Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with lens

Best lens for low-light photography with a Nikon D50?

inatizzy — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:54:46 -0800

What is the best lens to use with a Nikon D50 for low-light situations where the subjects are moving? I would like to photograph people at swing dances, which are usually low-light settings and the people tend to move fast.

A friend has gotten some really amazing shots using a Canon EOS 30D with a fixed 28mm lens. (exposures were typically lasting .005-.01 seconds, f 1.8 or 2.) No blurring, beautiful colors. Really just gorgeous portraits of people having a good time, like a freeze-frame in the middle of their dance, and just enough blurring in the background to bring the viewer's focus to the subject.

I have a Nikon D50 and this friend has told me Nikons are not as good as Canons in low-light situations. But I don't really want to invest a lot of money in a whole new body *and* lens.

Is there a lens for the D50 that could accomplish this? (And that would be not-too-expensive? I'm happy to buy used.) In case it matters, right now I have the Nikon 18-200mm lens, which has been fine for everyday shooting but doesn't do as well in really low light. I might be willing to sell this lens to put the money towards the low-light one. (esp if the low-light one could also be used for more general settings like outdoors in the afternoon.)

thanks for your advice! :)

Will they fix it?

Venadium — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:52:33 -0800

Has anyone had Nikon gear that you bought used serviced under warranty? Is this possible, or is Nikon's extended warranty non-transferable? I've got a lens (28-70 2.8 AF-S) that I want to send in to Nikon to have checked out. The person I bought the lens from filled out and mailed in the extended warranty card when he first bought the lens, so it's still under warranty until September of next year. They were also kind enough to include a copy of the original receipt from B&H that clearly shows the lens and serial number, along with all the other things he bought that day.

I've searched around a bit but I haven't found any clear answer as to whether or not I'll be able to get the lens serviced under warranty or not. Some are saying no, that the warranty is not transferable and if I want it serviced I'd have to have the original owner send it in for me (which probably wouldn't be a problem, but he isn't exactly local and it would just end up taking longer), and then some are saying it should be no problem as long as I include that B&H receipt and maybe also a note stating that the item was a gift (the original sales receipt is usually required anyway when getting warranty service).

Does anyone have any experience with getting used equipment repaired under warranty? I'd call Nikon myself right now if they were open, and I was hoping to get an answer or two before I go to the UPS store to send the lens out in the morning.

Which lens do I buy?

damiano99 — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:03:56 -0800

Photofilter: Which lens should I buy? I'm in the market for a new prime. I've narrowed it down (for various reasons) to either Canon 85/1.8 or the new Sigma 50/1.4. Do any fellow photogs out there have experience with either one or have a recommendation. Eventually, I want to go with the 85/1.2II but it'll be awhile before I have the cash. I'm looking for something with good bokeh as I like to shoot wide open and get short DOF. Currently, I'm using an old OM Zuiko 50/1.4 to achieve that but since it's not autofocus, I miss more in-focus shots than I like. In case you need to know to answer I shoot on a 30D and a 5D. Thanks!

Are all contact lens solutions created equal?

iamisaid — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:11:23 -0800

Is there any evidence (scientific, anecdotal or otherwise) to suggest that cheap store-brand contact lens solution is inferior to name brands like Opti-Free or Renu? I'm specifically referring to multi-purpose solution for disposable soft contact lenses. What are your solution experiences? Now that I'm wearing contacts again, I'm reminded of the fact that solution can get expensive and store brands are usually around half the price of the name brands. So I'm wondering -- is there really any difference?

I did find this somewhat related question in the archives, where someone mentions the Target brand is (was?) made by the same company as Opti-Free and someone else mentions differences among the name brands, but I'm wondering more about store brands in general. The particular brand I bought last night came from a grocery store and lists no manufacturer aside from the fact that it was made in the UK (and I'm in the US).

I tried comparing ingredients from a trial bottle of Opti-Free I had on hand, but it's quite difficult because the Opti-Free lists "proprietary" ingredients with trademarked names like TETRONIC and POLYQUAD, which perhaps is done by design.

Is it possible that the ingredients could be vastly different and the name brands actually worth the extra price? Is this a case where you would not risk buying a generic brand to save a few dollars?

