jiawei_zhang Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 <p>I'm sorry about my many posts in the last few weeks, but I'm in a hurry to get a new lens for my D90 because my school asked me to photograph a fashion show in about 3 or 4 weeks. Since I'm a high school student (yeah, I'm young and eager to learn) I don't exactly have the greatest budget, maybe up to $500. After shooting the last event with a borrowed 28-70 afs, I learned that I use the range from 35-65 the most since I'll be able to get front row seats in my auditorium.</p> <p>The lenses I'm currently considering are the following:</p> <p>Nikon 35-70 f2.8 D - $339 used on keh.com<br> Nikon 35-70 f2.8 Non-D - $254 used on keh.com<br> Tamron 28-70 f2.8 Non-BIM - $275 used on keh.com</p> <p>The few questions I have are the following:</p> <p>1. Is the Nikon 35-70 D significantly optically better than the Non-D? I read that the coatings are different and metering with flash is different but I don't use flash, so that doesn't matter. Is the $100 difference worth paying?</p> <p>2. Are these lenses fast (focusing) enough to photograph walking models in a poorly lit auditorium? I can go up to iso3200 and still get decent shots after my awesome noise-reduction software. And I hope that I can maintain at least a 1/200 shutter speed.</p> <p>3. Do any of you who own one or more of these have any suggestions on which one to buy? I'll have to make my decision by maybe tomorrow in order to get the lenses in time and test them adequately.</p> <p>4. Is buying bargain grade on keh.com good enough to guarantee there are no flaws with the optics? I really don't care at all about the cosmetic appearance of the barrel.</p> <p>Thanks everyone for their time in advance!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leslie_cheung Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 <p>Flashgun and, yes, bargain grade is very good from keh.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 <p>Yes, bargain grade will probably make you happy. But let me recommend something else: how about a 50/1.8? Right in the middle of the range you mention, very inexpensive, and can gather considerably more light than the f/2.8 zooms you mention. With the budget you mention, you might really consider the newer 50/1.8 G AF-S, which behaves better wide open than it's older screw-drive predecessors, and has prettier bokeh for when you're shooting wide open (or nearly so) with things like stage lighting in play. Just something to consider.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtk Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 <p>Hi,<br> 1 . I believe that the "D" designation has more to do with metering/flash information than optical quality. The D lens is the newer of the two....is it worth the $100.00? Tough call.....<br> 2. Yes, all of these lenses should be more than "fast"enough to do anything you want.<br> 3. Personally, even though I am a self proclaimed Nikon geek, I think the Tamron would be a good choice. There is NOTHING wrong with Tamron lenses. IMHO you will appreciate the extra on the wide side. (28 vs 35)<br> 4. KEH is an outstanding company to do business with. Bargain grade is very conservative and I wouldn't think twice about purchasing from them. They also have a 14 day return policy. ( a little word of caution, I think that is from the date of the invoice.)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daverhaas Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 <p>Plus 1 on the 50 mm f1.8 - when I was your age, many years ago, I was in a similar situation. I was asked to shoot a HS fashion show on slide film, no flash. I used a 50 mm f1.8 and had no issues - got great shots and the models where thrilled with the shots. Of course back then we didn't have digital and couldn't see what the results were until well after the shoot. </p> <p>Dave</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiawei_zhang Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 <p>Thanks for the advice guys, I already have a Nikon 50mm f/1.8D but don't really like its focal length. What I'm looking for is a lens that can get full body shots (35mm or so from where I'll be sitting) and upper body shots (65mm). The 50mm is good from like the top of the head to the legs or so and it doesn't look too pretty. I'm leaning toward the $254 35-70mm Non-D. What do you guys think?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_arnold Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 <p>In my experience, the 50/1.8 af-d and the tamron 28-75 (is that what you mean? a search on KEH.com for 28-70 yielded no results) are <em>very comparable in terms of sharpness at 2.8</em>. i shot an event (an acrobat/burlesque/carnival group) with both of them once. i ended up using the 28-75 more, since the zoom was more liberating with all the motion going on. when i looked at the pics later i couldnt tell which ones were shot with which lens, so the extra light-gathering abilities didnt necessarily get me more sharpness.</p> <p>IMO shooting fashion shows with a prime isn't optimal. you usually have enough time to get walk front, center pose/swivel, walk rear before the next model comes up. in that situation, i would rather have the zoom range than the difference between 1.8 and 2.8. also at 1.8, almost nothing will be in focus due to the thin depth of field so you will need to nail the focus perfectly--with moving subjects. 2.8 gives you a little wiggle room; f/4 is even better if you can swing it.</p> <p>the tamron is probably the best deal out of the three. it's somewhat underrated now, but in its day was considered a worthy competitor to the 35-70D's successor, the nikon 28-70/2.8 AF-S. The 28-75 was superceded by the 17-50 for DX users but has become popular with D700 users as a walkaround lens in the past few years (which should tell you something about its optics). It does have a tendency to hunt in low-light but i cant say whether the older nikon lenses, which are also screw drive, would be faster on a d90. also the new 50/1.8G has a consumer-grade AF-S which as not as fast as the pro lenses.</p> <p>i would use continuous focus with AF tracking, fire at the full 4.5 fps, use only the center AF point, and definitely make sure the AF-assist light is on and you focus on a high-contrast area.</p> <p>also, the OP doesnt say whether using flash is an option, but if so, i would snap up a used sb-600 for sure.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiawei_zhang Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 <p>Thanks Eric, but I'm wondering if the BIM version of the tamron is reliable enough. I would prefer the Non-BIM but can't seem to find it new. And one more thing: if I were to buy a tamron, I should get new right? Getting old third-party lenses doesn't seem like too good of an idea.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leslie_cheung Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 <p>I don't think I ever heard of a fashion show where flash was prohibited. Good luck to the OP shooting a "poorly lit" auditorium without flash... </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andylynn Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 <p>I'd want the Tamron 28-75, stop it down a bit for sharpness (it seems happiest at f/4-5.6) and use a flash.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_shearman1 Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 <p>What lens do you already have besides the 50?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiawei_zhang Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 I don't want to use a flash. Is nikon 35- 70 or tamron 28-75 better at f2.8? Which one, if both are non bim is faster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiawei_zhang Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 Craig, I have 50 f1.8. 35 f1.8, 18-200 nikon. Just need fast zoom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daverhaas Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 <p>Typically in a fashion show, there is a spot on the model who is walking. </p> <p>I'd suggest the Sigma 24-70 f2.8 also - you might be able to snag a used one for the price you're looking to pay.</p> <p>Dave</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pge Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 <p>Can a d90 focus a 35-70? I don`t think it can.</p> <p>But if it can, the Nikon 35-70 f2.8 is exactly what you describle. Its a great lens, fast focus, great optics, you will like it. Mine is a bit banged up too.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefan_g Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 <p>The D90 supposedly has the screw driver for old AF (non -S) lenses.<br /> http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Zgud<br /> IMHO the old Nikkor f/2.8 AF zooms (20-35, 35-70, 80-200) are the way to go if you are on a budget (and have a camera that can use them).</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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