Lens for Nikon D5100 for kids school events

<p>Looking for a lens recommendation. I have a Nikon D5100 that I have been sitting on for about a year because I was still using my Panasonic Lumix FX30 which just died on me. I do not have a lot of experience although I take a lot of pictures. Almost all of kids in school, on the sports field, in church, in the school gym. Sometimes lighting in the church/gym is a huge problem especially because I am trying to take pictures from a distance (from halfway back in church/gym). I don't like to change out lenses. I would like to spend less than $1000. Thank you so much for any help!</p>

<p>Jannine, I too own & use a D5100. For outdoor shots I find the kit lenses 18-55 and 55-200 to be more than adequate for school & soccer photos. I get more than acceptable (for my quality demands) results indoors as well though faster glass would certainly be a welcome substitute. Depending on the distance you are tied to I'd suggest looking for a fast 35mm, 50mm, or 85mm prime as opposed to a fast zoom ( only gives you f2.8 at best anyway) which may be too expensive. For the situations I've found myself in I'd likely go for the 50mm f1.8. Your mileage is likely to vary. Welcome to PN. Come back & let us know what you decide & how it works for you. Many could benefit from your experience. Best, LM.</p>

<p>For indoors such as church, as Len mentioned above, you can try something like the 35mm/f1.8 DX AF-S or 50mm/f1.8 AF-S. For outdoor sports with plenty of light, the 70-300mm/f4.5-5.6 AF-S VR would be a bit better than the 55-200.</p>

<p>However, indoor sports photography such as inside a gym is very challenging to equipment and technique.</p>

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P.S. You can buy all three lenses mentioned above, new, for about $1000, although you may not need both the 35mm and 50mm.

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<p>One vote for the AF-S 35mm f1.8G Nikkor lens. </p>

<p>For a all-around zoom, you might look at www.keh.com and see what is available. The AF-S VR 18-200mm DX Nikkor lens is very good for most shooting, except in dark interiors ... unless you can use a tripod or mono pod. (Not a lot of lens changes needed to cover 18mm to the 200mm range.)</p>

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<p>Jannine, which lens do you currently actually have with the camera, and to which extend does it not work for you? I'd first start using th camera a lot, and then determine properly what is the most problematic. The lenses mentioned before all make good options on your budget, but without really knowing which problem you look to solve, they may also not be.<br>

And honestly, if you do not like to change lenses, you're wasting a lot of the benefit of a DSLR - being able to get the right (optimised) tool for the job will often yield better results than a swiss army knife approach.</p>

<p>The typical camera/lens conundrum. The lens is going to be expensive for use in a church/gym situation. I have a D300 and use either a 17-55 f/2.8 or a 70-200 f/2.8 for use in this situation. Unless you are right at the sidelines, the 70-200 is the way to go in my opinion. I have the Nikkor version of this lens. Expensive and it's a tank. You can save money without sacrificing quality by going with the Sigma or Tamron version of this lens. You can probably purchase this lens for $1000 or less.</p>

<p>In addition, this lens will work well at outdoor evening games.</p>

<p>Good luck - Mark</p>

<p>Option #1 - For low light and pretty long reach, I would recommend a 70-200mm f/2.8. If you look at them used on eBay, you can pick up a Sigma or Tamron version pretty reasonably. The Macro II version of the Sigma 70-200mm performs very well (I can't tell the difference between it and my Nikon 70-200) and it can be purchased for around $500 used last time I checked. The new OS version is currently on sale for $1200 new through Sigma.<br>

Option #2 - The Nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF-S or 85mm f/1.8 are amazing lenses for low light, but I they don't have an extremely long "reach". To pair with either of those I'd get the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 AF-S VR; it's a great long range zoom lens, but it doesn't have very good low light performance. The total for the 50 and 70-300 would be about $450 used or $800 new.<br>

I've personally found for indoor sports in gyms with bad lighting I need an aperture of at least f/3.5 or faster. I almost always use my 70-200mm f/2.8 for sports. It's versatile for indoor and outdoor shooting and it can be used under tough low-lighting conditions that kit lenses aren't usable in. The most cost effective option is probably the 50mm f/1.8 + a telephoto zoom of your choice. The 50mm f/1.8 can use a shutter speed 3.5 times faster than your kit lens when you're zoomed in. That makes freezing action in low light is much easier!</p>