Hi there. I am new to this forum, looking for some lens advice. I have a 18-105 and a 50mm prime. I take a lot of portraits of my kids and am trying to get really sharp eye focus on my portraits.. I have convinced myself that a sigma 17-70 or a nikon 16 - 85 will get me sharper pics than my 18 - 105. But the more I read then I am starting to think that I could just be spending money for he sake of it as the 18-105 will prob perform just as well as the other 2 lenses. I like the 18-105 as my preference is not to change lenses. Can anyone share their thoughts re this before I waste my hard earned cash that I should not be spending! Thanks
Lens confusion
- Thread starter Davidm
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Hi thanks for the replies....I really like the 50mm but find when out and about with the kids I like the flexibility of the zoom...my kids are 5 and 4 year old so always running around but in rare moments I can get them to be still for a moment to get a close up shot...usually when eating ice cream 
. I generally have the dog out as well so don't have spare hands or time to take my tripod...my usual photos involve chasing the kids around, getting down to their height hoping I can catch a shot...I normally then end up cropping and sharpening in Lightroom but get frustrated at lack of sharpness...I know that biggest problem is technique, but I have managed to get a few shots with blurred out backgrounds hence was thinking that the sigma with 2.8 sounded interesting...look forward to your responses. David
. I generally have the dog out as well so don't have spare hands or time to take my tripod...my usual photos involve chasing the kids around, getting down to their height hoping I can catch a shot...I normally then end up cropping and sharpening in Lightroom but get frustrated at lack of sharpness...I know that biggest problem is technique, but I have managed to get a few shots with blurred out backgrounds hence was thinking that the sigma with 2.8 sounded interesting...look forward to your responses. DavidHi thanks for the replies....I really like the 50mm but find when out and about with the kids I like the flexibility of the zoom...my kids are 5 and 4 year old so always running around but in rare moments I can get them to be still for a moment to get a close up shot...usually when eating ice cream
This probably explains the lack of sharpness....
Using fast glass to get bokeh or blur will require a lot of ice cream! LOL
How are you setting up your camera (BTW if you fill out your profile we'll know which body you have and may be able to give more specific tips)? For fast moving things like kids, you might want to consider shutter priority so you can freeze motion which will increase sharpness. You won't get the blurred backgrounds with this approach though.
Another thing to consider with kids (or dogs) is to shoot a burst of 3-4 images because you'll have a better chance that one will be sharper. If the kids are running, you can try panning the camera with them to blur the background a bit (think about those race car pctures with the blurred background - hopefully you're kids aren't that fast).
How are you setting up your camera (BTW if you fill out your profile we'll know which body you have and may be able to give more specific tips)? For fast moving things like kids, you might want to consider shutter priority so you can freeze motion which will increase sharpness. You won't get the blurred backgrounds with this approach though.
Another thing to consider with kids (or dogs) is to shoot a burst of 3-4 images because you'll have a better chance that one will be sharper. If the kids are running, you can try panning the camera with them to blur the background a bit (think about those race car pctures with the blurred background - hopefully you're kids aren't that fast).
Hi there...I have a d90. I use aperture priority as I like to try and control my depth of field... I try to keep ISO to max 200 as I've had probs with noise on high Iso's....you are probably correct that I need to use a faster shutter speed when chasing the kids round, normally I am using up to 200th due to keeping the Iso down...will try shutter priority with faster shutter speeds to see how I get on....I also shoot raw....the advice seems to be more around technique than changing lenses which I was starting to think myself, back to the bad workman blaming the tools syndrome!
You can use a flash to stop the movement witch I think would be a better buy then another lens...
If it was me, I'd work on technique like you picked up on before buying more glass. If that doesn't solve your problem, then you'll have more confidence and knowledge when selecting different equipment.
The other thing to consider before selecting a lens, is to look at what focal length you use most with the zoom. (Lightroom can help you with this.) I realized on my last vacation I never once used anything over 55mm except for my 105mm macro. And I carried my 70-300 VR the entire time. :flustered:
Whenever you are taking pictures indoor with your kit lens, once you zoom in, the aperture will be set at f5.6 (wide open). If you focus on their eyes, you should get decent sharpness. Stop down to f7.1 or f8, then you will get very sharp images with your current lens.
However, you will need an external flash to compensate the lighting. Try a bounce flash to lower down your ISO. Buy a flash first if you don't have one yet such as the Nikon SB 700 instead of a lens.
Typical setting indoor with flash using a kit lens and your camera: M mode, f7.1, 1/80, ISO 200 will get you pretty good images without the artistic OOF bokeh. The flash will stop the action and will tame the ISO. You can leave this in Aperture priority if you are outdoor with good light.
