The morning after

<p>Last night I photographed a wedding as a mitzvah (blessing , favour ) for an immigrant couple who had no money.</p>

<p>Im not a pro by any means but I got the shots that count.</p>

<p>Today Im getting ready to process the images in lightroom and pshop. </p>

<p>It learnt valuable lessons during this gig:</p>

<ul>

<li>Fast zoom - essential</li>

<li>two cameras - essential</li>

<li>knowing the program - essential</li>

<li>knowing what the bride wants - essential</li>

</ul>

<p>my question to the group:</p>

<p>I shot with a D300, SB700 and 18-55VR and 35 DX<br>

I want to replace the 18-55 - My requirements are travel and occasional event shoots so what should I look at?</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>RA</p>

<p>Russ - </p>

<p>The challenge is that the two lenses you have overlap already... 18-55 and 35mm DX. </p>

<p>If you're staying Dx - then I'd suggest the 17-50 Tamron or the 17-55 Nikon - Both are f 2.8. </p>

<p>You may want to look at something a little longer - 70-200 f2.8 (which is a big lens) or something in the 24-70 or 28-70 range. </p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

<p>Russ, also tell us what your price range is. If you have to go on the cheap, the 50 1.8 or 1.4 is a great way to go if you are getting rid of the 18-55. If you have the mega money, go for the 70-200 if you need a telephoto lens in there and keep the 35mm.</p>

<p>35 on DX is like a 50. You probably want a 24 and a 60 (for DX). (The 60mm from Tamron is most likely good, the 24mm from Nikon is; this is probably the cheapest route to good results.)</p>

<p>I was thinking about spending around $600. I want a one lens solution (though Id carry a prime as backup) that focuses fast and accurately. </p>

<p>I should add that I have no intention of going pro; it just makes sense to me to have some pro glass should the situation arise, something that can take advantage of the D300's Af module.</p>

<p>Sigma is coming out with a stabilized version of their acclaimed 50-150 f2.8. I use a Tokina 50-135 f2.8 and find it perfect for receptions and the like.</p>

Perhaps learn how to use extra lights as well as fill lights and no lightlihjt at all. If its too dark for your eyes to see a fast lens may help. Remember you can add light very with slower lenses, although sometimes a slow exposure and a fast lens can see what your eyes can't see.

 

When going to weddings my fasted lense is 2.8 and the shots look just fine. You need a pod to take 1 second exposures and it helps a lot if you use a fill flash. Don't buy a wicked fast unless you can rent one first. In the old days I shot with a hasblad and the 500mm lens was set at F-8. Photo's looked fantastic.

<p>For a general, walk-around lens, the Tamron 17-50 <strong>VC</strong> f/2.8 is brilliant on a crop-frame sensor camera like the D300. I've recommended this to several amateur-photographer friends, and they've all been delighted with it. It's within your price range.</p>

<p>Be certain you're getting the VC version (I think that stands for Vibration Control, which is Tamron's version of VR or IS). There's a non-VC version which looks almost identical. </p>

<p>For all-purpose shooting, you'll love that lens as a replacement for your kit 18-55. The other lenses mentioned here (70-200, 50-150) are not replacements for the 18-55; folks may have been recommending the longer lenses as companions to the 35, but you'd have to tell us a bit more about what kinds of things you prefer to shoot before I'd be comfortable recommending that you limit yourself to one normal prime plus a long zoom. For snapshots, the 17-50 is very versatile. </p>