Best lens for taking photos of my daughter indoors and of handmade items such as little girls clothing and handmade soft dolls

[erin_parker2]

<p>Hi I have just purchased a Nikon D7100 with the lens AF-S 18-140mm VR and I am wondering if I should also get a portrait lens such as a 35mm or 50mm? I will be using the camera predominately for my business where I take photos of the handmade items I create and my daughter modelling them. I make little girls clothes and soft dolls and take the photographs in doors.<br>

<br />Is the lens I bought ample or should I also purchase a portrait lens?</p>

<p>Sorry for my ignorance I know virtually nothing about photography but am so keen to get my camera and learn.</p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>35 mm hardly qualifies as a portrait lens, 50 mm only on a DX body.<br>

Start with the 18-140 lens and see if you are missing anything. Lighting and proper technique are more important than the lens. </p>

[jose_angel]

<p>Maybe you`ll be better with a macro specialist (Micro-Nikkor). There is *no* minimum focus distance, so you can use it almost for whatever, from life size items to portraits or landscapes.<br /> For portraits and the items you describe on DX, I think I`d choose a 60mm lens. A 105 would be better for small items, but maybe too large for full body shots indoors. As Jos says, check the focal lengths with your zoom lens.<br /> Do you have a tripod? If you really want the best results, you should use a tripod.</p>

[ShunCheung]

Nikon makes a 40mm DX macro lens that may work well for you: photography of larger products. It is not a portrait lens, though.

[jean_yves_mead]

Spend your money on lighting and backdrops, and your time on learning how best to use them.

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>The lens you bought could well be ample; it can focus quite close and in all tests it performs well. I would first try, see the results and then start considering if you need to spend more money, or not. Jean-Yves' suggestion is probably at least as important as a lens, if not more so.<br>

If you're sure you need a dedicated lens, I'd look first at the Tamron 60mm f/2 Macro, since it'll fit both roles quite nicely; the Nikon 85 f/3.5VR DX is also a consideration. But another reason to first try the 18-140mm thoroughly is to understand which focal length would suit you and yoru style of working best.</p>

[Jochen_S]

<p>Wait with the portrait lens; get lights first.<br>

Google a "DOF calculator" and do a reality check: With a 50mm lens at 0.5m I can frame my hand long teddy head to toe. At f5.6 I get 2cm DOF but the entire teddy is some 5cm nose tip to ear deep. - If I wanted to shoot him to show how well he is made I can't go for just eyes in focus, I need to emhasite the well done nosetip embroidery and have to give a razor sharp impression of the fluffy ears I guess. The DOF calculator says I need f16 to do so. With a wide open portrait lens I'd gain just 1cm DOF or maybe less.<br>

For basic product shooting I'd get 2 Nikon Speedlites first and would bounce them from white walls and ceiling at a moderate ISO setting. Then I'd wait until I want billboard sized prints till I'd ponder switching to primes (at least while trying to think in "accountant mode")<br>

The cheapest 50mm lens is surely tempting to have and nice to work with. As a shutterbug I don't regret getting one. and yes the mentioned 60mm Macro should make sense too, But you won't get far without external flashes. - Of course you could do product shots from a tripod with hotlights too but these and freezing motion will annoy your daughter and make her look less natural.</p>

[Two23]

<p>The D7100 can use flash off camera. Buy a used sB-700, small lightweight lightstand such as a Raven RS6, a 48 in. silver/white umbrella, umbrella swivel, and get a large "48 in.) reflector. What you are wanting to do calls for professional lighting, not a new lens.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

When we say "get lights first" what we don't mean is "get the cheap compact fluorescent lighting kits" Those are the

wrong lights and a waste of your money. Get some good quality but inexpensive electronic flash monolights like the Paul

C. Buff, Inc. Alien Bees, Adorama Flashpoint, Bowens,or Elinchrom, and a couple of umbrellas, stands and a flash meter,

also a Nikon SB-600 or SB-910 Speedlight.

