DSLR Photography - Essential Lenses (Landscape and Everyday)

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  danielkcheung on 06/03/2017 - 13:26

  Samyang for days for the Tasmanian trip. Try to pick one up secondhand to save some dollars. Definitely bring a sturdy enough tripod and perhaps a cheap made-in-China cable release for long exposures.

  For an everyday lens, I would recommend that you look at Sigma's 18-35 f/1.8 ART lens. You're not going to get much out of $250 to be honest. Good glass costs big dollars. You could effectively just get the 18-35mm for both purposes as a compromise.

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    Sacco07 on 07/03/2017 - 10:47

    I havnt really thought about doing that, It is a possibility.
    How would the Sigma 18-35 ART lens work in comparason with the Samyang for night landscape photography?
    I've had a look I could possibly buy one for around the $700 mark.

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  jzdhgkd on 06/03/2017 - 15:16

  +1

  Re: 35mm 1.8. Great lens. Definitely belongs in everyone's kit. Using a prime for everyday photography is a slight challenge though - I find 35mm just slightly too long for it (and carry a 24mm f1.8 as walk-around myself.)

  If you've got the kit zoom you could try setting it at 35mm for the next few days/weeks and see how you go. If it works for you then that's great and you can feel confident buying the lens otherwise you might have to consider other options.

  Re: nighttime landscape the samyang 14mm will do you fine. If you take a look around flickr and examine the EXIF you can see that some of the most beautiful shots are on cheap samyangs/rokinons etc. As long as you have a good sturdy tripod then it's a matter of location and framing more than anything!

  Have fun :D

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    Sacco07 on 07/03/2017 - 10:48

    Thanks for the advice, I've heard really good things about the Samyang for a good cheaper lense! I'll be sure to have a look through flikr

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  gmail92 on 06/03/2017 - 16:21

  +1

  I've been here and done that, and extended into professional events photography (without going all out on the equipment).

  I have bought a ultrawide lens (tokina 11-16), and to be honest, it is pretty much never used (and it wasn't cheap at all). Not to mention it is heavy. And that is with AF on a D7000.

  Don't forget the crop factor of your camera, as this will be about 1.5x the actual lens. For instance, if you buy a 35mm 1.8, this effectively is a 50mm 1.8. Note that this is fairly tight, so not for group photos, and probably not ideal for landscapes. I find the 35mm on a crop to be a bit restrictive (of course, you may find this creative). So when people talk about a 35mm for everyday photography, I feel they are talking about 35mm on a full frame, which is the 24mm equivalent. So 24mm on a crop dslr body would be a nice everyday lens.

  https://www.slrlounge.com/workshop/crop-vs-full-frame-camera…

  For a good all rounder, I would suggest the Tamron 17-50 2.8 (which is what I have). It is a solid performer, and flexible as a zoom lens. I reckon it is ideal for everyone, and then as you find out more and more about what kind of photos you enjoy taking, then you know which lens you will require (rather than me and buy all the lenses - and not use any of them).

  You may find that some lenses do not have AF on your D5000. I have a D7000 which is the ideal hobbyist camera, as it has built in AF on the body (which entry levels do not). Just a suggestion if you are looking more into photography. I bet they would be dirt cheap by now too. I would beware of non-AF lenses - do you really want to manually focus every shot?

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    Sacco07 on 07/03/2017 - 10:56

    I've actually read into the Tamron 17-50mm and heard that it is great during the day however lacks focus and sharpness when it comes to dusk/night?
    Most reviews I read say that it is an excellent lense during the day but not when it starts to get dark.

    I'll be interested in upgrading camera body, I'm currently using my brothers so it would be good to buy my own.

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      gmail92 on 07/03/2017 - 15:40

      You have to also consider what kind of photos you are taking: even with a prime nighttime shots (portraits etc) are hard, and if you are looking at landscapes you should be using a tripod anyways (which would compensate aperture with shutter speed). Are you taking night shots? And of what? Furthermore, if you can find be a better lens for a similar price (obviously not comparing to a Nikon 17-50 which is many times more expensive), let me know (because I'm pretty sure that isn't one).

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        Sacco07 on 08/03/2017 - 11:03

        Yes I use a tripod for all my landscape shots when it starts to get dark. Primarally I'm taking night shots of landscape.
        I just wanted to know further details about the Tamron 17-50mm? Like how do you think it performs when it gets dark?

