jiawei_zhang Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Hi. I'm currently having a tough choice deciding between a 35-70 f2.8 non d for 250 used or a tamron 28-75 non bim 350 used. I'm mainly worried whether the 25 year old nikon will last any longer. And can someone explain the significant differences in focus speed and accuracy and whether they're fast enough in a dark auditorium? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leslie_cheung Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 <p>If it is still for the fashion show, you ought to worry about flash. If you are shooting for yourself, then shoot it without flash or however you like. But you are shooting for the school, learn to use a flash. BTW they both are slow focusing lenses due to no motor in lens, especially in a dim gym...</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_arnold Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 <p>focus speed will depend on what body you use it on; on a pro-spec body, screw-drive lenses are pretty quick. i personally still have the tamron, got it almost six years ago. its tougher than it looks. it's not the most accurate lens though in terms of focusing but again that depends on your body. it can hunt in low-light but so do most lenses; turn on the af-assist or use flash in dark spaces. cant comment on the 35-70 other than i'm not a big fan of push-pull zooms but i'm sure the build is rugged.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiawei_zhang Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 In most auditoriums these days no flash is allowed. Do you think the lenses with no bim are fast enough in a d9° to capture dancers on strage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andylynn Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 <p>On stage without flash is always going to be tough. Is a zoom needed or can you use a prime? You could have a 35mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.8 or a used 85mm f/1.8 for that kind of money or less.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leslie_cheung Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 <p>So, no flash allowed in a fashion show? They told you specifically no flash allowed even though they asked you to photograph the show for them? Am I understanding you correctly? Something smells fishy...</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shineofleo Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 <p>I've got 35-70 f2.8 and the AF is not very fast, especially in dark surroundings. As mentioned above, it is always tough in darkness.</p> <p>If no flash is allowed, I agree that a fast prime would be better. Also, SB flashguns has focus assistance light, which may be helpful. But you have to switch the flash off... Or, what about SU-800?</p> <p>Also the camera body is important here, high ISO performance is very much needed. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiawei_zhang Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 I was initially thinking of buying prime lenses but wouldn't switching lenses would be too much work and get dust of my sensor. Plus, I might miss a shot. Plus, the 85 1.8 is out of my budget. This is not for a fashion show but just random auditorium performances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andylynn Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 <p>A previous model 85 f/1.8 AF can be had for $350. (That's EX from keh.com which is almost as good as buying new.) It would outperform those f/2.8 options in low light if you like the focal length. You can get a 50 f/1.8 AF lens for about $100. Those aren't as good as the newer AFS models but they're better in low light than either of those zooms. The 35 f/1.8 can be had for under $200.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_arnold Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 <blockquote> <p> <em>It would outperform those f/2.8 options in low light</em> </p> </blockquote> <p>i dont know why people have romantic notions about shooting live performance with primes, but you really need to qualify what you mean by "outperform." in actuality, the 85/1.8D is no faster to focus than any other screw-drive lens, while the 50/1.8 AF-D is about as sharp (@ 2.8) as the tamron 28-75 and has much worse bokeh. the 35/1.8 is probably the fastest of the bunch as far as focus speed, but the focal length is a bit limited for that subject matter. true, a 1.8 lens captures more light and does give you a little bit more than a stop of ISO or shutter speed, but zooms are better for dance performances than primes, generally speaking, since dancers tend to have a lot of subject movement at different angles. it would suck to spend all your cash on a prime and find out you have the wrong focal length for what you're trying to shoot.</p> <blockquote> <p>Do you think the lenses with no bim are fast enough in a d9° to capture dancers on strage?</p> </blockquote> <p>well, actually, the non-BIM 28-75 is faster-focusing than the BIM version. the BIM is just a micromotor, which is slower than a screw drive. i've shot snowboarding and plenty of live stuff with a 28-75, so i actually wouldn't worry about this, and instead concentrate on getting a fast enough shutter to freeze motion and nailing focus using the D90's center AF point and the AF-assist light, which is probably going to mean a fairly high ISO.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiawei_zhang Posted April 18, 2012 Author Share Posted April 18, 2012 Eric, thanks for your response. Since you seem to be recommending zooms, and I can no longer get the tamron, which has been sold, would you recommend the 25 year old nikon 35 70 2.8 non d or a newer tamron 28 75 with bim. I'm just worried that one of them won't be fast enough for shooting moving objects. Which one would actually be better on moving objects? does the nikon have much life left? It's bargain grade on keh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_arnold Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 <p>Jiawei, i cant make that decision for you. i had the non-bim version of the tamron. havent used the nikon. the shooting moving objects part is going to depend on your camera as much as your lens. the d90 is no speed demon and not the fastest-focusing, either. but if you stick to the center AF point and have good technique, i.e. dont make things harder for the job than they have to be by focusing from 5 ft away then jumping to 25 feet away, you should be able to make it work. personally, i would get the newer tamron over an older, non-d 35-70 which may have been through hell and back. that way, you get a lens which at least is optimized for digital as well as more wiggle room on both ends. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiawei_zhang Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share Posted April 20, 2012 <p>Eric, can you tell me one more thing about value? For the d-version of the 35 70 I can get a deal for about $360 nearly mint condition with perfect glass. For only $100 more I can get the tamron 28 75 with 4 years warranty. Do you think it's worth getting the old lens over the new lens if I can spare the money? I'm just scared that the Nikon malfunctions and repair costs would soar over the value of the actual lens. And is the bim of the tamron faster than d90 motor?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andylynn Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 <p>Can you find a deal on a used 28-75? Even the non-BIM older version can perform well and be a great value... what camera is this for?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiawei_zhang Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 <p>It's for a d90. I'm mainly worried about af speed.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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