I bought the Nikon d3200 with a 35mm lens about a year and a half ago and want to get another lens or two to start building my collection because just one lens is getting a little boring! I have spent days looking at reviews online to so many different lenses and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. Any suggestions?
-
Do you want a prime or a zoom? I love my 50mm but if I already had a 35mm I'd probably go for something like an 85 or 105 because you'll see a much bigger difference. Bonus points for macro capabilities.
For a zoom, I'd probably look to the 18-140 (lower price and bigger range) or 17-70 (more expensive but better quality glass). It really depends on what you think you'll be doing with it and what your budget is!
-
@PurplePeony: Theoretically I think I want a zoom lens but I guess I don't really know what I want. I was thinking a zoom for more versatility, I mostly want it for portraits but I would like a good all purpose lens.
-
I just got my 35mm and love it. If you are looking for a prime lens, this blog post was helpful for me to really see what lens for what situation.
http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2014/04/all-about-prime-lenses-focal-lengths.htmlI really like the versatility of a zoom lens as far as quickly getting a shot without having to move all around. We have a kit lens (18-55mm) that came with the camera and then a 55-300mm one that I rarely use. I think something between the two would be ideal.
-
Hmm, for portraits I would say a 50 or 85 is best because there's no way you'll get the same bokeh (background blur) with a zoom. They just don't open wide enough. The widest aperture on my 50 is 1.8 while the widest on my 18-105 is 3.5 -- and you can definitely tell the difference. Zooms with wide apertures seem to be prohibitively expensive, unfortunately. For a walking-around zoom, I think either of the ones I mentioned would be fine...my 18-105 is my second-most-used lens after the 50 and I used to be perfectly happy with it. But since I've been amping up my photography, I've discovered that I'm more of a prime girl so I don't want to sway you based on my own preferences.
ETA: now that the 18-140 is available, I'd take that over my 18-105, but it wasn't out yet when I got mine. It comes as a kit lens with a bunch of the consumer-level DSLRs and seems to be a pretty solid lens for the price.
-
@PurplePeony: Do you have a full frame or crop sensor? I am thinking I might get the 18-140 for general wandering purposes but for the say, 85 mm will I have to be a million miles away to get more than a head shot?
-
For portraits, 85mm for sure!
-
@Radish: Thank you that was definitely helpful!
-
@cyndistar3: I have a crop sensor (well, two -- an old D50 and recent upgrade to D7100). I haven't tried an 85 but I think the 50 is plenty close for nice portraits. How much are you looking to spend? The 50mm 1.8 G is around $200, the 18-140 is around $500 from reputable vendors. Could you rent a couple and get a feel for what you like?
I've also had luck buying lenses on Craigslist, that's where I got my 18-105 and my 55-200 (which I rarely use). Both were a steal...you just need to be cautious about meeting up and make sure to test them out before buying. I wouldn't buy really high-end equipment there because I'd want the warranty, but for a basic lens I found the cost savings outweighed that! Just an idea.
-
@PurplePeony: I think I might go with the 50mm and the 18-140! I am also contemplating a 10-24 for wide angle capabilities but I'm still on the fence.
-
@cyndistar3: these are just my opinions, but... if you have a 35, don't get the 50. They're too similar. An 85mm is THE portrait lens. You really want as low as you can get on the aperture range. Unless you're only shooting outside or have a nice flash set up I wouldn't get the 18-140. A nice zoom with a low aperture will be really pricey. I'd prefer a prime over a zoom any day of the week.
-
@photojane: Does the 85 work decently for macro? I am so confused by everyone's opinions lol... I guess I would probably have a decent range for now with just those lenses. Also, the 10-24 I was looking at has a max aperture of 3.5, I would really only be using it for outdoors (scenery mostly) anyways so is that decent enough?
-
@cyndistar3: I think a 35 & 85 are the two lenses everyone should own. I would love to add an extra wide lens to my bag! I really want a 14-24, but it's so out of my budget. The 10-24 is a good lens for landscapes/buildings/etc. You won't need a wide aperture if you're only using it for landscapes! You're going to be shooting in the high (or small - depending how you look at it) side of the aperture range.
-
@photojane: Thanks so much
I think it is settled then and hopefully it will give me a decent range of capabilities to work on for a while!
For a zoom, I'd probably look to the 18-140 (lower price and bigger range) or 17-70 (more expensive but better quality glass). It really depends on what you think you'll be doing with it and what your budget is!
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
13 comments