either UWA, zoom, primes for portrait, macro etc while givin at least enough quality not to jump into the next decision.

Of course, that is just me, there are thousand other person's view and websites u need to hunt thru but hey.......tt's part of the fun too.

Happy shootin =)

cheers,
kilkenny

 

[japlook]

Hi TS,

Just givin my 2 cts worth, i had got D90 in June (great camera btw ) along with the kit 18-105 and 50f1.8. Could not live with the kit lens, got rid of it and was using only 50f1.8 almost whole of july till i got the tokina 11-16 (this is a great lens btw but in my opinion too wide to be a walkabout lens for me though i am sure this is a highly debatable issue), 4 months into my camera, i am missin the zoom range of the kit lens, not the quality so i am lookin at the 16-85mm which was one of my initial option or the 17-55f2.8 which will cause me to eat bread again ;p.

if I had my chance @ buyin D90 again, i would just get the body and buy a 2nd hand 16-85mm. That would cover me for a while at i think just about the $2000 mark.

If you are not a lens chaser, i think this combi can last throughout and get better pictures results versus just using the D90 and 18-105, ceteris paribus at $300 extra?

If you are a lens chaser, the 16-85mm will have enough range to help determine which lens one will need, either UWA, zoom, primes for portrait, macro etc while givin at least enough quality not to jump into the next decision.

Of course, that is just me, there are thousand other person's view and websites u need to hunt thru but hey.......tt's part of the fun too.

Happy shootin =)

cheers,
kilkenny

hey kilkenny, tks for ur patient and kind advise.. greatly appreciated..
i will continue to read more.. tho i had read alot already..
many ppl oso mentioned about the greatness of 16-85 compared to 18-105
in the world wide web.. i love to take bokeh shots for portrait.. this i know myself..
im not a newbie in digital camera, but in DSLR. have been using my canon PnS for sometime.
hence, decided to jump the gun.. but first, i will still have to memorize all the ISO, aperture, Shutter speed and exposure.. guess it will be a steep learning curve.. haha :devil:

 

[ijnek]

as ur 1st dslr, jus use the kit len.

i don't think so there's such a thing as Best lens...

it's more like which len to use under which situation and also depends on what u like to take.

the kit len is good enough while u r still trying to figure out the finer details of the dslr and the various functions.

but i would advise u to get a flash like sb600 for low light situation

 

[valkyrie]

You'll need a flash under poor lighting conditions (unless you're taking night landscape in which you'll be using a tripod & long exposure). Whether you can make do with your internal flash or need external flash is a different question. The main purposes of external flash are: more reach, bounced flash, and off-axis lighting. If you're on a budget and needs to soften the internal flash, you can consider using Sto-fen Omni-Flip.



No not for night landscape, unless your external flash is so powerful it can light up the whole landscape. :bsmilie: For outdoor night portraiture yes, but you'll need to use slow sync flash and a tripod.

Does the Omni-Flip work in a similiar way as the pop-up diffuser?

 

[ziploc]

Does the Omni-Flip work in a similiar way as the pop-up diffuser?

You mean like this type? Not sure how well those pop up diffusers work, never used one before. But the Omin-Flip works more like the Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce.

Also, for those who are interested, here is a DIY diffuser for your pop up flash using a white film canister.

 

[Entity]

Looking at what your gear list, you are on your way towards your dream set already. :sweatsm:

Best lens should be Nikkor 14-24 f2.8 for landscape, Sigma 50mm f1.4 or Nikkor 85mm f1.4 for portrait, Nikkor 135mm f2.0 for stage event shoots, Sigma 150mm for macros, Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 for F1 and sports shoots and bazooka 600mm for taking premier league action from the sidelines. I will dream on.

Good man. You can go the way you planned out for yourself, with the kit lens and a fast prime, and this should keep you happy for a while. One thing to note is that the 50 f/1.8 gives the equivalent field of view of a 75mm lens, so don't expect to be able to take big group shots especially at a table scene with friends or family unless you have a big space behind you to backpeddle. In a restaurant you would probably run over a few waitresses before you can fit all your friends into the frame... 1-2 people are ok in a tight setting. If this is a concern for you, consider the Nikon AFS 35 f/1.8, which goes for a little more than double the price of the 50 f/1.8. The Sigma 30 f/1.4 is a fantastic item too, but even more pricey.

Look at post #7 in here for the CS recommended shops, they should get you a reasonable deal. Call to ask before making the trip down.
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=458315

hmm thanks entity, most prob will get the 18-105 and 50/1.8d.. hope this combination can bring me far enough without upgrading and burn another pocket..

next qns, do i need a sb400/600 external flash to take good images under poor lightings?
suitable for outdoor night landscapes? or jus purely indoor.

 

[lsisaxon]

hi guys, i decided to get D90 as a first DSLR..

can u guys advise me on the lens that is good to take portraits and landscapes?

does the kit len 18-105 any good? i saw both good and bad review.. so im confused.

another qns is whether all - round zoom lens good for both landscapes and portraits?

and what range should i be looking into.

any good n cheap recommendations are welcome!

hope u guys can help me out here.

thanks!

If you don't know, stick with the kit lens first and learn from there. Even if we tell you the lenses to buy, you will think that they don't suit your style of shooting etc etc...

