Suggestions on lens for d3000?

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riwa

New member
I couldnt find a specific group for the d3000 so I posted here. I borrowed this camera from my brother recently cuz he aint using it so I bought a tripod and been taking some night shots. However, I cant get the focus as I want it, often I want one object very sharp and the rest blurry. The normal lens goes up to 3.5 and the zoom lens only to 4 and I figure I need something around 2-3 for some of these shots. The lens I been looking at is the 50 mm/f1.8 D, but as I have no experience or knowledge in these matters I thought I'd ask here for advice.

Greatful for advice.

Regards
Richard
 
L

Lawrence

Senior Member
First off I don't know anything about that particular model camera and assume it precedes the D3100.

That being the case then a lens with a f stop of 1.8 will definitely create the bokeh you are looking for much easier than the kit lens.
Dig around on here and do searches for Depth of Field (DOF) and visit the lens forum for more on the 50mm f/1.8D
 
D

Deleted

Senior Member
I'm not sure that the 50mm f1.8 D will autofocus on this camera. The OP needs to look at AF-S lenses which have the autofocus motor in the lens. Instead, look at the AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX for example.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
riwa said:
I couldnt find a specific group for the d3000 so I posted here. I borrowed this camera from my brother recently cuz he aint using it so I bought a tripod and been taking some night shots. However, I cant get the focus as I want it, often I want one object very sharp and the rest blurry. The normal lens goes up to 3.5 and the zoom lens only to 4 and I figure I need something around 2-3 for some of these shots. The lens I been looking at is the 50 mm/f1.8 D, but as I have no experience or knowledge in these matters I thought I'd ask here for advice.
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Lenses with a wider maximum aperture will definitely give you a shallower depth of field and the blurred background you're looking for. The 50mm focal length is a good one for your camera but the Nikon "D" lenses will not auto-focus on your camera. The lens will work, it just won't auto-focus. If you want a 50mm f1/1.8 that will auto-focus get the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 G instead.

....
 
D

Deleted

Senior Member
A further lens to consider is the AF-S 40mm f/2.8G DX Micro or 85mm f/3.5G AF-S VR DX IF-ED Micro. Either lens could be used as a regular lens, but will also close focus as a 1:1 macro - if you ever wanted to get into close-ups.
 
R

riwa

New member
Hello and thanks for all the replies. I had googled some and went to my local camera store to try out the 50mm/1.8G and the 35mm/1.8. The 35 didnt give me too much difference from my regular 18-55, but maybe I was using it wrong. The 50mm however felt very nice and focused perfectly. I noticed how much sharper the picture was with it compared to my other two "adjustable" lenses. I wish I had tried out the 40mm too, but I think that I will regret it if I dont buy a lens with 1.8.

The primary objects I want to shoot are range from, a bench with a streetlight in the middle of the night where I only want one object dead sharp, to small landscapes, but the landscapes I can manage just fine with my 18-55 or 55-200. The problem was this awesome shot I had the other day. I had the tripod in a nice place, had been playing around in manual mode until I found just the right exposure. But everything was just too sharp. I tried moving back and forwards but I always seemed to get the best shot without zoom at largest aperture.

So I believe 50mm/1.8 would be the best choice but I read somewhere that since I have a cropped lens the 35mm is more towards the eye or something. I have no clue about any of this but is there a reason why I would want a 35mm for a cropped lens instead of a 50mm, besides that it gives me wider view?
 
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Deleted

Senior Member
In FX or 35mm film cameras, 50mm most closely matches the field of view & magnification of eyesight. In a crop sensor or DX camera, you multiply the lens focal length by 1.5 to get the equivalent view. So with a DX camera, a 35mm would give approximately the same view as a 50mm in FX.

Taking a 35mm as a regular view in DX, then anything longer would be telephoto & magnify the image, suitable for wildlife, sport, candid etc. Anything shorter, would be wide angle, suitable for landscapes etc. Therefore if you popped a 50mm lens onto a DX camera, the effect would be like a 75mm in FX. This is a mild telephoto, suitable for portraits for instance.

