Christmas present for a photographer
December 6, 2016 12:05 AM Subscribe
OH is a keen amateur photographer, but the camera is very bulky (Nikon D3200). I just read about pancake lenses.
Are these a viable option for this camera, and if so can you suggest one for a Christmas present? (If not, are there any other photography accessories that might be well received?) I'm not sure which lenses we already have, a big one and a bigger one as far as I can tell.
Are these a viable option for this camera, and if so can you suggest one for a Christmas present? (If not, are there any other photography accessories that might be well received?) I'm not sure which lenses we already have, a big one and a bigger one as far as I can tell.
As gmb says, there aren't very many Nikon F-Mount (what the D3200 uses) pancake lenses, and what there are are older manual focus lenses. Lenses for other systems can be adapted, but all the adaptation equipment comes with compromises, usually around optical quality.
What does OH like to shoot? Is the problem that they're carrying all the lenses and that makes it bulky, or is it just that the body itself is really big?
posted by aurynn at 12:40 AM on December 6, 2016
What does OH like to shoot? Is the problem that they're carrying all the lenses and that makes it bulky, or is it just that the body itself is really big?
posted by aurynn at 12:40 AM on December 6, 2016
Nikon made the 45mm f/2.8 P pancake lens ca. 10-15 years ago, which is relatively modern, but that’s still a manual focus lens, and, while it should just about be usable on the D3200, it won’t, as I understand it, co-operate with the camera body to enable automatic metering. Plus it’s nothing special optically (I have one I use on a film camera), and, being somewhat collectible, tends not to be available second-hand at especially appealing prices.
Not a proper pancake, but a fairly compact ‘prime’ (i.e. fixed focal length / non-zoom) lens: the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D, which will allow metering, but still won’t autofocus with the D3200. This is by all accounts a great lens & is relatively inexpensive as lenses go.
A more modern lens, and not quite as inexpensive, but a better fit with the D3200 (autofocus should work) and hence a safer bet: the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G.
posted by misteraitch at 2:03 AM on December 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
Not a proper pancake, but a fairly compact ‘prime’ (i.e. fixed focal length / non-zoom) lens: the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D, which will allow metering, but still won’t autofocus with the D3200. This is by all accounts a great lens & is relatively inexpensive as lenses go.
A more modern lens, and not quite as inexpensive, but a better fit with the D3200 (autofocus should work) and hence a safer bet: the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G.
posted by misteraitch at 2:03 AM on December 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'm an avid photographer, and I'd say the main problem with buying a gift for a photographer is pretty much the same as buying for anyone else. Is it something they already have? If not, is it something they want? And if they haven't considered it already, is it something they will use? Always hard to tell!
The Nikon D3200 is actually not that big for a DSLR, although it's certainly bigger than a point and shoot or a four thirds system. If your idea of buying a small lens is to make the system more compact... well, that won't make much difference. My opinion has always been that once a camera is bigger than true pocket-sized, it doesn't make much difference since it will be carried on a strap or in a bag anyway. (I mean, to a point, obviously.)
My searches for a pancake lens for my Nikon were always pretty futile, either due to price or availability. I do, however, recommend the 35mm 1.8 prime lens to just about anyone. It doesn't zoom. which is the point of a prime lens, but is small, lightweight, and give the "normal" field of view (that is, roughly representing what you see with your own eyes) on DX sensor camera like the 3200. It will also autofocus on the 3200.(The 50mm lenses recommended above are great as well, but they only give "normal" field of view on full-frame sensor cameras, not on the smaller DX sensor.) It has a wide available aperture, which makes it great in low light, and giving shallow depth of field. Again, all of this is assuming OH would find it useful.
Another gift option for a photographer, if OH doesn't already have it, is Adobe's Creative Cloud for Photographers. It's a subscription that gives access to Lightroom, Photoshop, and tons of other features that many photographers find useful. You can pay for a year up front, and it just might make an easy Christmas gift every year.
Some photographers also enjoy playing with Lens Baby lenses. The Spark is their entry level option. It's an odd lens that many people find very enjoyable to play with, as it gives dreamy effects to your photos. It's a fun toy, and essentially a bit of a gimmick. But it's worth looking into. Many photographers find that using such things opens up new creative avenues.
My last recommendation, more in the stock stuffer price range, is a better camera strap than came with the camera. I have this JOBY sling strap for my Nikon DSLR, and I love it. I can instantly tighten the strap to hold the camera against my body while walking, but then quickly loosen it to bring it into shooting position.
posted by The Deej at 6:30 AM on December 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
The Nikon D3200 is actually not that big for a DSLR, although it's certainly bigger than a point and shoot or a four thirds system. If your idea of buying a small lens is to make the system more compact... well, that won't make much difference. My opinion has always been that once a camera is bigger than true pocket-sized, it doesn't make much difference since it will be carried on a strap or in a bag anyway. (I mean, to a point, obviously.)
My searches for a pancake lens for my Nikon were always pretty futile, either due to price or availability. I do, however, recommend the 35mm 1.8 prime lens to just about anyone. It doesn't zoom. which is the point of a prime lens, but is small, lightweight, and give the "normal" field of view (that is, roughly representing what you see with your own eyes) on DX sensor camera like the 3200. It will also autofocus on the 3200.(The 50mm lenses recommended above are great as well, but they only give "normal" field of view on full-frame sensor cameras, not on the smaller DX sensor.) It has a wide available aperture, which makes it great in low light, and giving shallow depth of field. Again, all of this is assuming OH would find it useful.