[Jochen_S]

<p>I heard light stands mentioned a few times here and feel urged to vote against them. - Basically they come in 2 variants: one that can be easily run over by a kid (which should end with a broken flash, done 3 times) and a heavy one thats ultra annoying to put away...<br>

If you have a chance: go for a rail system on your ceiling. Kids can play below, most females don't bump their heads either and big tall guys run into a rather soft obstacle and neither them nor the flashes get harmed.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>This is Erin's first post on photo.net. It is not clear how old her daughter is, e.g. a 3 year old is very different from an 8 year old. If she is wearing the items and you are capturing half-body or full-body images, the 18-140mm zoom is probably fine.</p>

<p>The 40mm I mentioned is mostly for larger products alone. It may be fine for half-body or 3/4 type people images, but it is on the short side for "head and shoulder" type images. If you capture images of the products alone, I prefer to have a more dedicated macro lens. The focal length will depend on the size of the product you have in mind.</p>

<p>Lighting doesn't need to be very complicated. One to two flashes can do a fine job, but the OP never asked that question. Erin can always shoot outdoors without any artificial light or maybe with some fill flash.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>"I heard light stands mentioned ... go for a rail system on your ceiling."<br /><br />We're talking about a beginner here. A rail system costs thousands of dollars. <br /><br /><br /></p>

[kohanmike]

<p>Lighting is more important than a lens. Your lens is fine. My first lighting kit was very inexpensive with two basic stands, two white umbrellas, two dome reflectors and two daylight compact fluorescent bulbs. With that I shot plenty of good full body as well as head shots. I put one stand to my right and raised it about six feet, the other was low on the right side and a little back of the subject pointing upwards.</p>

[pete_s.]

<p>There are a few basic things to learn up about photography before buying anything, except the camera and first lens of course.</p>

<p>Technical things such as exposure, white balance, depth of field, subject motion and shutter speed etc. Also artistic things such as perspective, composition and framing, colors etc. You also need to know a bit about post processing, meaning what to do with the image after it has been shot.</p>

<p>I suggest you start with a few good books on the subject and perhaps some video instruction, either online or on DVD/Bluray. If you have access to portrait photography classes you might want sign up for one of those. Also any classes on studio photography.</p>

<p>When you have a little more knowledge it would be easier to buy something more specific to your needs.</p>

<p>If you are impatient however I would suggest you get the Nikon 50mm f1.8 AF-S, http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-50mm-NIKKOR-Digital-Cameras/dp/B004Y1AYAC<br /> It's very good and cheap and allows you to do a couple of things that you can't with the 18-140 lens. It's primary use on your camera would be as a portrait lens and for shooting when it is darker without a flash. However it is not needed at first, only if you feel impatient and want something more to play with :-)</p>

[deanmeeks]

<p>All you need is a tripod.</p>

[rick_m.]

<p>My vote is for lighting. Kent has it exactly right. Your first investment should be a good flash. </p>

<p>Before you 'dot another i or cross another t' go to <a href="http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/">http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/</a> and study it from front to back. Do their lighting 101 tutorial first. It will be enjoyable and you will learn a ton not just about lighting but about how to look at a photograph, piece by piece.</p>

<p>Don't scrimp on lighting. It is the only thing the camera sees. As you will learn right away though, what you need can be fairly inexpensive. I know your camera has a built in flash but it will cause you nothing but frustration. Given what you said you want to do, I would not even think about a new lens until I understood flash, owned the equipment I needed and could produce credible pics using it. </p>

[erin_parker2]

<p>Thank you so I am going to sound completely stupid now and I apologise for my ignoran ce. When reading the lightin 101 he mentions a flash that mounts to the top of the camera not the pop up kind that is inbuilt into the camera I take it that is a seperate purchase to the D7100. Any suggestions as to what type I should get?</p>

[mike_halliwell]

<blockquote>

<p>The focal length will depend on the size of the product you have in mind.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Absolutely true, but the other main factor is the size of your studio space. Having to use too wide an angle because you can't get far enough back makes for unpleasant perspective, especially of people....they get big noses and small ears..:-) It's not <strong><em>so</em></strong> important for medium size product shots, but you don't want to be cramped around an object...the discomfort will show in your pix and it's remarkably tiring having to contort yourself for a couple of hours!</p>