Old Lens with New dSLR?

awesomebrad — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 20:41:32 -0800

dSLRfilter - What will a dSLR think about my 30 year old lens? I've recently started photography as a hobby, and have been using a very old Nikon EM from 1979 that my parents had lying around the house. It only has one lens, a 50mm f/1. Series E, which I quite like. My limited but growing understanding of dSLRs tells me that because I won't be getting a full frame camera, the image is going to be different in some way because the lens is designed for film. What is that something? Is there anything else that will prevent it from working with a new camera?

Bonus: thoughts on Nikon D40 v. D60? I'd go with the D40, but I'm a bit concerned about not having a dust removal system...how big of a problem is that?

SLRockin

tmcw — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:08:26 -0800

My roommate's looking for a $4-600 SLR + Lens combo. That's pretty much it. He doesn't have any lenses that are worth porting over, so no influence on brand in that area. I have a Canon, though, and some good lenses, so I might lend one to him if he gets something similar. He shoots mostly daylight city, events, type of stuff: not as much landscape or low-light, but I'm sure he'll cover the range. I'm not sure what to go with at this particular time (with the seeming explosion of prosumer cams), but there must be something good to get at this price point?

Thanks for any info!

Suspicious lens-fu.

mindsound — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:02:51 -0800

There's a photograph of a Persian gold finial resting on a highly patterned cloth on p. 56 of the August 2008 National Geographic (directions to find it online inside). The finial is in tack-sharp focus with significant depth of field while the entire cloth is pleasantly blurred. Shenanigans? I would love to know how this photo was taken. It's the tenth photo in this annoying Flash presentation of Simon Norfolk's photos. If you page forward once using the >| button it's the first photo on that page.

I'm kind of hoping that the composition is due to ninja lens technique, but it really looks photoshopped to me since the finial's shadow is almost in focus while cloth details intersecting the shadow boundary are much more blurred. Can any 5th dan photographers comment?

Best camera store on Manhattan?

avocade — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:35:05 -0800

Want to try out lenses, tripods, filters, etc for my new Canon 40D. Nice camera, btw!

Telephoto lens for Nikon P5100

forallmankind — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:58:22 -0800

I'd like to buy a telephoto lens for my Nikon P5100 . There's a bunch on ebay & Amazon - Tokina, Opteka, Fotodiox - for between 40 & 100 bucks. Are any of these lenses/ brands worth their dollar? ($100 is my max, so the $250 Nikon branded lens is not in the running.)

Inexpensive, basic lens for a Nikon D40?

The corpse in the library — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:33:53 -0800

Inexpensive, basic lens for a Nikon D40? I am overwhelmed by my options when it comes to lenses for my Nikon D40 DSLR. I have the 18-55mm it came with, but I would like something less bulky -- and less eye-catching -- for carrying around with me.

I see the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor lens, and it sounds great -- but I don't want to lose the autofocus.

I also see the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM lens, and it sounds glorious -- but too expensive.

Is there a basic lens out there, around $100, that will work with my D40, including autofocus?

Is a broken camera lens useful for anything?

logic vs love — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:01:34 -0800

Can anything interesting be done with a broken SLR zoom lens? So, I dropped my digital SLR and the lens didn't survive. It was a 18-70mm zoom lens, if it matters. Now the barrel is tilted and it's nearly impossible to zoom in/out or focus. It was the kit lens so I'm not too upset, but I'm wondering if there's anything fun that can be done with it at this point? It seems such a waste to just toss it.

How can I fix my sunglasses?

Hellafiles — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:26:44 -0800

One of the lenses of my expensive pair of sunglasses keeps popping out. Can I fix this myself? I bought them @ Sak's and I'm wondering if I should attempt to return them (bought them last year) or just try to glue them etc? Its very annoying and I'm afraid I'll lose the lens one of these days. Or should I write Prada and see if they'll just send me a replacement pair?

Strike a pose, please.

jadepearl — Mon, 05 May 2008 06:31:54 -0800

Getting a DSLR today. What lens options should make a good set to take the plunge? having read all the threads or at least the most recent ones on DSLRs and having handled the various body cameras at a store, I have settled on the Sony A200. Before all the hatin' starts I say that the reasons I decided on this system were:

it felt good in my hands
worked when chasing a VERY active 14 month old around the store;
photo lag was minimal to me;
photos looked good of said active child;
price point was reasonable for quality and features. Mr. Jadepearl is a Nikon man but he was disappointed in the performance of the D40 while the camera clerk told me that the introductory Canon in this range was not a good competitor on price performance at this level
Older Minolta lenses work with it

So, what lens do I need to make a complete kit? The immediate plans are to take photos of kids, plants, landscapes and scenes from a moving vehicle. Did I mention that I travel with two hand puppets that I pose in ludicrous poses at famous locations or break some rules on museum displays and proximity?

