jeff_ward4

<p>Awesome replies, everyone. THANK YOU...<br /><br />I'm confirming suspicions, and eliminating what I thought was erroneous advice.<br /><br />Clarifications... <br> The studio video I plan on shooting does NOT have to be seriously high production quality. It will be web-based 15-30 second clips, so yes, I'll go with the kit lens I have now, and invest in stationary lighting. <br /><br />The beach pictures will NOT be for her livelihood. We both make great money as Personal Trainers, so her photo-shoots are a nice addition to the website to market us... not to get her work with commercial modelling. We get multiple inquiries per week from professionals who want to shoot with her for the serious portfolio work, usually time for pictures. My photos are, at this point, purely for fun and basic marketing. I don't expect to shoot the same quality as a guy who does it for a living, with thousands of hours behind a camera, thousands of dollars worth of glass, and years with Photoshop...<br /> <br />A friend of mine went to the last show we attended, with his Canon T5, and a 300mm lens I think... I'm getting his aperture information from him to see if the basic Nikon 55-300 f4.5-5.6 ED VR will work. He was shooting WITHOUT a flash from 60ish feet back. The stage lighting at bodybuilding shows is VERY bright. That is why the competitors paint themselves chestnut brown, so that they don't wash out definition. <br> Great idea to check the information stored in the RAW images we got from one of the pro shoots. Obviously, he was using a full-frame camera, and a monster telephoto, and TWO cameras. I learned a lot... as I got to work the reflector (and do bikini adjustments!)<br /><br />From what I'm reading, just picking up the 55-300, and a hot-shoe flash (and a reflector) will get me everything I need to START. <br> This is a new hobby. I'm excited about it... but not ready to dive in with a $1000-3000 investment.</p> <p>Again... THANK YOU!! I'll keep reading, learning, and contributing.</p> <p>JeffWard</p><div></div>

<p>Just bought my first DSLR, a Nikon D3300. It came with the cheap 18-55 DX VR in the kit.<br /> <br /> I'm looking to buy multiple lenses for specific needs. Budget is in the $150-450 range per lens (flexible). I'm a hobbyist, so $2000 lenses are out.<br /> <br /> My photography needs/style in order:<br /> <br /> 1) Indoor, well lit (florescent) photos and <strong>video </strong>of exercises from a tripod (I'm a Personal Trainer, building a video portfolio for online clients).<br /> 2) Outdoor full sun beach/pool "Swimwear Shoot" photography, from close-ups to wider beach/waterfall/background shots. My wife is a physique athlete/fitness model. We pay hundreds of dollars every time we get pictures done. I want to learn to do them myself.<br /> 3) Bodybuilding show stage photos, indoors in a dark auditorium, shooting up to a spot-lit stage from 20-60ft.<br /> <br /> I want to retain full auto-focus capability on my D3300, and I want to retain VR (I believe). Some of the less expensive lenses seem to drop these features.<br /> I THINK I'm looking for a fixed Prime lens for video in studio?? (30? 50? 85?, for price, likely a 1.8)<br /> I THINK I'm looking for a mid-level (price around $400+/-) telephoto 55-200, or 70-300 for the stage shots??<br /> <br /> <strong>QUESTIONS:</strong><br /> I'm looking at Nikon/Tamron/Sigma lenses... Are there others I should consider?<br /> <br /> Based on my needs, if you had to pick 2 more lenses for my next purchases... Which two and why? Options?<br /> <br /> THANKS for any help from the experienced photographers!<br /> <br /> JeffWard</p>