camera junky advice needed

[moncton golden flames]

my girlfriend is really starting to get into photography. it started about a year ago when i bought her a nikon d5000, with an 18-105 lens. i got her a tripod for her birthday, and she recently has purchased a reflector. she has been taking some photography classes thru sait and is currently in a portrait photography class, and she is loving it.

i have thought about getting a new lens or a detach flash for x-mas, mainly because i have heard her talk about it after she gets back from class. the flash seems more necessary than another lens, but i know she would love to have both. i have thought about either a wide angle lens or a macro lens. without breaking the bank, which one is more versatile? pros & cons? and i have no idea what i should be looking for in a flash, any help here?

and lastly, she seems to mention from time to time, that an old 'film' camera would be cool to have and play with. i have no idea what kind of old camera she is talking about. do any of you have any advice on some older film cameras that could be fun for her to play with? again, budget is tight, so i can't break the bank.

any help on any of this would be greatly appreciated.

[Regulator75]

The new SB-700 flash is getting good reviews.

Should be hitting shelves soon.
http://www.thecamerastore.com/produc...700-speedlight

I wouldn't drop a tonne of cash on a lens, until she knows what she wants.

[Tiger]

If it is portrait photography you don't need the Macro lens, usually for portrait photography you don't want a wide angle lens either (but I'm no expert). Below a 50mm lens you can distort the picture, such as making the face look wider. You probably want a 'prime' lens. You can get a nice F2.8 50mm prime lens for usually under $200. faster lenses get more expensive of course.

[Regulator75]

Perhaps the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 lens. It's cheap, fast and takes great photos.

https://www.thecamerastore.com/produ...-dx-35-mm-f18g

Here are some samples taken with the 35mm f/1.8 lens.


Frozen Solid by Witty nickname, on Flickr


Grasping The Snow by Witty nickname, on Flickr


Union Square & Colours by Witty nickname, on Flickr


White & Blue by Witty nickname, on Flickr


This is MY football by Witty nickname, on Flickr


The Crossing by Witty nickname, on Flickr


Red Lights by Witty nickname, on Flickr

[BlackEleven]

What does she like to photograph? A wide angle lens would be better if she likes to shoot landscapes, architecture and that sort of thing. If she prefers to get detailed shots of small items like insects, flowers, etc then a macro is probably a better way to go. Both are a lot of fun. Both are expensive though if you get a decent one.

Also keep in mind the the D5000 has a 1.5x crop factor, so it's not an ideal camera for a wide angle lens, as some of the angle will be effectively lost (for example 24 mm x 1.5 = 36 mm film/full-frame equivalent).

Some of the prime large aperature lenses recommended above are probably a good gift as they're excellent for portrait photography (they have great bokeh and are usually really sharp). They're also less expensive.

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

The new SB-700 flash is getting good reviews.

Should be hitting shelves soon.
http://www.thecamerastore.com/produc...700-speedlight

I wouldn't drop a tonne of cash on a lens, until she knows what she wants.

thanks for the lens comment. a have tried to get her to tell me which one she would like, but she does keep saying that she doesn't know which one would be the best to get.

i'll take a look at that flash, thanks regulator!

[Phaneuf3]

Originally Posted by Tiger

If it is portrait photography you don't need the Macro lens, usually for portrait photography you don't want a wide angle lens either (but I'm no expert). Below a 50mm lens you can distort the picture, such as making the face look wider. You probably want a 'prime' lens. You can get a nice F2.8 50mm prime lens for usually under $200. faster lenses get more expensive of course.

IMO, 50mm is a bit short for a portrait lens. You can make it work on a small frame sensor - still a bit on the short side though. On a full frame camera, that's too short, IMHO.



As for the OP's question - books, videos and more classes would probably help her the most to be honest. I know it's not a great and exciting answer but if she isn't able to tell you exactly what she wants and why she needs it, she probably isn't at the point where she's stretching the limits of her current gear.

edit: or how about this - take her out for a photography trip... even to some cool spots in banff/jasper for a weekend. Time and space to practice will do more for her than any piece of gear will.

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by Tiger

If it is portrait photography you don't need the Macro lens, usually for portrait photography you don't want a wide angle lens either (but I'm no expert). Below a 50mm lens you can distort the picture, such as making the face look wider. You probably want a 'prime' lens. You can get a nice F2.8 50mm prime lens for usually under $200. faster lenses get more expensive of course.

i know the macro and wide angle are not made for portrait, but i do know that she likes to do more than portrait photos too. so i was thinking to diversify her lens collection.

i've never heard of a prime lens before....i have some homework to do!

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by BlackEleven

Also keep in mind the the D5000 has a 1.5x crop factor, so it's not an ideal camera for a wide angle lens, as some of the angle will be effectively lost (for example 24 mm x 1.5 = 36 mm film/full-frame equivalent).

i wish i knew what the hell you are talking about!

[moncton golden flames]

any thoughts on old film cameras?