<p>Converted garages are perfect for the project you have. Nice white painted walls and ceiling, maybe a wide paper-on-a-roll background at one end. With white wall and ceiling you can fire the flashes into corners for really soft light.</p>

<p>Flashwise, someone above mentioned a sb-700 which can indeed mount on the top. However, it can also be mounted separately and the camera can control the power by a process known as CLS (Creative Lighting System) using infra-red, a bit like a TV remote. For a side to side balanced set-up you can use 2 and control them separately from camera. </p>

<p>The common alternative is to use what is normally called a flash-trigger. They come in 2 parts. Part 1 mounts onto the hot shoe. The simple ones simply transmit a 'FIRE' signal to other flashes (set on manual power) mounted on Part 2 the receiver blocks. The more expensive ones can control the output too.</p>

<p>Re: ...the rather conflicting notes about a tripod or not. If using flash, I'd probably hand hold the fashion-show shots to allow a certain flexibility of movement of you around the model and use a static camera on a tripod for the product stills to standardize image size, lighting and viewing angles etc.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Erin, every one of us here has been a photography beginner at some point. Some have remained in that stage for years. :-) Please excuse us for some of the overly enthusiastic responses.</p>

<p>If you are going to photograph indoors, some sort of electronic flashes will be necessary. They could be Nikon flashes mounted on the camera or better yet, off camera to be controlled remotely. Several years ago, I wrote an article about Nikon flashes for photo.net: http://www.photo.net/equipment/nikon/guide-to-ttl-flashes/</p>

<p>Nikon has added new models since then, such as the SB-700 and SB-910. The SB-900 and SB-910 are huge flashes. You may want to start with an SB-700. When you get more advanced, check out the lighting options suggested by <a href="/photodb/user?user_id=17942">Ellis Vener</a> above. Check this thread where we have some images showing the size differences among Nikon flashes: http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00cKST<br>

A large SB-910 mounted on the somewhat small D7100 maybe a bit unstable.</p>

<p>Erin, if you don't mind, please post a couple of sample images of the type of products shots you have in mind. That would provide the context for this discussion.</p>

[jose_angel]

<p>Erin, as you see things get more complex than expected...<br /> Flashes, strobes, diffusers, lenses, tripods, ceiling attachments, flash triggers, even painters.</p>

<p>Is like asking; <em>I have wood and a hammer, which kind of hand saw I need to make a bunk bed?</em> Actually, you just need a hand saw to build a bed, but depending on the finishing quality and strength, more items could be needed... a work bench, a drill, a router, a sanding machine, some clamps... Which one do you need first? And as mentioned, something of knowledge is highly desirable...</p>

<p>If you shoot with continuous light, indoors or daylight, you`ll need just a tripod. <br /> If you want daylight non-dependance, you need a flash.<br /> If you want subtle illumination, you need diffusers and/or reflectors.<br /> If you want speed and comfort, you need a remote triggering system.<br /> If you want professional looking photos, you need a dedicated scenario.<br /> If you want the maximum sharpness, you need a specialty lens.</p>

<p>Etc., etc. And all above is interrelated... there could be no sharpness without a tripod, nor professional looking without light modeling, nor extreme close ups without a dedicated lens.<br /> And if you want to to make use of all above, you need to know how...</p>

<p>The question now could be: Where do I should start?</p>

[Ian Taylor]

<p><em>"35 mm hardly qualifies as a portrait lens." etc</em><br>

Some of us consider the 35mm the ultimate portrait lens. You can use any lens to take a portrait. Get the 50mm and forget all this lighting stuff. There is beautiful free light everywhere, just learn to use it.</p>

[erin_parker2]

Thank you all and to Jose yes indeed hm where to begin I think the suggestion of a good book and that lighting 101

tutorial is a pretty solid place to start well that and my camera lol. I will be shooting indoors and won't have a dedicated

studio as we do not have the room will be in my lounge room or in my sewing room. I would love to be able to take a good

photo any time of day without having to wait for the right light (as there is only one or two spots in my house with a clean

background, a white wall) I do have a tripod. I will try and find some pictures of the type of photos I am after I don't think I

have actually seen any that I aspire to I just want to take great photos