Which lens for severe weather photography?

I have a Nikon N80 and a D70 and currently use the lenses that came

with the cameras. I shoot severe weather VIDEO with a Sony Z1U HD

camcorder, and have now started severe weather photography too. Which

GOOD quality zoom lens would you recommend for severe weather

photography, and what would it cost? Something like a 28-105?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

Zooms suck and push air in and out of the lens every time that you zoom. Primes may well be better-suited.

Roger, Can you be more specific? What kind of severe weather? Tornadoes, Storm Fronts, Blizzards, lightening, floods etc. All might require something different. How exposed will the lens/camera be to moisture, salt spray, blowing sand etc. Will these need to be handheld or will you have the luxury of using a tripod?

 

Hmmmm, this has me wondering about a digital Nikonos.

 

While I'm no expert on lenses, there are several on this forum that are. If you give them the necessary information, they'll lead you in the right direction. I wonder if the new (not yet officially announced) Nikon VR lens might be an option.

Chances are you will loose your severe weather lens sooner than later. So how about a cheap and good 50mm 1.8 lens?

 

Throw it away after Katrina II if it is bust. Throw away your GOOD zoom lens after a heavy rain, as you will unfortunately have to do soon.

Do you place yourself within the storm or hang back to do your filming? Lighting will be relatively poor...will you be using a tripod...if not, are you OK with using higher speed films/higher ISOs on your digital for handheld shooting? I think at a minimum those questions need to be answered as it will determine what zoom range and how much maximum aperture you will need. 28mm is not significantly wide for film and much less so on the D70. Perhaps the 18-35mm would be a good general lens between the two bodies it will really depend. In terms of protecting your gear...a good rain cover (like Kata) is a good idea.

Get protective gear for your zoom, and you should be fine.

Personlly I would use an Olympus Mju II (stylus epic in USA) with it's single length 28mm f/2.8 lens. It is Shower/rain resistant and costs very little even for a new one.

 

Alternatively a digi-cam like the Canon S70 with a dedicated underwater housing will still cost less than a specialist lens of the type you are seeking and be totally wind/waterproof even if immersed.

Shop around for a camera raincoat. There are some good ones that don't cost much. When I was a kid we made our own from suit bags we mooched from the dry cleaner.

 

I'd probably use my 24-120 VR because it would help offset being knocked around by the wind. New retail - about $500 U.S.D. However the 24-120 VR is a bit slow, f/3.5-5.6, and the light is likely to be dim during severe weather.

 

The 28-70/2.8 AF-S Nikkor might be ideal, altho' it's pricey. The 35-70/2.8 AF Nikkor is much more affordable and according to test reports and user comments, just as good.

 

You might also check Tokina, Tamron and Sigma for prices of fast midrange zooms.

Lex is on the right track. Severe weather also means you need to protect your camera. Shoot with the lens you NEED to shoot with and just get a camera/lens cover. The ones by Aquatech are popular, though a little expensive (cheaper than a lens though).

 

<p>I use a Kata cover, see more Kata rain capes and such here: http://www.kata-bags.com/category.asp?id=61&perentId=4&ProdLine=4

 

<p>The only thing I don't like about my Kata is that there is no top port for attaching my speedlight. For light rain, I just place a zip-lock bag over my speedlight and drape a Domke cape over the camera and lens.

 

<p>Ted

 

<p>www.pbase.com/turnert

If you want to know the right gear and lens for "Severe Weather" photography, I would suggest doing a "Google Search" on storm chasing photography and read up on what those guys use. Another search would be for Alan (Al) Moller and Charles A. (Chuck) Doswell III, the fathers of Storm Chasing. Some of their stuff is copy written to the NOAA/NWS or National Severe Storms Laboratory, but they also have personal websites. Chuck also runs ?Tempest Tours.? I have never met Chuck Doswell but have read allot of his stuff. He used a Nikon camera with the F mount and shot lots of storms with wide-angle primes, 20, 24, 28mm lenses. He also shot allot of Kodak Kodachrome pushing the hilt out of the film. He never mentioned how he protected his gear, but he shot lots of things in harms way. If you are a true properly NWS trained storm chaser, you will stay out of harms way and your gear will take more beatings of being thrown around than actually getting wet. I don't know about the D70 holding up in moist conditions, I don't own one. I do own a D1 and it does have some weather tightness to it, as long as the lens stays attached. B. Moose Peterson said he dropped a D1 into loose power snow and it suffered no ill effects until he removed the lens and got a snowflake on the sensor. I have used mine in mist, drizzle, and light rain to capture storm clouds and storm features as the weather went by and didn't have any problems. I did wish I had had a wider lens. The 24-120 VR is nice but not wide or fast enough. A 17-35 f/2.8 would be much better. Using a wide range zoom, i.e. 28-200 would be nice, but suffer because the speed of the lens is too slow. Using a long lens, 200mm+ in a storm narrows your point of view. Wide primes and fast aperture are your best bet.