[Phaneuf3]

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

any thoughts on old film cameras?

Take a look at a Canon AE-1. Good basic film camera. Straight forward and sturdy. Should be pretty cheap and relatively plentiful on Kijiji or Craigslist.

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

Perhaps the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 lens. It's cheap, fast and takes great photos.

https://www.thecamerastore.com/produ...-dx-35-mm-f18g

Here are some samples taken with the 35mm f/1.8 lens.


Frozen Solid by Witty nickname, on Flickr


Grasping The Snow by Witty nickname, on Flickr


Union Square & Colours by Witty nickname, on Flickr


White & Blue by Witty nickname, on Flickr


This is MY football by Witty nickname, on Flickr


The Crossing by Witty nickname, on Flickr


Red Lights by Witty nickname, on Flickr

great photos as usual!

[ah123]

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

any thoughts on old film cameras?

Since she has Nikon, I would suggest sticking with Nikon for the film camera, that will give her better use of (future) lenses.

You can pick up an Nikon F80/F100 (also knows as N80/N100) for around $150 (or less) - kijiji has a F80 for $100. If you're planning on getting her a lens as well, make sure that the lens does not have the "DX" designation in the name - DX stands for Digital format and will not (always) work on film cameras.

For example, the 35mm f1.8 lens mentioned earlier in the thread (Nikkor AF-S DX 35mm f1.8G) is a DX lens and will not work on the film camera. The 50mm f1.8 is not DX and will work with on both digital and film.

As for external flash - SB700 or SB900 are the current standard. If you can find a used SB800, they are also very good.

Hope that helps...

[ah123]

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

i wish i knew what the hell you are talking about!

http://www.digital-photography-schoo...ctor-explained

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by ah123

Since she has Nikon, I would suggest sticking with Nikon for the film camera, that will give her better use of (future) lenses.

You can pick up an Nikon F80/F100 (also knows as N80/N100) for around $150 (or less) - kijiji has a F80 for $100. If you're planning on getting her a lens as well, make sure that the lens does not have the "DX" designation in the name - DX stands for Digital format and will not (always) work on film cameras.

For example, the 35mm f1.8 lens mentioned earlier in the thread (Nikkor AF-S DX 35mm f1.8G) is a DX lens and will not work on the film camera. The 50mm f1.8 is not DX and will work with on both digital and film.

As for external flash - SB700 or SB900 are the current standard. If you can find a used SB800, they are also very good.

Hope that helps...

i'm a total dumb arse when it comes to this stuff.....

aside from the flexibility of the 50mm lens between dslr and slr, what are the differences/advantages/disadvantages between the 35 mm and the 50mm?

i think the sb700 is the flash i will go for. it fits the budget better.

[Phaneuf3]

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

i'm a total dumb arse when it comes to this stuff.....

aside from the flexibility of the 50mm lens between dslr and slr, what are the differences/advantages/disadvantages between the 35 mm and the 50mm?

i think the sb700 is the flash i will go for. it fits the budget better.

http://www.photoaxe.com/understandin...-and-aperture/

(Keep in mind that if you try to use the chart on this page, her camera will have a 1.5x crop because of the sensor size - it's explained well in that other link. 50mm lens on her camera = 75mm in that chart)

[pylon]

50 mm prime is the way to go for portraiture. The Bokeh effect on them is awesome. I have the Canon nifty 50 f1.8 which I paid $110 bucks for, and it takes nicer pictures than one of my $1200 EF-L zoom lenses. The versatility is limited for landscapes etc, but for taking close ups of people, it is the only lens I use.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by BlackEleven

Also keep in mind the the D5000 has a 1.5x crop factor, so it's not an ideal camera for a wide angle lens, as some of the angle will be effectively lost (for example 24 mm x 1.5 = 36 mm film/full-frame equivalent).

There are some nice wide angle lenses just for DX. For the D5000 you'd want the Nikkor 10-24. Almost as wide as 14-24 on a full-frame.

For portrait though, off-camera flash is what I'd go with. They key is off-camera. Unfortunately the D5000 can't use it's flash as a commander for Nikon's Creative Lighting System, so you'll need a different way to fire the flash remotely. (I'd offer more info, but I'm not the right guy for that.)

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

aside from the flexibility of the 50mm lens between dslr and slr, what are the differences/advantages/disadvantages between the 35 mm and the 50mm?

50mm is the better portrait length... 35 is a normal lens. It's better for indoor casual photography without flash, as in it's easier get all your relatives into the frame without backing up through a wall.

[moncton golden flames]

thanks for all the great advice guys, keep it coming!

[DownInFlames]

I'd vote for off camera flash too. The SB-900 is amazing, and makes this Canonite jealous. But as SebC mentioned you'd need to get something to use as a commander, like the SU-800.

I went to the Joe McNally workshop a couple of weeks ago and learned a lot. I haven't done much portrait photography, but watching him work his magic inspired me. I suggest getting her some of his books, especially The Hot Shoe Diaries.