Camera Labs

I don't pretend to be an expert photographer but I am a professional video cameraman. I need some advice on buying a lens for my splendid new D3200. I shoot alot of portrait/ production style shots indoors using professional fluorescent lighting. I hate and cannot use flash. At present I am using the standard Nikor DX 18-55, 3.5-5.6 lens. Problem I'm finding is that it will only open on wide to 5.6 and so I have to lower the shutter speed to 1/60th to get a well lit shot. Trouble is actors tend to fidget and so you can get blurred photos. Also I need to be quick with wides and close up shots. Can anyone suggest a lens that would enable me to open the aperture wider but have a faster shutter speed, like 1/125th second and have a zoom as well? As I said I am a novice at photography so please be patient! Lol

I guess there just a few options, and not the cheapest there are. Because the more light it lets in, the more glass is needed.
What comes to mind is the same sort of lens, but much more expensive and heavier: the 17-55/2.8 DX. Don't worry about it not having VR, you are wanting to use higher shutter speeds, so the need for VR becomes somewhat lower.

You can also look at third party options, like Tamron has a 17-50/2.8 (DX) lens with or without VR (They name it VC), much cheaper and less heavy.

Other options from Nikon can be:
24-120/4.0 VR
24-70/2.8

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- Wout -
Nikon D80 with 18-70 DX, 70-300 VR, 35 1.8 DX
Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod with 488RC0 midi ballhead
Lowepro CompuRover AW and Nova 200 AW

Thanks for the info. Will you lose any functions other than VR of you use a Tamron lens on a D3200?

Any non-Nikon lens will work the way it's designed to long as you buy the ones made specifically for Nikon DSLRs. Tamron and other lens manufacturers typically make the same lens for multiple brands.

The good is they're less expensive; the bad is they're typically not as sharp, but still get the job done quite well.

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Nikon D3100
Nikkor 18-55mm VR, 55-200mm VR, 35mm f/1.8
iPhone 5 for snapshots

I have just bought the Tamron 2.8 17-50 non VC lens. Pretty cheap at £289. Its pretty terrific to be honest. The review of it on http://www.photozone.de were pretty positive and all of the customer reviews on http://www.wex.co.uk, where I bought were also very good.

In a naturally lit room, at f2.8 I get shutter speeds of about 1/25 at 17mm, and about 1/50 at 50mm so handheld is possible, and thats at 200 ISO, the minimum my D90 will allow. Your 3200 has a better sensor than my aging D90 and so you may get even better results. Plus your fluorescent lighting will probably have a much higher lux level than my day lit + low level lit living room!

The autofocus on the Tamron is fast, if slightly whiny. The Focus ring only rotates 15 deg to cover the whole focal range so it doesn't have much chance to be slow and the AF is pretty positive, particularly in well lit situations.

Let me know if you have any other questions - I have been pleased with the results from this lens - its as good as my Nikon 16-85 in picture quality but has the advantage of f2.8.

Michael

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Nikon D600, Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8|AF-S 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 VR|AF 50mm 1.8D|Nissin Di866 Flash|Lowpro Slingshot 200 & Fastpack 250|Giotos MTL9351B Tripod+MH1311 Ball Head|


http://www.flickr.com/photos/michdung/

Have you compared the shutter speeds in your naturally lit living room between the Tamron lens and a standard Nikon lens like mine? With my 2 flourescent banks that normally sit around 10 ft from the subjects presumably I could get a high shutter speed and a wider aperture than you are getting?

Hi Podgy!

Right - have repeated now with 3 lenses, in my kitchen/diner with 2 ceiling lights on - results are:

nikkor 18-55 mm VR kit lens 1/30 @18mm f3.5, 1/13@55mm f5.6
nikkor 16-85 mm VR 1/30 @16mm f3.5 1/13 @ 85mm f5.6
Tamron 17-50 mm 2.8 1/60 @17mm f.28, 1/60 @ 50mm f 2.8

Interesting test and vindicates my decision for buying the Tamron to take indoor pics in churches etc. I think with your two panels of strip lights you will get much higher shutter speeds.

Hope that helps!

Michael

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Nikon D600, Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8|AF-S 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 VR|AF 50mm 1.8D|Nissin Di866 Flash|Lowpro Slingshot 200 & Fastpack 250|Giotos MTL9351B Tripod+MH1311 Ball Head|


http://www.flickr.com/photos/michdung/

Thanks for that! The Tamron is amheckmof alot faster it would seem.