Start with something first, then you know where the gaps are and then you know how to fill those gaps.

 

[lsisaxon]

hmm thanks entity, most prob will get the 18-105 and 50/1.8d.. hope this combination can bring me far enough without upgrading and burn another pocket..

next qns, do i need a sb400/600 external flash to take good images under poor lightings?
suitable for outdoor night landscapes? or jus purely indoor.

Kit lens with a 50/1.8 sounds like a good combination to cover general shots and portraiture. A flash will not be useful for outdoor night landscapes. A tripod will be more useful.

Flash is more useful for indoor shots of people where you need to freeze their action. For me, depending on situation, I would refrain from using flashes because it kills the entire ambience. So it really depends on what you want to achieve.

That's why in my previous post I mentioned that whatever we tell you may/may not suit your preferences. Better to start somewhere and then know your needs.

If you need a flash, go at least for an SB-600 first because it's more versatile.

 

[lsisaxon]

but first, i will still have to memorize all the ISO, aperture, Shutter speed and exposure.. guess it will be a steep learning curve.. haha :devil:

You don't have to memorise these parameters. You just need to know the effect of each of them.

eg.
Opening up aperture allows more light but reduces the Depth of Field, so need to take care of focusing.
Reducing exposure time will help freeze a subject (prevent motion blur) but if there is not enough light, you'll need to compensate with a bigger aperture (smaller f-number) or higher ISO.
Increasing ISO increases sensitivity, allowing you to use a faster shutter speed (shorter exposure time) or smaller aperture but comes at the expense of noise in the image.

Exposure is using these parameters to obtain the correct exposure for the lighting condition. In the studio, it is possible to set up a shot which fits the parameter you want because you can modify the lighting conditions. But in real life, you have to adapt to the lighting conditions.

Shoot more, then you'll learn more. Now it's very convenient because the exposure parameters are encoded in the EXIF of the images. During the film days, people who are learning need to bring notebooks to jot down the exposure settings for each shot.

 

[kilkenny]

Shoot more, then you'll learn more. Now it's very convenient because the exposure parameters are encoded in the EXIF of the images. During the film days, people who are learning need to bring notebooks to jot down the exposure settings for each shot.

Agreed! hehehe photography is much easier now. Not just in terms of equipment but information sharing as well. You can find almost anything on the internet and there is always clubsnap. That in itself makes the learning curve much less steeper.

However these are all facilities, still depends on yourself. Once you have the equipment, its really a matter of

1) Experimenting with the different styles (this would involve shooting alot)
To find out which area you like and which is the next lens to save up for or splurge on ;p

2) Find out why your shots are better of worse of than other people's (this would involve googling alot)
In that process you will also accquire knowledge on exposure, technique, other equipment like filters, remote timers, flash etc. Its easy to do that now as most pictures posted on the internet comes with exif data. In CS if you see a nice pic by any TS, pm them and they will more often than not be glad to share their setup which u can them emulate and experiment and hopefully breakthrough.

3) Experimenting with post processing (this would involve photoshopping a lot)
Sorry but i am not a purist and i think PP is an integral part of digital photography in today's age, where lotsa time can be saved. Of course there are many things a photoshop cannot do, like smoothening water on a bright day and making a fantastic photo out of a shot borne from poor technique, but there are many things it can do.

Sorry again for my lengthy reply must be getting old hahaha ;p but end of the day i think you are as good as you want to be and photography is as much a science as well as an art so effort must be put in and not just $$.

Cheers,
kilkenny

 

[jaRv1s]

hmm thanks entity, most prob will get the 18-105 and 50/1.8d.. hope this combination can bring me far enough without upgrading and burn another pocket..

next qns, do i need a sb400/600 external flash to take good images under poor lightings?
suitable for outdoor night landscapes? or jus purely indoor.

i personally think that 18-105mm kit lens would slowly build your style of shooting... and 50mm would provide the cheapest way to train yourself for thin DOF... until then, you shouldn't be asking for any lens suggestion if you know what you want to shoot...

night landscapes use long exposure better i think... 18 bucks ML3 wireless remote release or 33 bucks MC-DC2 wired remote release would do the job...

flash is good for other usages i.e. night portraits, macro, etc... consider SB600 and above because SB400 can't bounce IIRC...

hope this helps...

 

[japlook]

thanks so much for all your knowledgeable inputs.. i'll slowly digest them definately....

time to get one and shoot around.. btw.. does shutter count a very important factor? let say,
if the manual say 100k shots.. if i use more than tat.. it will become slow and ultimately breakdown?

 

[merlala]

It will breakdown eventually but it depends on how you use it I guess. Read somewhere that it all depends on the type of shots you take. If it is evenly spread out then it might last "longer"? Something along that line.

Try to get one with something lesser than 20k shutter count. It is probably cheaper than those with lower shutter counts.

 

[Entity]

It is highly likely you will itch to sell you camera before you get hit with shutter death.
If you think composition, exposure, ISO etc before you shoot, you shouldn't end up pressing the shutter enough to hit 100k anytime soon.

thanks so much for all your knowledgeable inputs.. i'll slowly digest them definately....

time to get one and shoot around.. btw.. does shutter count a very important factor? let say,
if the manual say 100k shots.. if i use more than tat.. it will become slow and ultimately breakdown?