Dooku77
Senior Member
Would you still recommend having a 50mm as part of my kit? I have the 35mm and I truly love it. I want to travel with primes this year.
Nifty fifty or a trusty thirty-five?
- Thread starter funfortehfun
- Start date
Would you still recommend having a 50mm as part of my kit? I have the 35mm and I truly love it. I want to travel with primes this year.
Dooku77
Senior Member
Do you use that lens often? I have it in my wish list. Can I use this lens for more than a portrait lens?
Definitely more than just a portrait lens. It will give you some good reach.
You are already holding the 35 so the 50 is not going to increase your envelope that much at least not as much as an 85 would.
The 85 is/was the classic fashion lens. It would complement your choice of subject very well as I think I remember you shooting fight shots. Just as you can make great snaps of a long legged model with one you could also make some great shots of a fighter too. Having the DX camera just gives you that much more range. I'm telling you it would be perfect for you...much more productive than the 50.
You are already holding the 35 so the 50 is not going to increase your envelope that much at least not as much as an 85 would.
The 85 is/was the classic fashion lens. It would complement your choice of subject very well as I think I remember you shooting fight shots. Just as you can make great snaps of a long legged model with one you could also make some great shots of a fighter too. Having the DX camera just gives you that much more range. I'm telling you it would be perfect for you...much more productive than the 50.
Dooku77
Senior Member
Wow you really hit the nail on the head here. That's exactly what I would be using it for is the martial arts competitions I attend. LOL you remembered what kind of photography i like. I would also love a street lens for vacation.
Dooku77
Senior Member
I'm sorry to hijack this posting. I absolutely love my 35, I'm so tempted to buy the 50 because its on sale for under 200 right now. I have a semi noob question. When you have a fast 1.8 lens such as the 35,50, 85 etc, is it almost the same as having vr on the zoom lenses?
Not exactly. Having a fast lens like a 1.8 could give you the ability to shoot with dim lighting handheld because the wider aperture allows for higher shutter speeds. Let's say you have the 50mm 1.8. The rule of thumb is to hand hold at the focal length or higher if the lens doesn't have VR. So maybe the 50 allows you to shoot at 1/60th at 1.8. You shouldn't go much slower than that.
A VR lens allows you to handhold and still get reasonably sharp photos at slower speeds than the rule of thumb. So maybe you could shoot at 50mm at 1/30th or 1/15th. With the VR you could shoot handheld and get more depth of field because you now have the ability to shoot at 2.8 or 4 etc. With the 1.8 you might be stuck shooting at 1.8 which limits your DOF.
And you can get sharp pictures with slower than rule of thumb speeds. You need to determine your shake factor - that is the slowest speed you can hand hold a given lens and still get a sharp result. VR is a tool that helps with this. You don't necessarily always need it though...it depends on your style and subject and light.
Dooku77
Senior Member
It's funny you mention shake factor because I noticed as I've gotten older my hands are more prone to shaking if I haven't had anything to eat in a while, plus I have carpal tunnel and my hands go numb after a while if I can't take a break. I've never really thought about that. I guess because my other 2 lenses have optical stabilization I kind of took it for granted and haven't really put any thought into what I really need in regards to my shooting style.
Excellent advice. With good form-elbows tucked-and low caffeine levels I can break the shutter speed rule of thumb. But I like coffee too much so my caffeine levels are rarely low.
Dooku77
Senior Member
I'm a solid 4-5 cups a day man myself. Elbows tucked and steady hands. Like being an expert marksman.
In a dojo the light will likely meter around 8-10 EV just like in most indoor rooms running on lamps. Sunny 16 rule of thumb if you set the ISO at 800 which the D7K will do no sweat dictates f16 @ 800...EV is 15. We need to get down to EV 8-10 so we need 5-7 stops. SO we take a few from the aperture and bring that to f5.6 gives us 3 stops then we take say 3 more from the shutter which gives us f5.6 @ 100. Well above the rule of thumb for anything shorter than say a 180. Use any 1.8 lens and you'll have even more room.
The range is crucially important to the subject...
The range is crucially important to the subject...
Dooku77
Senior Member
I just took a screen shot of what you just wrote so I can read this next month. I have another tournament coming up in April I will be shooting and at this particular venue, flash photography is not allowed. My zooms range between f2.8-5.6 so in low light or terrible light conditions like I'll be in next month. I think it might be in my best interest to start investing in faster glass. Although I do not have my own business, this will be the 4th event I have done for the school.
Dooku77
Senior Member
I ended up using my 35mm at my last event. My 18-50 didn't cut it. There were times that I really needed a little more reach.
SkvLTD
Senior Member
Gotta say, 50 takes a bit of times getting used to. Or I just tend to shoot in closer or much farther proximity.
On the sub-topic, kinda sounds like f/1.8 or f/2 50mm could do the trick for those sport shots indoors. Easier to adjust your position when you have room to move around.
On the sub-topic, kinda sounds like f/1.8 or f/2 50mm could do the trick for those sport shots indoors. Easier to adjust your position when you have room to move around.