sanjeev_kumar6 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 <p>Dear All,<br> I am thinking of buying a lens as beginner but not able to decide or may be I do not have enough knowledge.. so coming to all of you. This is my interest area and not profession but would love to do after 5-10 yrs .. :)<br> I have Nikon 5300 with 18-55mm but my photos are not coming out as I am looking for .. I tried both Auto and Manual mode.. <br> my interest areas are normal street photography and nature... so i was trying to check below<br> 50 mm 1.8G - Portrait <br> 16-85mm - Regular but without telephoto<br> 18-200 mm - for Telephoto</p> <p>Appreciate your inputs and guidance.. and thanks in advance.<br> Regards,<br> Sanjeev Kumar<br> Delhi, India</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western_isles Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 <p>Your 18-55 should cover most situations for someone just starting out and I would not jump into a new lens if your images are not what you expected. The way to improve is to make mistakes and learn from them which is exactly what you have started to do in your post.</p> <p>The great thing about digital is that you get instant feedback as opposed to the old days of film where you had to wait on processing and it costs more money.</p> <p>Using your existing lens try bracketing your exposures on manual. What this means is that say you take your first image at f11 @ 1/60, take another image at f8 @ 1/60 and another at f16 @ 1/60. This will give your three choices of exposure and you can see which you think is best both on screen and by using the histogram.</p> <p>In my experience it is best to use a computer screen to actually check the images. The camera screen will only give you a rough idea.</p> <p>I am assuming of course that you are referring to exposure. It would help if you let people know exactly how "they are not coming out". </p> <p>Come back to us and let us know how you are getting on.<br> </p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodeo_joe1 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 <p>Sanjeev, I suggest you read through these two threads before blaming your kit lens for poor picture quality. But if you just want a bit more reach I'd suggest the 18-140mm AF-S VR Nikkor. It's a real bargain with excellent image quality. Or a Sigma 70-300mm Apo with a red ring around the front of the barrel - note <em>not</em> the cheaper non-Apo version.</p> <p><a href="/nikon-camera-forum/00deDg">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00deDg</a><br /> <a href="/nikon-camera-forum/00deub">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00deub</a></p> <p>BTW, if you have a long-term goal of turning professional; you realise there's very little market for street or nature photography? National Geographic has that pretty much tied up. Although street photography might help with your people skills.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Sanjeev, welcome to photo.net. It is unclear what the problems are with your images. Could you post a sample or two and point out why you are not satisfied? While the 18-55mm is a basic lens with its limitations, it should be able to give you decent images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanjeev_kumar6 Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 <p>Hi Frank - Thanks for your advice.. Appreciate the inputs that with mistakes only we can learn and analyze what went wrong etc. posting some of my pics .. may be these will say ... thats its just normal photos..</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanjeev_kumar6 Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 <p>Thanks Rodeo.. Please I was not blaming my lens but just curious as a learner..<br> Great help for sharing both url's and suggestions..<br> Yes my future plan is to move to professional arena.. but before that will explore all types at least to experience...</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanjeev_kumar6 Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 <p>Thanks Shun for warm welcome. I am sharing some of my pics .<br> When I mean its not as expected.. is.. I see lot of great images at photo.net and i see myself nowhere near beginner level also...</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanjeev_kumar6 Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 <p>another one..</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 <p>Thanks for posting those images. Just a suggestion, in the future please post a smaller version.</p> <p>Now I have images similar to your mustard field one. Why don't you like it? Could you post a link to a similar image that you like such that we know what kind of effect you would like to achieve?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chip_chipowski Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 <p>I think those are both nice images. If you like nature close-ups, a macro would add a new dimension to your photography. Lots of good choices there.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidTriplett Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 <p>Sanjeev, it can be a little hard on the ego, but posting your images in your portfolio, and inviting others to comment and critique can be very useful and instructive. This will also allow an interactive forum among you and the commentators. FYI: I started out on a D5100 with kit lenses. The 18-55mm is a particularly useful and high-value lens. I would stay with it for the time being and use it as a learning tool. You can always buy more lenses when you are ready for them. There's no point in doing so until you are comfortable with your camera and satisfied that you have reached the full capacity of the lens(es) you already have. Also, what software are you using to manipulate your images?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 <blockquote> <p>Sanjeev, it can be a little hard on the ego, but posting your images in your portfolio, and inviting others to comment and critique can be very useful and instructive.</p> </blockquote> <p>That is excellent advice. Just keep in mind that every photographer, regardless of how great or poor, has been a beginner at some point. Some just stay at that level for longer than others. When I was a teenager, I regularly got together with a few friends to critique our images. A teach who had an art background used to criticize my images a lot, and that is how you learn.</p> <p>I would stay away from forums where every mediocre image, and sometimes terrible images, is automatically praised to no end. Occasionally people are afraid of retaliation. That sometimes happens right here on photo.net as well. Such practice may make you feel good, but it won't help you learn.</p> <p>BTW, I captured the following image last year, with the 300mm/f4 lens @ f11. There were some branch on the lower right that I wasn't able to avoid, but some crop may make the image better. By no means this is among my best images, but I think it is ok.</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 <p>Incidentally, prior to the above image, I had captured the following version with a shorter 105mm macro lens. To my surprise, while I was fairly close to those flowers, @ f11, the 105mm lens wasn't able to throw the background completely out of focus as the 300mm lens could.</p> <p>Therefore, maybe consider adding a 55-300mm DX or 70-300mm AF-S VR as a longer lens can help you isolate the subject??</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanjeev_kumar6 Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 <p>@<a href="/photodb/user?user_id=9150524">David Triplett</a> - I completely agree with you and respect your advice..<br> So far I am not using any software to manipulate my clicks .. so please suggest from your side.. I will also search from my end to begin something.<br> @<a href="/photodb/user?user_id=24372">Shun Cheung</a> - Thanks for great suggestions.. i love your clicks.. thanks for giving me some knowledge..</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastianmoran Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 <p>Sanjeev, your images look pretty good. Photography is subtle. Keep at it! The kit lens is actually pretty good, in my opinion.</p> <p>For a next lens, my favorite on a DX body is a 50mm lens. The 50 f/1.8G would be perfect, but all of the 50's are very good. With this lens you can do indoor portraits without flash.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 <p>Way back in 1998, just by chance I was on the same cruise ship for a week with famed wildlife/nature photographer Art Wolfe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Wolfe</p> <p>At that time he was already well known. We had lunch and dinner at the same table with a few other photographers for several days. Of course that was back in the film era. Wolfe mentioned that when he started photography, when he got his first roll of slides back from the lab, the entire roll was all clear images. He didn't mention what kind of mistake he made, though.</p> <p>So don't worry about being a beginner. Everyone has been at that stage.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidTriplett Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 <p>Sanjeev, there is no one best editing software. I use Lightroom and Photoshop, but there are others. The primary reason to use these tools is that our cameras do not see what our eyes see, particularly after manipulation by our brains. Therefore, use these tools to make your photos more communicative of your experience and your intent. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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