Where to go from here

[babak_tahniat]

<p>So here is the deal:<br />I'm kinda new to photography and I absolutely love it. I recently bought a Nikon d7000 upgrading form compact cameras. The lenses I own are the kit lens 18-55mm VR and AF 50mm 1.8D. I'm also waiting for the new d700 replacement. However in the meanwhile I want to buy some glass. Considering that I lack a good telephoto zoom, what lenses do you recommend that might improve my photography and my vision? I was somehow thinking in terms of AF-S 70-300 VR or 28-300mm VR but I'm open to any suggestions. I mainly do street photography and people but I wish to explore other areas of photography as well. BTW, money is of no concern.<br>

Thanks<br>

Babak</p>

[douglasely]

<p>Good day Babak, I shoot in Chicago and tall buildings block sunlight so I use the fastest lenes I have. If you will be shooting in areas with a lot of shadows I recomend that you think about the speed of your lenses. If not, fast lenses may not be an issue for you.</p>

<p>With a D300 my street lenses are: Nikkor AF-S 17-55mm f2.8, AF 85mm f1.4, AF 180mm f2.8. I have tried using longer lenses and they are simply too long for urban sreeet work. I use the 17-55mm lens 70% of the time, usually between 17mm and 30mm.</p>

<p>Good luck with your adventure. don;t forget to have fun!</p>

<p>Best, Doug</p>

 

[elliot1]

<p>If money is truly of no concern and you don't mind a little extra size and weight over the 28-300mm (which would be my 2nd recommendation), Nikon's 70-200mm VRII clearly gives spectacular results over the two you have listed (and perhaps just about any other lens in a similar zoom range). I recently traded up to the 28-300mm from the 70-300mm VR and am quite pleased with it. But the difference in IQ is noticeably better with the 70-200mm VRII. But of course, you would be extremely pleased with either of the two lenses you list.</p>

[babak_tahniat]

<p>Thanks Doug for sharing your experience (amazing portraits BTW). With d7000 I'm not adraid of high ISOs like 1600 and 3200. On the other hand a fast f2.8 zoom like the 70-200 might be quit intrusive for some people that I shoot on the streets. Another issue with the 17-55mm is that I might need to get close to my subjects on the street and again intrusive. (and the other things is that I want to go FF).</p>

[elliot1]

<p>Babak, when extended to 300mm, the 28-300mm is pretty much the same length as the 70-200mm. </p>

[andylynn]

Full frame? Why? I don't doubt you can afford it, but if you already have a D7000 there's going to no need for a new

camera for quite a while. (I'm still on a D90 and it doesn't seem limiting to me. Any disposable income is better

allocated elsewhere -like trips to places with interesting things to point the camera at.) As you say, large equipment is

more intrusive when shooting street - and FX gear is large.

 

If money is really no object, I'd take either a 70-200 2.8 lens or a 70-300 VR (Nikon or Tamron versions, they're

equally good) plus a 55-200 VR because it's small (don't make the rookie error and put a cheap UV filter on it

because it's a cheap lens - get something that's multicoated and made by Germans), and trade in the 18-55 for either

a 16-85 or a Sigma 17-70 (they're equally good). Or get an 18-200, because the convenience of only needing one

lens to shoot any street subject in daylight outweighs the lower image quality of a superzoom.

[douglasely]

<p>Hello again Babak,<br>

ditto Elliot on the 70 - 200mm f2.8. I don't think you will be intrusive using this lens, you'll be too far away from the subject for them to notice you. Andy is right, if you're buying pro glass use pro filters or no filter. I usually do not use them. When I do they are manufactured by B+W.<br>

Doug<br>

PS The 85mm and 180mm lenses I mentioned previously are FF lenses.</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<blockquote>

<p>I want to buy some glass...what lenses do you recommend that might improve my photography and my vision...I'm open to any suggestions</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Babak, the only suggestion I can make is to help you realize no lens will help you improve your vision. Yes, various lenses will add versatility to the types of pictures you can make, but improving your vision comes from study, passion, practice, persistence and patience. It's common thinking among beginners to think such and such lens or this or that camera will help you make better pictures. Improvement in picture making comes from within. It's nothing you can buy.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>I too feel that taking some photography classes and setting up a portfolio so that you can get your images critiqued are far more important than buying more equipment. It is much easier for you to become a better photographer if you can get some people to tell you where you can do better. If cost is indeed not a concern, I would certainly take some classes.</p>

<p>More equipment is secondary.</p>

[carl_becker2]

<p>I agree with Louis and Shun about how to improve your vision. I would image a fast focusing zoom in the range required would work for street photography but I believe some use primes. Still classes and working at gaining experience will help guide you in focal length requirements.</p>

[Two23]

<p>I sometimes go to Chicago and love to walk around the Loop. My favorite place is down in the tubes or up on the El. I love trains! I mostly photo at night. I think the D7000 is probably Nikon's best camera for this as it's small but has good high ISO capability. I'm using either a D300 or my older D80. I use the D80 when it's very late at night because if I get robbed my loss would be smaller. No way I'd walk around with over $5,000 in camera gear. For lenses I use the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8, especially in the subways and train platforms. Otherwise, I use my Nikon 17-55mm f2.8. The Tamron 17-50mm VC would probably be even better. I tried the 50mm f1.8D there but had problems with CA. I would not place any UV filters on a lens for street photography, especially at night. They cause flare. Keep the lens cap on your lens when not shooting. Really, I suspect you are too inexperienced yet to know what you need specifically and don't suggest you start buying a bunch of expensive stuff you might not need. On my trip there last April I mostly used a 1937 Voigtlander camera and shot ISO 3200 film. I got some great shots! Just about anything will work once you have a clear idea of what you are doing. The idea of learning more and getting more experience is probably your best bet right now, and I don't say that in a "mean" way. <br>