So what lens should I go for to cover the widest possible conditions for this photo newbie? I plan to have this camera for years and figure that Sony is seemingly committed to their camera line.

How useful is a 80-300mm lens for a DSLR?

unless I'm very much mistaken — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:52:28 -0800

Upgrading to a DSLR camera for the first time: how useful will an additional lens be? I want to buy an entry-level DSLR camera. I'm a keen walker, most of my photographs are landscapes and I don't want too much extra weight to carry if it can be avoided. For this reason, I am tempted by the Olympus E-410, shortly to be replaced by the E-420, but available in my budget range bundled with the 14-42 and 40-150mm lenses (it's a 4/3rds camera, so my understanding is that this means 28-84mm and 80-300mm in normal language).

This is the only DLSR deal I can find where I can afford the additional lens. I'm not likely to be able to be able to afford additional expenditure for at least 12 months. Am I likely to use the extra lens enough for this to tip the deal? (UK based, if that makes a difference)

Filmmaker training, online?

pseudostrabismus — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:59:19 -0800

Suggest online or DVD resources for a new filmmaker to learn about lenses, film formats, shot composition, camera moves, dialogue staging, and other aspects of cinematography & directing? I'd like to get good at directing film, and learning how to do this using books seems old-fashioned.

I want so see examples of shots using different lenses, film formats, compositions, camera moves, camera angles, etc. I've read Film Directing Shot-by-Shot, which is pretty good, but I think that seeing this stuff as a moving visual would be even better.

Is there a website with video tutorials? Or a DVD course somewhere out there?
Other resources I should think about? And I'm open to more book suggestions, too.

Thanks in advance!

Old Nikon Lenses

Raybun — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:24:30 -0800

What can I do with my old F mount, non AE Nikkor lenses? I have the Nikkor monoscope adapter that works very well with the 200mm. What to do with the 28mm, 50mm, 55mm macro, 135mm and 500mm mirror (universal mount) lenses?

Photo of the Rising Sun.

disillusioned — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:43:01 -0800

What caused the light to do the weird radial effect in my picture? I'm guessing it's the UV HAZE filter I leave over my lens? Does the effect have a name? Like some weird form of "blooming"? Shot with a Canon Rebel XTi with a 28-135mm USM IS, 6 second exposure.

Canon Lens for Family Pictures

pb — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 09:31:57 -0800

What's a good Canon lens for family photographs? I have a Canon EOS 5D, and I'm exclusively using a 50/1.4 lens. I love it for close portraits and some medium-distance shots, but I've found it's not so great at larger family gatherings. I recently borrowed a friend's wide-angle (a 17-35/2.8 L, I think) and I found it too wide for big groups. (With too much distortion at the wide end, and not so hot indoors.) I'm wondering if there's a happy medium I'm missing; a lens that I can use to get 8-10 people in the frame without backing up 20 feet.

Overall size of SLR lens and/or filter market?

UMDirector — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:06:03 -0800

I am looking for an estimate of the overall size of the SLR lens market (U.S. or world) and/or market size for filters (polarizing etc)...my google-fu has failed me! If either of those fail then maybe the overall market for ANY aftermarket camera attachments, modifications....(can you sense my desperation?)

understanding lens on a Pentax DSLR

bystander — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:45:36 -0800

Lens 101 for new Pentax K100d DSLR owner. I was lucky enough to get a new camera for Christmas, and it replaces point and shoot compacts.
I need to understand a bit about lenses for it, and hope askme can teach me.
My last SLR was before eBay existed, and the listings there confuse me.
Basically, I would like a wide, fast lens for portraits with big depth of field.
My camera came with a f3.5-5.6 18-50mm, and it is nice, but could use more depth of field.
So, how to get this inexpensively?
I would be happy with an old manual focus lens, but I gather the smaller sensor in the DSLR means a film lens is not as "wide" as it would be with a film camera. Does this also impact the aperature?
Are f1.4 or f2.0 all going to cost the earth?
Also, can you help me decode eBay listings to understand which mountings are compatible?
I saw this but could use a bit more clarity.