The increase in quality you have noticed is due to the general fact that FX lenses are higher quality, but also because of the crop sensor, you are only using the centre part of the lens. The centre part of a lens is always of higher quality than the edges.
 
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aroy

Senior Member
riwa said:
.........
The primary objects I want to shoot are range from, a bench with a streetlight in the middle of the night where I only want one object dead sharp, to small landscapes, but the landscapes I can manage just fine with my 18-55 or 55-200. The problem was this awesome shot I had the other day. I had the tripod in a nice place, had been playing around in manual mode until I found just the right exposure. But everything was just too sharp. I tried moving back and forwards but I always seemed to get the best shot without zoom at largest aperture.

So I believe 50mm/1.8 would be the best choice but I read somewhere that since I have a cropped lens the 35mm is more towards the eye or something. I have no clue about any of this but is there a reason why I would want a 35mm for a cropped lens instead of a 50mm, besides that it gives me wider view?
Click to expand...

If your scene is static, then 50mm F1.8D is the best lense. You can use the "range finder" for accurate manual focus. In very low light, you may find AF to be inaccurate. The 35mm F1.8 AF-S will auto focus, but at a reasonably long distance it may be too wide.
 
R

riwa

New member
aroy said:
If your scene is static, then 50mm F1.8D is the best lense. You can use the "range finder" for accurate manual focus. In very low light, you may find AF to be inaccurate. The 35mm F1.8 AF-S will auto focus, but at a reasonably long distance it may be too wide.
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Why would the D model be better than the G? I asked about this in the camera store but they pretty much said that the D model is obsolete. Just like my camera hehe
 
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SteveH

Senior Member
riwa said:
Why would the D model be better than the G? I asked about this in the camera store but they pretty much said that the D model is obsolete. Just like my camera hehe
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I haven't used either 50mm version, but apparently the "D" lens has better image quality than the "G". How noticeable this is, I don't know. I do know that the 35mm & 50mm F1.8's are among the sharpest you can get at that price & I think everyone should have one or the other.

Bear in mind, that the "D" is not af-s therefore will not auto-focus on your camera, whereas the af-s "G" will.
 
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Wolfeye

Senior Member
My livingroom camera is my Eye-fi'd D3000. I keep a 35mm 1.8 on it nearly all the time. This is the ideal lens for any Nikon DX camera.
 
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aroy

Senior Member
riwa said:
Why would the D model be better than the G? I asked about this in the camera store but they pretty much said that the D model is obsolete. Just like my camera hehe
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D is sharper and has less CA, according to DXO. Another advantage of D is that it has aperture ring and a hard focus stop, very useful for astro photography.

By the way D3000 is listed on the "Out of Production DSLRs"
http://nikonites.com/d3000-d5000/#axzz3FokXaMpF
 
A

aroy

Senior Member
Wolfeye said:
My livingroom camera is my Eye-fi'd D3000. I keep a 35mm 1.8 on it nearly all the time. This is the ideal lens for any Nikon DX camera.
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I agree.

Same as the 50mm was for film cameras. It was generally bundled with camera and its popularity was way ahead of the Wide Angle lenses (the next acquisition) or telephotos (next after WA).
 
R

riwa

New member
I decided to go with the 50/1.8G. I saw some tests with the D vs the G and the only nice thing about the D seemed to be the aperture ring. Visual quality seemed slightly worse with some hexagonal shapes around light flares and such. I want to thank you all for taking the time to help me out.

Regards
 
S

SteveH

Senior Member
riwa said:
I decided to go with the 50/1.8G. I saw some tests with the D vs the G and the only nice thing about the D seemed to be the aperture ring. Visual quality seemed slightly worse with some hexagonal shapes around light flares and such. I want to thank you all for taking the time to help me out.

Regards
Click to expand...

A good choice, you will love the sharpness you can get with your new lens!
 
R

riwa

New member
Of course its been pouring down since I came home, no night shots for me. But it sure is sharp. Did some shots of a rose in a vase, Im quite sure I got the right lense at the moment
 
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