      • 

        gmail92 on 08/03/2017 - 13:25

        @Sacco07:

        It performs perfectly fine. As elaborated elsewhere on this post, technique > gear. Knowing exactly how to manage your camera settings will make a much bigger difference than gear.

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  trongy on 06/03/2017 - 18:06

  Think about the times when you were using your kit lens (presumably 18-55mm or 18-Xmm).

  How often did you zoom out to 18mm and wish you could keep going out?
  Wide angle is what you need if you want to fit a lot in your shot. However, 14mm is a bit wider than 18mm, but 12mm or 10mm are even better. (24mm is not really wide angle on the D5000). Manual focus is fine if you are sticking purely to landscapes, but if you start to shoot close subjects you will miss the autofocus.

  As for the 35mm f1.8 - as an experiment try setting your kit lens to 35mm for a day of everyday photography. How do you like always having to move in and out to frame your shot?

  The prime lens gives you the same field of view, you just get to use a wider aperture which will give you more light, shallower depth of field and better bokeh. All good if that's what you need, but you lose the zoom. All lens choices require compromises, you just need to figure out which compromise you are comfortable with. The other trap that novices with more than one lens (like me) can fall into is always wanting to change lens for a better shot. You end up missing shots, wasting a lot of time and generally having less fun.

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    Sacco07 on 07/03/2017 - 11:02

    Im currently running the 18-55mm Kit lens, I'll try and exoerement without zoom tonight! Thats a great idea and see how I go.

    I basically only want to stick with 2 lenses, thats why I was thinking the Samyang 14mm and the 35mm because I think that it will give me a good range to choose from without having to constantly swap lenses?
    Going off what Daniel said above (First Comment) I'm now thinking about only purchasing one lens inbetween with the combined money?
    Thinking about going the Sigma 18-35 ART lens. Which again I've heard really good things about.

    • 

      gmail92 on 08/03/2017 - 13:22

      I find a zoom generally better for landscapes, because you can on the spot manage the framing. It would be pretty hard to manage on a prime.

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  Rifraf on 06/03/2017 - 19:37

  Save your money.

  What you already have is great for most things.

  If your not getting what you want from what you have, be very clear about what you think a different lens might offer your photography.

  I suggest you master what you've got now.

  Put the money towards getting to locations in Tassie where you can grab great shots.

  Oh and that 35mm is best utilised for your night/low light shots.

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  godofpizza on 07/03/2017 - 15:37

  do you have a tripod already? with your exisiting gear you could try stitching photos together in photoshop or some HDR landscape programs

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    Sacco07 on 08/03/2017 - 11:00

    Hi, Yes I have a tripod and with my existing gear it is quite hard to take good photos at night they tend to come out average. May try mixing shots though in photoshop.

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      godofpizza on 08/03/2017 - 12:03

      +1

      might want to post some examples here or some dedicated photo forums for some critique or advise. Buying more gear isn't the answer if there's and issue with your technique.

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        gmail92 on 08/03/2017 - 13:21

        Can't agree enough. More gear doesn't necessitate to better photos. Especially where the technique isn't there (which appears to be the issue).

        A remote or cable may ensure you don't accidentally blur with the trigger. Using a low iso, long shutter speed, and a tripod - it's pretty had to go wrong.

        I used to pull out gorgeous photos on my D90 with the stock standard 18-55, and it can still be done today. Even on my D40x before that.

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        Sacco07 on 08/03/2017 - 13:30

        I get half decent photos, but I know for a fact that I need a better lens for the photos I want to take. I've already spoken to photographers I know, all of them say that the kit lens wont get you far when it comes to night landscape photos.
        I use a delayed timer to take the photos as well. I've even borrowed there lenses. The lens makes a massive different in the quality of the photo, in particular, night time.
        However I've never spoken to someone who has a Samyang lens before, thats why I made this post originally

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        godofpizza on 08/03/2017 - 14:51

        @Sacco07:
        they're right the kit lenses isn't going to get you far, but you also need to understand how to take landscape photos.

        I've got a nikon 14mm-24mm but i wouldn't recommend it for landscape due to the distortion at the end of the images, esp with full frame bodies. I don't shoot landscapes but something like a 50mm or the 35mm you mentioned on a tripod with a pano head would give you something to work with in photoshop for hdr/stitching.

        tips

        -shot in raw (with 3spot exposures)
        -shoot at dusk
        -check for dust in sensor
        -shooting f11-22 is ideal (but you need to check your sensor is clean) otherwise you're going to be fixing dust spots.

        happy shooting