The photographer and the lens

oxford blue — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 01:44:27 -0800

What lens to buy? I'm thinking of upgrading my lens arsenal.

To wit, what say you about the following combination to replace my Canon 50mm 1.8 II.

-Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM
-Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
-Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

My interests are pretty eclectic, and I don't particularly restrict myself to one style or the other. However the plan is to slowly turn photography from a hobby into a source of income; as such I want to do more free lance gigs (I've done a few already), and expand my stock portfolio.

Would this combination of lenses work well? I know there is nothing truly wide, but Canon doesn't make an affordable (i.e non L) and fast prime that's truly wide, especially on a x1.6 sensor. I figure seeing how used I am to shooting on 50, it will feel, comparatively, 'wider'.

A possible alternative, that I'm not wild about, is simply getting the 17-55 2.8 IS. However I'm much in love with the speed and quality of primes, as well as their low weight and that they are pretty cheap. Plus, I'd like to keep my options open if I decided to switch to a full frame camera (EF-S lens aren't compatible) at some stage in the future.

I'm not really sold on third party lens. The gestalt seems to work better when it's homogenous.

Can you see any weaknesses? Something I've forgotten? Any advice would be swell.

How can I improve contrast of photos at the time they are taken without resorting to curves and levels tools in photoshop?

Pastabagel — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:59:07 -0800

PhotographyFilter: How can I improve the dynamic range of photos at the time they are taken without resorting to curves and levels tools in photoshop? I understand how to improve the contrast, or dynamic range, of a photo in post processing using photoshop by playing with the curves or levels tools. If you think in terms of the histogram of the image, what I am talking about is how to take the photo such that the histogram fills up the range without clipping.

Specifically, suppose you take a photograph of a crumpled white piece of paper. Using the manual settings, I can completely avoid clipping, but I get little in the way of contrast across wrinkles, etc. In other words, the histogram fills a tiny portion of the total range. What I want to do is to stretch this out so it uses all of the available range.

Does some combination of aperture and shutter affect this? In my experience it simply shifts the curve more towards the dark end or the light end, but the curve itself remains the same width. In a studio setting, would lighting help to achieve this result? If so, how would you accomplish this outdoors?

If it matters, the camera in question is a Nikon D50. I know you can change the shape of the contrast curve in the camera, but my understanding is that this is simply done in processing, i.e. it does the same thing that photoshop would do, it just does it in the camera. But the same artifacts would be introduced. (But please correct me if I am wrong about this).

I want my scifi spectacles!

unSane — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 08:13:47 -0800

What are the technical obstacles to making 'smart' spectacles which would function like the lenses in the human eye? Like lots of middle aged people, I have Presbyopia and need bifocals (although actually I use two pairs of glasses).

Why can't I have a pair of glasses whose lenses are bags filled with fluid stretched into different lens-shapes by microcontrollers, so that they are truly varifocal?

Do such lenses actually exist on any scale outside the eye?

Best walkaround zoom for Pentax K100D

blue shadows — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 19:04:39 -0800

I bought the Pentax K100D dSLR, partly on recommendations from here, and I love it. I have the 18-55 kit lens and the 50-200 zoom lens, which I mostly use. Now I would like to buy a faster in-between zoom, somewhere from 24-28 at the low end to 75-135 at the high end. I am trying to figure out whether to buy a Pentax, Tamron, or Sigma lens and am getting confused with all the contradictory reviews. The Tamron 24-135 is praised to the skies by some and trashed by others. I am leaning towards the Tamron 28-75 but would like something closer to 100 mm. Any advice?

What to do with a ruined zoom lens?

kcds — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 08:39:02 -0800

What can I do with a "ruined" autofocus SLR zoom lens? Anything cool/neat I can turn it into? Any fun optics demonstrations I can do with the lenses inside? I have a Canon EF 35-105mm zoom lens that has recently become surplus to my requirements. When I tried to sell it to a camera store, they examined it and said "no thanks, it's got fungus inside it" - and sure enough, when you hold it up to the light, there is some kind of crap inside it, and I'll take their word for it that it's fungus. I could probably sell it on eBay 'as is' for $5, but I'd much rather doing something fun or neat with it, especially given that it's basically otherwise worthless, and I can't really do any more harm to it at this point.

Any neat project ideas? Can I turn it into a $10 Lensbaby ripoff? A $5 telescope? Anything cool I can do with the focusing micromotor?