If it works, below is Chicago photo made with<br>

1937 Bessa, a $100 camera:</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p><div></div>

[joseph_smith3]

<p>Another vote for the 70-200mm VR lens. With a DX body, the "older" VR I works just fine and is the model I use with my D 300. For a DX body the Nikon 35mm f1.8 G lens is so good and it is so reasonably priced it is worth getting. Its AF is much faster than the 50mm f1.8 you (and I) have. If you do not have a tripod, get a good one with a good ball head and use it. And take some classes. And look at the photos in the Galleries at this site. If you do not have a specific need for full frame, why do it?<br>

Joe Smith</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>the 70-200 is a great lens for a lot of things, but street photography ain't one of them. for street, i would recommend an 11-16, 10-24, 12-24, or 10-20 ultrawide, a 17-xx 2.8 zoom, a fast prime between 20-35mm, and an 85mm prime. in good light an 18-200 or 18-270 superzoom might work too. the difference between good street photography and bad SP is usually the degree of engagement with your subject. smaller, wider lenses are crucial for this.it helps if they're compact, too.</p>

[Two23]

<p>I had another thought. If what you mostly want to do is "street" photography, including candids of people, the best camera Nikon has is the D5100. The folding screen allows you to hold the camera at your waist and you look down at it instead of looking directly at the person. I have brought my Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR to Chicago Loop, which attracted a lot of attention. That's definitely NOT a good thing. Tripods are great and I use one a lot where I live, but not so great for photo'ing in crowded downtown areas. There are exceptions of course. Below shot was made using a tripod. The more experience you get and the more you learn, the better the idea you have of what gear you need. More importantly, you know how to shoot well with any gear you have at hand.<br />Kent in SD</p><div></div>

[andylynn]

Kent makes a good point - a smaller camera you can use without holding it up to your eye can be an advantage.

Actually, the camera I'm psyched to try shooting street with is a Yashica T4 I got at Goodwill for $20 - it has this cool

second finder on the top so it's like a tiny camera with waist level finder.

[babak_tahniat]

<p>Thanks everyone for your honest answers and opinions.<br />I'm attending some classes and what I meant by "my vision" was that I oftentimes see things that are out of my reach and hence I felt the need for a telephoto, as I want to capture some candid shots of people and not to be intrusive. Will the fast focusing of 70-300 VR help me with "catching the moment" or I should get the 28-300 for a wider zoom range? (There's no doubt that 70-200 is a wonderful piece of glass but I think the size is too big and intrusive for street shots and I suppose the 300mm end of the zoom might come in handy)<br>

Babak</p>

[andylynn]

AF speed isn't going to be a very big deal. Not as much so as zoom range. If an 11x zoom is what you're after, and

you don't mind the expense (and understand that the image quality does suffer a bit from such a large zoom range,

because the optics are so complicated, though the 28-300 is one of the better ones in this category) the 28-300 is a

good option. If you think you'll miss the wide angle (28mm is not wide angle on DX) you should look at the Nikon 18-

200 and the newest version of the Tamron 18-270.

[indraneel]

<p>If money is of no concern for improving photography, then a D700 and a bunch of primes from 20mm to 180/300/500. Nothing improves vision like getting into the habit of seeing things; these two helped mine a lottt:<br>

<a href="http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/product/185/Practical-Light-and-Color">http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/product/185/Practical-Light-and-Color</a><br>

<a href="http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/product/472/Color-Theory%3A-The-Mechanics-of-Color">http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/product/472/Color-Theory%3A-The-Mechanics-of-Color</a><br>

and maybe also this:<br>

<a href="http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/product/323/Basic-Perspective-Form-Drawing">http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/product/323/Basic-Perspective-Form-Drawing</a></p>

<p>Also watch all the free webinars by the big names in photography.</p>

<p>Pick a prime every week and squeeze the most out of it. If money was of no concern, I'd have skipped the 7000 and gone for the 700 now, mixing formats is a bad idea.</p>

<p>For street, anything from 35 to 135 is very good.</p>

[bebu_lamar]

<p>You should have a vision first before you buy the lens that helps you realize that vision</p>

[Jerry_]

<p>If you want a telephoto lens for street shooting:</p>

<p>either</p>

<p>1. the AF 135mm f2D DC-Nikkor</p>

<p>or</p>

<p>2. the AF 105mm f2D DC-Nikkor</p>

<p>will work without the bulk of a long-zoom lens. Either lens will blur-out the background once you get used to using a DC-Nikkor lens.</p>

<p> </p>

[jay_poel]

<p>I watched the KelbyTraining video with Jay Maisel on the weekend. Very interesting and got my juices flowing about trying street photography (I am more of a friend family, sports and nature shooter currently). Jay's walk-around kit for New York city is a D3s and the 28-300mm. I think on a DX body though it may not be wide enough though. You have a tough desicion to make on how many lenses you want to carry. But on that note, I for MY shooting, I find the 24-70mm f/2.8 is wide enough on my D90 - the 28-300mm may work for you.</p>

[ronb]

<p>Babat,<br>

As others have said, new lenses will not improve your vision. Practice with one or two primes (maybe add an 85mm or 105mm), attend some workshops. Ask yourself "What if I...?" (...changed my position, changed the exposure, changed the aperture, changed the cropping or framing, etc.). Try different things and see what results appeal to you. You are wasting your time and money buying extra "glass" at this point. There are no shortcuts.</p>