need a low light lens


WatWatz

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Jan 30, 2011
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hi all.. im currently using d90 + 16-85 / 50 1.4 for general shots.
i love 16-85 for day shoot.. but its perform quite bad when come to low light (without flash).. so i change to 50 1.4 during low tight/indoor..for 50mm i always shoot at 2.2-2.8 as i find anything wider than that its not very sharp but sometimes i find that 50mm too light for indoor or night street... so im intending to get 35 1.8. is it a good choice? or i just sell 16-85 / 50 1.4 den buy a 17-55.. btw i did compare 50 1.4 @ 2.8 is sharper than 17-55 @2.8...

need a few suggestions here... thx u in advance
 

hi all.. im currently using d90 + 16-85 / 50 1.4 for general shots.
i love 16-85 for day shoot.. but its perform quite bad when come to low light (without flash).. so i change to 50 1.4 during low tight/indoor..for 50mm i always shoot at 2.2-2.8 as i find anything wider than that its not very sharp but sometimes i find that 50mm too light for indoor or night street... so im intending to get 35 1.8. is it a good choice? or i just sell 16-85 / 50 1.4 den buy a 17-55.. btw i did compare 50 1.4 @ 2.8 is sharper than 17-55 @2.8...

need a few suggestions here... thx u in advance

it's totally up to ur choice. if u need versatility, get the AF-S 17-55 f/2.8, or consider the cheaper alternative: tamron 17-50 f/2.8 non-vc. otherwise, get the AF-S 35 f/1.8G. another great alternative would be sigma 30 f/1.4. try shooting with ur 16-85 at 35mm first n see if u prefer sticking to this focal length only.

btw it's not fair to compare between a prime and a wide aperture zoom lens. lenses generally perform better after stopping down and they perform weaker wide open. the 50mm prime's aperture can go as wide as f/1.4, while the 17-55 only can go as wide as f/2.8. even so, zooms r more versatile as compared to primes. in a sense, u also trade off IQ for versatility.
 

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it's totally up to ur choice. if u need versatility, get the AF-S 17-55 f/2.8, or consider the cheaper alternative: tamron 17-50 f/2.8 non-vc. otherwise, get the AF-S 35 f/1.8G. another great alternative would be sigma 30 f/1.4. try shooting with ur 16-85 at 35mm first n see if u prefer sticking to this focal length only.

btw it's not fair to compare between a prime and a wide aperture zoom lens. lenses generally perform better after stopping down and they perform weaker wide open. the 50mm prime's aperture can go as wide as f/1.4, while the 17-55 only can go as wide as f/2.8. even so, zooms r more versatile as compared to primes. in a sense, u also trade off IQ for versatility.

thx u for great advice... i dun really mind getting sigma 30 1.4 (2nd hand of cause) but i heard its may have focusing problem... i don't really know how to check them when buying from another seller... btw yeah.. 50mm @ 1.4 perform quite bad
 

thx u for great advice... i dun really mind getting sigma 30 1.4 (2nd hand of cause) but i heard its may have focusing problem... i don't really know how to check them when buying from another seller... btw yeah.. 50mm @ 1.4 perform quite bad

welcome :)

one way to check for front/back focus issues is to use the focus test chart.

http://focustestchart.com/chart.html
 

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welcome :)

one way to check for front/back focus issues is to use the focus test chart.

http://focustestchart.com/chart.html

meaning that i should bring 1 focusing chart to meet up another buyer? i was considering sigma before but i affraid of getting a bad copy... for wide prime either 35mm or 30mm... any more wider with affordable price?
 

meaning that i should bring 1 focusing chart to meet up another buyer?

I brought it down to the shop when buying lens... But still up to individual if you are comfortable to do it in the person's presence (many pple scared pai seh or just feel that it's too troublesome). But it's weigh against having to go down to service center to get a replacement copy (if got warranty) if it's a bad copy.

If you are going to do it w/o the chart, I'll recommend testing it on the spot by opening the aperture wide open and use the drain covers to test your focusing. Use a twig or leave to mark the point you want to focus.
 

meaning that i should bring 1 focusing chart to meet up another buyer? i was considering sigma before but i affraid of getting a bad copy... for wide prime either 35mm or 30mm... any more wider with affordable price?

u can choose to bring it along with u when u wanna test the lens before buying. im sure the seller has no objections.

since u wan wider, u can consider nikon's AF 24 f/2.8D or AF 28 f/2.8D
 

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i was thinking not to get N 35mm/S 30mm but get a T 17-50 (VC/non-VC) instead .. just for night shoot and keep 16-85 for day shoot... is it a good idea to do so?
 

