Advice on the next lens.

Hi all,Let me tell you a little about my photography history.First off one of my friends had someone do professional pictures of his car and it was pretty much there I fell in love. I started talking to him asking all kinds of questions about lens camera etc. That Christmas I was given a Nikon d 3000 with the starter lens and a 55-200mm 1:4-5.6G as well. These were great for a while until I started to see more of a friends style and I fell in love with Bokeh. So I asked for a Nikon 50mm 1.8G! I love it, but the only flaw is the limited space you get to shoot with it, its nice but I need more and better.I have Photoshop and just started using RAW. ( After helping out with a few weddings under a friends name who decided to drop me after she was popular and her hubby bought her a 2k dollar lens) ANYWAYS. I enjoy car photography, and of course shooting pictures of people! The friend who got me started shoots with a 35mm 1.8g. I LOVE the pictures he gets with that thing, the sharpness is insane. My only fear is its too similar to my 50mm and I would abandoned it. Is there a semi cheap lens out there that would be a great and worthy investment? I plan to continue photography and hopefully make a name for myself and make some money off of it, at least what I pay for the lenses Any advice is always welcome and helpful. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask!Thanks for taking the time to read my story

I don't think the 35mm 1.8 is going to give you an advantage over using your 50mm 1.8. I'd use that money and buy another lens that you will eventually need.

You seem to be confused a bit. You say you want a good bokeh lens, than you claim that 50mm f/1.8 gives you a "limited space" (by which, you probably meant that it's "angle of view is not wide enough").
Get yourself a 40mm f/2.8 DX - it will give you more options in terms of (slightly) wider angle (compared to 50mm) and a better bokeh (compared to a kit lens you already own). Additionally, it has a macro mode and is quite usable for taking portraits from the distance of 2-3 meters, too...

This is your Nikon rep speaking ….. Buy them all!
Bwahahahaha …

I have the 35mm and I love it.
Why not hire one or ask your mate if you could to try his out to see how you like it.
So many options …
Buy them all ….

Hello Jackehboy,

First of all welcome and thanks for the introduction.

Nobody can choose lenses for you, it depends on how you feel your pictures and what you want to do with them.

From what I understand you are taking still pictures (that is not races).
I also understand you struggle with the 50mm on the APS-C sensor (giving a field of view of 75mm equivalent).
Since I understand you have the 18-55, you should try if 35mm or 24mm or 18mm gives you enough "space". Just leave it on one setting and try it, just to try the frame even if the rest is less then you want. Alternative like Lawrence states, ask around and borrow or hire.

On the brokeh, the masters are more in the 80-135mm range. In wide this is more difficult, already theoretically.
To force it on a budget, you would go to lenses like the Rokinon/Samyang 24mm f1,4, the Nikon/Zeiss lenses are more expensive, since they solve the issues the cheap ones have, but it is just you can do more, it is not that you can not do great things on a budget.

For very close car photography I like the Tokina 11-16mm f2,8 I have, but for brokeh you are talking very close and for portrait it is a no-go.

P.S.: Nikon 28mm f2.8G or Nikon 20mm f/2.8 AF-D might be quite unexpected, but very good choices. I was very tempted by a 24mm f2.8D second hand lately, someone else bought it.

Welcome to the forum!

Reading you post, it sounds like using the 50mm isn't giving you as wide field of view as you'd like? The 35mm and 50mm lenses kind of compliment each other very well and LOTS of people have both.

Given your car photography, and wanting a wider view I'd be leaning towards a wide angle - How do you find your 18-55mm at the 18mm end? Have a look through the wide angle section of the forum, there are lots to choose from and the prices can be reasonable. I recently bought a Sigma 8-16mm ultra wide lens, and I love it.

dont know if your into landscapes much or night shooting but ill let you know my next two lenses , 11-16 tokina for night and wide landscapes

105mm macro , this will double as a great portrait lens with good bokeh so that may be an option depending on your budget

egosbar said:

dont know if your into landscapes much or night shooting but ill let you know my next two lenses , 11-16 tokina for night and wide landscapes

105mm macro , this will double as a great portrait lens with good bokeh so that may be an option depending on your budget

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Ooohhh yeah, I forgot the 105mm.... That's on my list too!

Welcome to the forum.....my opinion is that you should spend your money wisely on good glass. Your glass will hold it's value but your camera body will do a belly flop in price. That's just the way it is. I recommend you go here to get an idea of what to expect with your DX camera body. He will give you an idea of what all the different types of lenses and bodies will do for you.

Welcome

General Lenses Forum

This thread made me look again in my next step (after a 500mm that is).

I´ll experiment with my 18-105 (20-35-50) to see the effect that gives, I got the impression from the simulator on line that the 24-50mm combination is not sufficient.
I do not want to go with more DX lenses, just in case I go for a second hand FX body later.

Since my Kenko 1,4 teleconverter with the Tokina 11-16mm could be used for FX as 16-22 f4 I would go for a 35mm. I think most about the Nikon AF-D 35mm F2 , not that expensive and quite fast (recommended to be used a little stopped down). Not a big advantage over the 18-105, but expected to have a still higher quality.

Trying not to buy it though, I really do not use 35mm a lot, but on an APS-C sensor I do seem to like it on street and event photography.

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Update: looking at my pictures with the 18-105 after corrections in lightroom, there is really no need for a 35mm for me till I end up with an FX body. I guess that using the 18-55 correctly would be similar for you. What you miss in F stop, you compensate in VR. That does not solve the DOF you want to get, but then some people really do not like the brokeh on the 35mm f1.8G DX.

I feel having to constantly change lenses is not a good option especially when the occasion requires fast actions. Unless you know you are able to shoot most shots using a particular lens or you are having 2 cameras, it don't work for me.

Why not get a zoom lens?

Bukitimah said:

Why not get a zoom lens?

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Your lens choice is really going to have a lot to do with what style of car shooting you want to do. I am another one that loves the Tokina 11-16mm. Allows me to be right up close when room is rather tight and I love the look and perspective. However, as I said it's going to come down to your taste. The Tokina is not going to give you bokeh because of its wide angle nature.

Here is one of my shots and the look I like from the Tokina. I could literally reach out and touch the corner of the car.


Traditional lens. Granted, this one was shot on a 300mm, but I think you see the difference in the way the lens captures the image between traditional glass and a wide angle.


Each lens has it's own look and will not do what the other does. LOL, which is why so many of us own various lenses, but it all takes time and more money more money more... you get the idea.