advice needed please

moojii

moojii

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hi y'all

can somebody tell me what a nifty fifty is please. also, what would you use one for primarily...portraits??

and, eventually when i get good enough i would like to be a "semi-pro" and take pics of bands/gigs...weddings..portraits etc..

would a nikon d200 with decent glass be ok or should i aim for the d300??

also...what glass?

cheers folks. :love:
 
50mm prime gives FOV / focal length similar to the eyes. Quite good for portraits, and they're normally f1.8 so very good in low light conditions where flash isn't appropriate.

Its usually most peoples first (and sometimes) only experience of prime lenses. Get one and force yourself to use it as it makes you think about composition more.
 
wouldnt it only be similar to the eyes on a camera with full frame sensor though???
 
moojii said:
wouldnt it only be similar to the eyes on a camera with full frame sensor though???
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No - the perspective of the lens wouldn't change regardless of the sensor size - you'd just get a wider view with a full frame sensor, which is a good thing. Fast 50mm lenses are great in low light situations for moody shots which would be ruined by using flash. Couldn't be without my 50mm!
 
CT said:
No - the perspective of the lens wouldn't change regardless of the sensor size - you'd just get a wider view with a full frame sensor, which is a good thing. Fast 50mm lenses are great in low light situations for moody shots which would be ruined by using flash. Couldn't be without my 50mm!
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Even after getting your 85mm ? :thinking:
 
haggisuk said:
Even after getting your 85mm ? :thinking:
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Nope - the extra field of view of the 50mm still makes a huge difference in restricted areas.

Horses for courses. ;)
 
Doing bands, gigs, wedding work, usually benefits from fast lenses (large maximum aperture) as it often involves low light where flash use isn't permitted. Usually I'd put suitable lenses as a high priority over upgrading the body.

I don't use Nikon, but I understand the noise performance of the D300 to be a significant improvement over the D200, so for low light work it becomes a very important consideration. The low noise performance of the D300 at higher ISO's means you would probably be able to use slower lenses in those situations.

Certainly you need to give these considerations some serious thought before you commit to spending your money.
 
Worries me a bit that there is all this talk of expensive kit but not about experience. Having the tools is one thing but you need to learn a lot about photography first. Once you have the knowledge needed you will be answering questions like this yourself.

Get a modestly priced camera and lens and start learning would be my advice. buy the expensive toys once you know what they can do for you.
 
RobertP said:
Worries me a bit that there is all this talk of expensive kit but not about experience. Having the tools is one thing but you need to learn a lot about photography first. Once you have the knowledge needed you will be answering questions like this yourself.

Get a modestly priced camera and lens and start learning would be my advice. buy the expensive toys once you know what they can do for you.
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Second that!! You'll be amazed what you can achieve with an entry DSLR and a nifty fifty, if you have the knowledge to put them in good use!
 
DiddyDave said:
I also feel a nifty fifty just isn't 'long' enough - hence a nifty 85 f1.2 like CT's new toy is best, or it's not 'wide' enough, hence I prefer my nifty 20mm f1.8

DD
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Remember on the 1.6 crop cameras, the 50mm is almost like an 85mm. So a normal lens (basically, 50mm on a full frame) is a 35mm on a 1.6 crop.
 
In my understanding, a 50mm lens, for example, is still a 50mm lens wether it is on a D40,D200, D3 or the HubbleBubble telescope......:D
 
stylgeo said:
Second that!! You'll be amazed what you can achieve with an entry DSLR and a nifty fifty, if you have the knowledge to put them in good use!
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True - or put another way - I wouldn't be amazed at all as in days of old, my first SLR came with a 50mm f2 and that's the only lens I had for 2 years before getting a 28mm f2.8; which was then all I had for another 3 years

Camera and 2 lenses took my investment to a whopping £130 in those days

Perhaps photography gear (or is it credit terms!!!) is just too accessible these days?

There are 'equipment junkies' in every hobby I guess - I had my phase of that too (about 25 yrs ago!)

:D
 
Theo Moore said:
Remember on the 1.6 crop cameras, the 50mm is almost like an 85mm. So a normal lens (basically, 50mm on a full frame) is a 35mm on a 1.6 crop.
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I know what you're saying about the apparent focal length changes, the FoV as others correctly added, but I can't see what you're saying about why we need to 'remember' it?

:shrug:

DD
 
I am personally of the opinion that someone should put whatever gear they have to work, get to know it, whether it's a lens or a camera, push it to its limits and when you realise that the gear is the limiting factor then upgrade.
I've had my 400d for about 2 years now. Actually for about 20 months and even though I had the money to upgrade I didn't. I thought that it still produced the results I wanted. On the other hand I got an interest in wildife and bird photography and my Sigma 70-300mm APO just didn't produce the results I was after. At that point it's good to upgrade that's why I got the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 with both TCs.
Now, even though I am still happy with my 400D for everyday use, for landscapes, portraits, even for studio jobs I am starting to see its limits while shooting birds and wildlife. I could use a camera with better ISO performance and having all focusing points f/2.8 sensitive. Even now I am reluctant of upgrading because I feel i can put my 400D in good use! And this is coming from someone who is mad about photography and, I may say, I am an equipment junky myself, just fighting my urges with logic!
 
RobertP said:
Get a modestly priced camera and lens and start learning would be my advice. buy the expensive toys once you know what they can do for you.
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Not sure if thats the course I would take. I cut my teeth on old manual cameras ( Fed4, Zenit E etc) where you had to set everyrthing manually, even manually close down the aperture ring before each photo.
Then the new digital ones came in with all the auto and scene modes. Great for helping you forget how to operate a camera properly!

It wasn`t until I bought a D200 that I realised how much I had forgotten. Not having auto makes you think about every shot you take( I try not to use P). A great way to learn fast, and in my opinion, the best way to go, especially if you want to be a semi pro soon!

So, IMO, I would say that you should go for a higher end camera with good lenses and a few good books..
Allan
 
i have a d50 but never use the pre programmed modes. its a waste of time.

going back to the nifty fifty are there different types?

ie afd
ais etc etc

and, will the ais version fit and work on my d50?? :thinking:
 
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