WatWatz, before you make any purchase, I would like to see why you say the 50/1.4 is not sharp with apertures under F2.2. Maybe you can post a picture here so we can advise better. I say this because I get very very sharp photos even when I shoot the 50/1.4 at F1.8 and fairly reasonably sharp images at F1.4.
 

WatWatz, before you make any purchase, I would like to see why you say the 50/1.4 is not sharp with apertures under F2.2. Maybe you can post a picture here so we can advise better. I say this because I get very very sharp photos even when I shoot the 50/1.4 at F1.8 and fairly reasonably sharp images at F1.4.

sry.. i did not mention that i did crop 100% to compare the sharpness... but i got quite resonable sharp (without crop) at 1.4-1.8 as well...
 

hi all.. im currently using d90 + 16-85 / 50 1.4 for general shots.
i love 16-85 for day shoot.. but its perform quite bad when come to low light (without flash).. so i change to 50 1.4 during low tight/indoor..for 50mm i always shoot at 2.2-2.8 as i find anything wider than that its not very sharp but sometimes i find that 50mm too light for indoor or night street... so im intending to get 35 1.8. is it a good choice? or i just sell 16-85 / 50 1.4 den buy a 17-55.. btw i did compare 50 1.4 @ 2.8 is sharper than 17-55 @2.8...

need a few suggestions here... thx u in advance

how much does a 50mm F1.4 cost?
personally, i would get 17-55 instead of using 2 lens, nothing beats having not to change lens! haha
 

WatWatz said:
sry.. i did not mention that i did crop 100% to compare the sharpness... but i got quite resonable sharp (without crop) at 1.4-1.8 as well...

Maybe you can post the 100% crop for us to take a look.

Even at 100% I am able to get tack sharp pictures at f1.8 and reasonable sharp pics at f1.4.
 

Maybe you can post the 100% crop for us to take a look.

Even at 100% I am able to get tack sharp pictures at f1.8 and reasonable sharp pics at f1.4.

alright.. ill post in a few days when have time..btw ur 50mm u r saying is a G or D?... now i need receommendation for low light shoot/ night street/ event lens...
 

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hi all.. im currently using d90 + 16-85 / 50 1.4 for general shots.
i love 16-85 for day shoot.. but its perform quite bad when come to low light (without flash).. so i change to 50 1.4 during low tight/indoor..for 50mm i always shoot at 2.2-2.8 as i find anything wider than that its not very sharp but sometimes i find that 50mm too light for indoor or night street... so im intending to get 35 1.8. is it a good choice? or i just sell 16-85 / 50 1.4 den buy a 17-55.. btw i did compare 50 1.4 @ 2.8 is sharper than 17-55 @2.8...

need a few suggestions here... thx u in advance



"but its perform quite bad when come to low light (without flash)"
In what condition u need to shot and unable to do it ?

I increase ISO when low light with tripod and manual shutter control or set to bulb for night photos or flash if my subject is less than 10m .. using only kit len.. still get sharp photos ..

If you don't mind, ... I am still learning photography ..using D90 too
 

WatWatz said:
alright.. ill post in a few days when have time..btw ur 50mm u r saying is a G or D?... now i need receommendation for low light shoot/ night street/ event lens...

Mine is the D version.

This is a pic I shot using the 50/1.4D @ F1.4 wide open.

Focus is on the eye of the subject closest to the camera (his left eye) . As you can see, it is quite sharp. And this is a test shot I did, no planning, just one shot one kill on A mode.
 

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Another option is the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 just in case looking for alternatives but thats provided you are the kind of person to zoom with your feet.
 

"but its perform quite bad when come to low light (without flash)"
In what condition u need to shot and unable to do it ?

I increase ISO when low light with tripod and manual shutter control or set to bulb for night photos or flash if my subject is less than 10m .. using only kit len.. still get sharp photos ..

If you don't mind, ... I am still learning photography ..using D90 too

im not talking about lanscape.. and i dun really like to use flash for night street... i dun have time to set up tripod for nightstreet... my 50mm 1.4 perform well in that situation..just a little tight with 50mm.. looking for a wider.. primes or may b T17-50
 

Mine is the D version.

This is a pic I shot using the 50/1.4D @ F1.4 wide open.

Focus is on the eye of the subject closest to the camera (his left eye) . As you can see, it is quite sharp. And this is a test shot I did, no planning, just one shot one kill on A mode.

yes... that really nice and sharp there.. i will post mine soon
 

Another option is the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 just in case looking for alternatives but thats provided you are the kind of person to zoom with your feet.

yep.. i was looking at S 30mm 1.4 too... now in mind my is N35 / S30 / T17-50 non vc (non-BIM if possible to find)... still doing research.. and advice needed
 

Same .. I am aiming for sig 30mm 1.4 or nikon 35mm 1.8 or 2.0. Which has a better bokeh and iq ?