Looking for wide angle for D200 to photograph large groups of people??

[rochelle_negle]

I own the D200 and always shoot with my 50mm 1.4...

 

I do family & children portraiture.

 

I'm looking to buy a wide angle lens (I prefer prime lenses) that I can use to photograph groups of 10-15 people

which my 50mm obviously can not deal with.

 

I've been looking at the:

Sigma 30mm 1.4

Nikkor 20mm 2.8

Nikkor 24mm 2.8

Nikkor 28mm 2.8

Tamron 17-35mm

 

I'm dizzy by now reading so much...all I want is a GOOD lens that produces SHARP results for BIG groups of people! :)

 

My budget is $300-$450

 

 

Any ideas or input...greatly appreciated :)

[Matt Laur]

I use the 30/1.4 on my D200 all the time, and very happily. Do you have one of the cheaper kit zooms (like, an 18-70, etc?). I ask, because that's a good way to get a sense for just how wide you really need to get. A 30mm is fine, if you can back off some. A lens wider that that can be problematic for the people at the edge of the frame... so much so that you end up leaving lots of room, sometimes negating the utility of something in 20mm-or-so range anyway.

 

This really comes down to how much room you have to work. The 30/1.4, stopped down some, will be very sharp across the frame, but also super useful at f/1.4 for available light and shallow DoF purposes (you certainly know how that feels, with your current 50/1.4).

[sprouty]

Large groups of people? Posed? No need for speed, so figure out how wide a "large group" is and buy an

inexpensive manual focus prime.

[frank uhlig]

Be careful what you want: if you do not have the space for sitting 15 people in your studio: go outside. For if you take a wide

angle lens and depict the group with say a 10-12mm lens on a 1.5 crop factor body, the people on the sides of the pics will

gain in apparent volume to quite a degree: One cannot just capture a wide field of view by rectilinear lenses without this

optically necessary stretching out at the edges. Simple physics, where optics still rule..

[kohanmike]

I know you said you prefer primes, but I thought I would suggest a zoom. I've been using the Nikon AF 24-85mm f/2.8-4 D Macro on a

D70s for 2 years now and find it to be a extremely versatile lens, clean and sharp. The 24mm is wide enough for groups, the 85 is great

for portraits, and it has the added function of 1:2 macro on top of it. I've shot product, events, rock concerts, portraits, groups, and very

nice macros without having to change the lens (and avoiding dust). It is only $550 or so, a great deal in my opinion.

 

http://www.kohanmike.com/samples_24_85.htm

[michaelchristensen]

I'm frequently shooting our Citizen's Academy class for a police department. I thought of getting a wider lens but

found the 18-70 does just fine .. I of course, add a little sharpening post processing and shoot my D200 with a

portrait/neutral color profile .. give out the 8x10s, printed at Walgreens to the students .. send the bill (1 hr labor +

processing) to the Police Dept. .. about 15 minutes actual work.

 

I use a tripod, manual settings on the camera .. and mount my flash on a Custom Bracket .. it's a grab and go as

needed. I spend more time with posing than anything else .. I consider the barrel distortion of the lens and position

torso shapes accordingly. I generally shoot this between F8-11 for depth of field to be safe. The only reason I don't

nail this in one shot is because of "blinkers" .. and because the photo session follows the gun training, I usually get

broad smiles and an enthusiastic response.

[carl_becker2]

You need to figure out your field of view requirements. A cheap zoom would give you an idea of what would work. I'm just guessing but something below 30mm should give you quite a bit more FoV than what your 50mm does. I use the 24mm f2.8 for a lot of different images but I don't do group shots.

[eric_arnold]

none of those lenses you mentioned are very wide on DX. your best bet might be the 17-35 tamron, although for $450

you should be able to find a used copy of the tokina 12-24, which gives you much more room at the wide end and is

perfect for your intended purpose. new, it's about $500. the IQ is great stopped down for landscape and wide open for

people shots, and the zoom range is especially useful for group shots. it's a little easier to compose, and at 18-

24mm distortion is minimal.

