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Newbie Of All Newbies
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Hello guys,
Ive been reading alot in here all day so I thought I should register so I can get some help and advice.
Im only new to all this, very new, Im talking my first ever photo course next week and I have no idea about it all. I do love pictures and have a good eye so I thought I would give it a little try. I have bought a NikonD80, no lens and I wanted to ask what sort of lens I should buy and what excatly can I do with differrent lens please.
I have bought this lens on Ebay, what do you think ? Nikon AF-S DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED Lens f3.5-5.6G. I paid
Thanks in advance. Watch this space .. fun !
Hi Ciara
Very welcome to the forum :) Congratulations on your new camera and lens, I’ve heard great reports about the D80 so hopefully you’ll enjoy it. The lens you have should do untill you get the hang of things, so my advice would be get to grips with your camera and the course before thinking about any new lens or gadgets to add to the collection.. thats advice i give but didn’t take :)
Have fun !!
L
I agree with Lorraine Ciara – I also got a new Nikon back in the summer and was anxious to add to my kit, but I took the advice of several members here and held on for a while to see what I actually need as opposed to want. ( I still don’t know the answer to either by the way).
Hey Ciara, :) Welcome to the forum and what a lovely camera to start off with.
At the moment i am using the 18-70mm kit lens. I have to be honest, i am delighted with the quality
of the lens.Here are two images from the same lens. Totally different subjects but it will give you a good idea of what’s achievable with this lens. You will also find loads of information on lenses in the following
forum. Lenses
[/url]A warm welcome to the forum Ciara, and congratulations on your new camera. I’m only new to photography myself and itching to buy as much gear as possible without even knowing how to use what I’ve got :oops: But of course it’s wise to listen to the advice of the more experienced photographers here and bide your time. Have fun learning, I know I am.
Rob.
Ciara, welcome to the forum. The D80 is a very very good camera, the lenses you’ve bought are more then adequate. Best thing you can do is get out and use it as much as possible. And I mean as much as possible. It’s the only way you’ll learn. I suggest don’t think about changing a lens until you understand why you’re changing? The camera and lens you have are both very very good.
Post some of your stuff and people will be more than happy to respond with helpful hints.
Thanks for all the responses and advice, its great in here, you dont feel silly asking and if I dont I will never learn. I will do as you all advised, practice with what I have because those pictures you showed me are great looking.
Thanks again for the welcome, looking forward to sharing and watching with you all.
Welcome Ciara,
A very nice start to your kit bag! Depending on the type of photography that you want to do will vary the answer to your question. The lens that you have is a very good lens, the limits will be in the shallow DoF and low-light areas. My advice to anyone starting out is to get a 50mm standard lens (normally about ?90). This will accelerate your learning around perspective, Depth of Field and lighting conditions. After that, consider a good flashgun. Again, depends on the sort of shooting you enjoy.
Good luck and have fun
Si
And post some pictures for critique :)
Hi Ciara,
Welcome on board, I’m also a newbie to this great forum. You have an excellent start to your new hobby and the kit should be able to give you some impressive results as you settle into it. I second Allinthemind in considering getting a standard lens with a wide wide aperture. Every kit should have one. Here’s why.
A 50mm is standard for 35mm format (generally referred to these days as full frame) and essentially gives the most ‘normal’ perspective compared to real life across the frame. For cropped sensor cameras, like yours, the standard lens will be 50mm / 1.6, or approx 30mm (you won’t find a 32mm lens; a 35mm lens will also suffice). This will give you a close to normal perspective. Compare a wide angle lens – you’ll notice how vertical lines curve in at the edges, and a long telephoto lens, where the image appears compressed or ‘flat’. A 50mm lens on your camera will give a very slightly telephoto perspective, equivalent to 80mm full frame (better for people shots). This lens is also a good choice, though.
Any lens with a fixed focal length (prime lens) will force you to make decisions when composing as more often than not, something will be just out of shot or annoyingly just in shot, so you have to re-observe the scene, giving a whole new picture to take, because you’re ‘stuck’ with not being able to crop your preference with the zoom. This is a good learning tool.
(Tip for zoom lens – keep it at a pre-set focal length before you go to take the shot, then only zoom out or in slightly to re-compose your shot if you ‘have to’ — resist just finding a subject and zooming to what you think is grand; your composition skills will improve.)
Because the aperture on a standard lens is very wide your shooting options increase, for reduced Depth of Field (DoF) or higher shutter speeds, or low light situations (handy in the winter months or indoor pics). Focusing is usually easier (and quicker on AF systems) and more accurate in low or difficult lighting situations. The viewfinder image is brighter due to the wider aperture, as more light gets through (the viewing aperture is usually the widest aperture of the lens, and is stopped down only when taking the shot). Results are usually consistent and reliable as the lens is easy enough to manufacture these days and carry less glass than a complex zoom.
A standard lens is affordable, making it more replaceable should it get knocked or damaged in some way when you’re out and about. This is also an affordable option to compare results from your kit lens, as your kit lens covers the standard focal length.
IMO I’d advise against shelling out for tons of stuff until you develop a genuine need for it, or understand what it’s about. As I grew into photography (many years ago), ‘everyone’ had a wide angle, a standard and a telephoto – 28mm, 50mm, 135mm. So did I. I never used the 28mm and the 135 was good but I really wanted a 105mm for portraiture. You’ll get to know what kind of photography you enjoy, or take a shining to.
Good luck
PS A skylight filter is highly recommended to protect the front element, and to give you that edge in daylight shooting. Much cheaper & quicker to replace a filter than to take in your lens for repair! Don’t leave home without it!
Ciara wrote:
I wanted to ask what sort of lens I should buy and what excatly can I do with differrent lens please.
a useful intro
http://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/468
Thanks for the link stasber. Will surely come in handy if I ever get around to buying that DSLR one day :-)
Hey AllintheMind and Stasber, thanks for all the welcomes and information. I went to my first photography course tonight.
So up up and away !Thanks again, you are all very helpful.
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