Another gift option for a photographer, if OH doesn't already have it, is Adobe's Creative Cloud for Photographers. It's a subscription that gives access to Lightroom, Photoshop, and tons of other features that many photographers find useful. You can pay for a year up front, and it just might make an easy Christmas gift every year.
Some photographers also enjoy playing with Lens Baby lenses. The Spark is their entry level option. It's an odd lens that many people find very enjoyable to play with, as it gives dreamy effects to your photos. It's a fun toy, and essentially a bit of a gimmick. But it's worth looking into. Many photographers find that using such things opens up new creative avenues.
My last recommendation, more in the stock stuffer price range, is a better camera strap than came with the camera. I have this JOBY sling strap for my Nikon DSLR, and I love it. I can instantly tighten the strap to hold the camera against my body while walking, but then quickly loosen it to bring it into shooting position.
posted by The Deej at 6:30 AM on December 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
A price range would be helpful - camera accessories can get expensive, fast.
The 35/50mm lenses mentioned above are both good lenses that most serious photographers will own something very like at some point once they start getting serious. On his camera, the 35mm will be much like what we see, so it's useful for things like street photography. The 50mm will be zoomed in and approximates the focal distance of many classic portrait lenses. If you're choosing between the two of those, you can use that as a guide towards which he'd enjoy more.
If he'd enjoy something wacky, the Lensbaby Spark that The Deej mentioned is affordable and strange. It's entirely manual, so if that's not something that would appeal to him, it might not be a good match.
A good tripod is something that most photographers should have. This is a pretty typical example of a first "good" tripod. They're way easier to use, steadier, and safer for the camera than the cheap ones that many people start out with.
If he does do tripod shots (especially of landscapes when there's not a ton of light), getting him a wifi adaptor (WU-1a), a wired trigger, or wireless trigger will help make his shots better. The Wifi adapter gives the most interesting options.
If you have the discipline to do rebates exactly as required and have space for a huge honking printer and he would enjoy making physical copies of his work, the Canon Pixma Pro 100 rebate is a good deal. But it's seriously a beast as far as the amount of space that it requires.
posted by Candleman at 7:34 AM on December 6, 2016
The 35/50mm lenses mentioned above are both good lenses that most serious photographers will own something very like at some point once they start getting serious. On his camera, the 35mm will be much like what we see, so it's useful for things like street photography. The 50mm will be zoomed in and approximates the focal distance of many classic portrait lenses. If you're choosing between the two of those, you can use that as a guide towards which he'd enjoy more.
If he'd enjoy something wacky, the Lensbaby Spark that The Deej mentioned is affordable and strange. It's entirely manual, so if that's not something that would appeal to him, it might not be a good match.
A good tripod is something that most photographers should have. This is a pretty typical example of a first "good" tripod. They're way easier to use, steadier, and safer for the camera than the cheap ones that many people start out with.
If he does do tripod shots (especially of landscapes when there's not a ton of light), getting him a wifi adaptor (WU-1a), a wired trigger, or wireless trigger will help make his shots better. The Wifi adapter gives the most interesting options.
If you have the discipline to do rebates exactly as required and have space for a huge honking printer and he would enjoy making physical copies of his work, the Canon Pixma Pro 100 rebate is a good deal. But it's seriously a beast as far as the amount of space that it requires.
posted by Candleman at 7:34 AM on December 6, 2016
Bit of an odd suggestion but you could go the other direction and get him a less bulky house. Find a cheap compact dslr body and he can pack just it and his preferred lens sometimes. I have amazing fun with my hundred dollar (including lens) micro 4/3 camera. Here's a size comparison. Even if you went for a different brand body and an adapter it can still be a fun combo.
posted by Iteki at 2:49 PM on December 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Iteki at 2:49 PM on December 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
Camera stuff can be a pain to carry around and there's no substitute for a really good bag, though they can be hard to pick for someone else.
Would this person be interested in trying something like time lapse photography? You can get relatively inexpensive digital intervalometers and give them a new type of photography to try out.
Or if time-lapse isn't interesting, there's a whole world full of macro photography opportunities to explore.
If they don't have a shutter release remote those are useful and usually pretty cheap.
Extra batteries for the camera body aren't very sexy but would generally be appreciated.
posted by Nerd of the North at 12:44 AM on December 7, 2016
Would this person be interested in trying something like time lapse photography? You can get relatively inexpensive digital intervalometers and give them a new type of photography to try out.
Or if time-lapse isn't interesting, there's a whole world full of macro photography opportunities to explore.
If they don't have a shutter release remote those are useful and usually pretty cheap.
Extra batteries for the camera body aren't very sexy but would generally be appreciated.
posted by Nerd of the North at 12:44 AM on December 7, 2016
One of the best accessories I have ever bought for my photography is a Hoodman Loupe. We all struggle with the screen visibility because of the reflections caused by the sun and because the sreen is not very bright. The loupe is used to remove reflections off the LCD screen and to enhance the visibility of histograms and other information displayed. They have launched a compact version now - I have the regular 3.2 version and I am using it more than most accessories. The loupe costs around £100 in the UK. Very highly recommended!
posted by Parsnip at 5:50 AM on December 7, 2016
posted by Parsnip at 5:50 AM on December 7, 2016
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The problems are:
1. They're fixed focal length -- i.e. you can't zoom. That's not necessarily a problem, but worth bearing in mind -- I don't know what kind of photography you or OH would be doing, so I can't tell.
2. Both of those lenses are manual focus only, because they're old lenses that were made before autofocus was common on Nikon cameras (and even if they did autofocus, they wouldn't autofocus on a D3200).
posted by gmb at 12:34 AM on December 6, 2016