Prime Lens for Inside of a Small Room

K

kfallsover

New member
Hey guys!

So I have the Nikon 5200 with the kit lens and the Nikkor 35mm prime. I LOVE my prime lens- however, I'm wanting to start doing some video blogging from my tiny apartment... and I've discovered I have a very hard time getting a shot of anything except for my head since the room is so small. I set the camera up on a tripod in one corner of the room, and although I'm sitting in the opposite corner, the image is too cropped (especially since when taking video footage, the cropped area is significantly smaller than even the regular photo area.)

Being not all that familiar with the ins and outs of lenses, I think I need to be looking for a wide angle lens? I want to get another prime lens (I love the low f-stops) and I've been considering the 18.5mm Nikkor lens. The camera will be about 3 feet away from me, though, and I'm concerned about distortion. Will it be really unflattering? Is the autofocus fast enough for solid video footage? Any other suggestions for lenses?
 
J

J-see

Senior Member
If you go wide, any subject close can have features that scale big. Wides are known to make noses or heads appear gigantic. It's not always flattering. ;)

If you take enough distance, it is less of a problem but it's still not a "flattering" lens.

This is a wide very close:

141698d1424530255-pets-petography-thread-_dsc1613.jpg

If you get too far, it'll look as if the subject is miles away. They require the right position for what you want and preferably leveled since at any tilting angle they can start distorting heavily.

This is a very wide lens on an FX, if I'm correct the 18.5mm will be some 24mm on your DX which is less problematic at some levels.
 
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A

aroy

Senior Member
For a small apartment a WebCam is an ideal solution. It works 24x7, requires very little power and has the optics to take in small spaces.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
aroy said:
For a small apartment a WebCam is an ideal solution. It works 24x7, requires very little power and has the optics to take in small spaces.
Click to expand...
Agreed; a web-cam is the ideal solution based on what you describe.

Take a look at the Logitech HD Pro C920, it will set you back maybe $80 or so.
 
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