 

if you-re dead set on primes, the widest prime with the fastest aperture is the sigma 20/1.8.

[eric_arnold]

here's a sample 12-24 shot...<div></div>

[Matthew Brennan]

Rochelle,

 

If you intend to fill your frame from left to right entirely with people and leave not much space in left and right frame then on

the D200 I'd not venture past 24mm as distortion begins to kick in in most leneses in your budget range - those on the

outside of the group shot will have a squat - broad look - not very flattering. if you want a prime I used the inexpensive but

beautifully built 24mm f/2.8 AiS manual focus lens on my D200 to great effect and did not suffer distortion at the extreme

ends of the frame.

[ronald_moravec1]

You will not like people groups done with wide lenses. Use no less than 28 on a D200. 35 is better.

 

Group people in rows and have them turn their shoulders 45 deg toward you to get more in. Use bleachers or chairs for the

front row.

 

Wide angles will make an natural picture you will not like.

[cmulcahy]

I have a nikon 28mm 2.8D and like it very much. It would work for what you want. I also have a 50mm 1.4D and I got the 28mm because of the same reasons you explained. I bought mine used on ebay for $85...which is cheaper then normal. Expect to pay $100-150 for a used one. At B&H a new one is $235.

 

The other option I would consider is the 24mm 2.8D. It's slightly wider, but works as a normal lens on a DX camera. That one goes for $305 at B&H. Used you can get them for around $200 in very good condition.

 

I'm a big fan of buying used. As long as the seller is reputable or has a good rating on ebay....and offers a return policy. You can really find some good deals used....and you are getting the same photo quality as new. So why spend the $ on new? Unless of course you are buying a VR lens....then I'd suggest buying new just so you have the warranty.

[frank uhlig]

Dear Matthew,

 

you said: "...If you intend to fill your frame from left to right entirely with people and leave not much space in left and right

frame then on the D200 I'd not venture past 24mm as distortion begins to kick in in most leneses in your budget range -

those on the outside of the group shot will have a squat - broad look - ..."

 

However this is NOT distortion in any optically deficient way. All rectilinear wide angle lenses eventually show this optical effect (=

governed by the physics and geometry = unchangeable unless we change the laws of physics and math (which we can't)

...) ).

 

The best as well as the cheapest very wide angle lens will do so. No remedy is available (see above about the laws of

nature!) : So live with fat people on the edges of that super-wide Tokina pic as posted above, or step back for a more flattering

angle of view.

 

Sorry, Matthew, yours is mis-information and not good to spread around here, really. Sorry.

[hal_edmonds]

Go with the Nikkor 25mm...

[dmclauchlan]

Perhaps you might consider the Nikon 10.5 fisheye and Image Trend's Fisheye-Hemi plug in for Photoshop or Aperture?

[bill_keane2]

The Tamron 17-50mm 2.8 is a great lens. (17mm in DX being equivalent to about a 26mm lens on film) Wider? Then the Tokina 11-16 2.8...

[Matthew Brennan]

Frank,

 

Thankyou for your 'distortion' correction, I appreciate your lecture and take on board your comments / explanations. However, cheap lens or not, my point still is don't just live with 'fat people on the extremeity of the frame.

 

Physics or no physics the distortion does exist and on a DX format body I stand by my suggestion of going no wider than 24mm in particular for group photos - others have expressed an even tighter tollerance towards distortion and recommend no wider than 28 which is a matter or personal taste. Don't live the distortion take it into consideration and make your own mind up.

[frank_skomial]

Nikkor 20/2.8 would be good lens for your purpose, and it costs about $400 to $450. On D200 it is only a 30 mm equivalent lens, and is not that wide. If you must photograph large group of people with it, you will certainly not stand very close to them to get all in one frame.

 

With this lens I was taking a corporate department team photos with no distortion that anyone would complain or notice.

[lee_hibbs1]

Sigma 10-20mm is a good lens and may be a little better than the Nikon 12-24

http://bythom.com/sigma10to20.htm