I think the problem that you are experiencing when relying on Aperture priority is that the camera will lower the speed which will give you blurry or not so sharp images especially if you don't have a good hand-hold technique and if the kids moves a lot.
However, you will need an external flash to compensate the lighting. Try a bounce flash to lower down your ISO. Buy a flash first if you don't have one yet such as the Nikon SB 700 instead of a lens.
Typical setting indoor with flash using a kit lens and your camera: M mode, f7.1, 1/80, ISO 200 will get you pretty good images without the artistic OOF bokeh. The flash will stop the action and will tame the ISO. You can leave this in Aperture priority if you are outdoor with good light.
I think the problem that you are experiencing when relying on Aperture priority is that the camera will lower the speed which will give you blurry or not so sharp images especially if you don't have a good hand-hold technique and if the kids moves a lot.
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@f7.1 or f8, it will not matter much since you will have plenty of DOF to keep everything in focus.
i had the sigma F2.8 and didnt like it, it was heavy, and I just didnt like the pictures it took as much as my cheaper 50mm prime lens. I sent the sigma back for a full refund! The prime should be pretty sharp, maybe like you said its technique because you are moving around lots trying to shoot moving targets.
I bought a cheap nikon 28-80 lens and its as sharp as a samurai sword! I really like this lens, its light, cheap, great to walk around with.
I kind of told myself after this a nikon camera with a nikon lens is maybe the greatest combination (as opposed to a nikon camera with another make of lens), I might be very wrong as I've only had a few lenses, but I'd always go for a nikon lens first now.
I bought a cheap nikon 28-80 lens and its as sharp as a samurai sword! I really like this lens, its light, cheap, great to walk around with.
I kind of told myself after this a nikon camera with a nikon lens is maybe the greatest combination (as opposed to a nikon camera with another make of lens), I might be very wrong as I've only had a few lenses, but I'd always go for a nikon lens first now.
Here is an update...after taking on board the advice given I went out today on the beach with the kids with my 50mm prime....upped the shutter speed and having just zoomed the images in to 200 percent am happier with the sharpness. The 50mm gives some really good bokeh so got a good mix of photos....may just try leaving the 50 on the camera for a while...thanks again for the good advice so far
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I'm pleased to hear you are enjoying the 50 mm now. It took me a while to get the feel of mine when I first got it, having never had a prime before. I also take a lot of portrait type photos and love my 50 mm lens. It is going to be soft wide open but sometimes this can have a lovely effect. I spent Fathers Day with my family and my baby nephew was there so it was a great opportunity to get lots of pictures of him. We were indoors and the light wasn't that great, but I didn't want to startle the little guy with a flash so I shot fairly wide, focusing on the eyes. F2.8 was about the widest I could go and some of them were a little soft but I quite liked the softness. F4.5 was plenty sharp for the overall effect I wanted and at F8 they were pretty much tack sharp. But I didn't need that and preferred the more shallow depth of field.
The more I use this lens the more I love it and my people have all got used to me zooming in and out by running around
I think it is very personal preference, but when it comes to portraits especially, there are times when I would rather lose some sharpness to keep the shallow depth of field I want in that particular shot.
The more I use this lens the more I love it and my people have all got used to me zooming in and out by running around
I think it is very personal preference, but when it comes to portraits especially, there are times when I would rather lose some sharpness to keep the shallow depth of field I want in that particular shot.
I think the whole secret to everything is to find out the "working distance" of any given focal length...once you figure out how the lens acts at this distance with any given light situation that is when you are able to fully exploit the magic of a lens...some lenses are easier to learn than others...
I personnal feel the 50 mm may not be ideal if you are shooting indoor or within a confined space and you wish to take a full body shot on you DX camera. A 17-55 mm f2.8 would be a more flexible choice. The 50 mm prime lens is great for outdoor.
Again, having the 17-50, I am also thinking if it should be 24-75. If you are not into landscape, the 24-75 seems a better choice. otherwise, you may end up getting another 11-16 mm to cover the wide angle.
Well, that is the interesting part about photography. Never ending needs and wants, haha
Again, having the 17-50, I am also thinking if it should be 24-75. If you are not into landscape, the 24-75 seems a better choice. otherwise, you may end up getting another 11-16 mm to cover the wide angle.
Well, that is the interesting part about photography. Never ending needs and wants, haha
Well after accepting that my lack of sharp images is down to technique I have still gone ahead and sold my 18-105 and bought a 16-85......so I now have to work on my technique but at least I now definitely know that it's me rather than not being happy with the lense!...long term plan is to add a 70 -300 and I hope that I can carry these lenses on to any future camera upgrades. Least that is my justification to myself.....thanks again for the feedback and advice, every bit has helped
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