nikon d3000 (Lens Purchasing) advice

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nikon d3000 (Lens Purchasing) advice

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ykazi

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Joined: Feb '11
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Hey there guys. I have had the nikon d3000 for about a year now. Its a wonderful camera however I sometimes struggle with getting blurred out backgrounds/ focused subject, espcially when Im at a distance. I know that it requires a lower f stop I can achieve the blurry background up close with my 18-55 mm lens thats only when I zoom in and am upclose to the subject . I was looking at other reviews, alot of them pointed to the
Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR [Vibration Reduction] Nikkor Zoom.
Just confused about the f stop. Doesnt it require a lower f stop to achieve the blurred background, or that doesnt matter with a telephoto lens.

Im pretty sure Ill have to buy a new lens, but need help in choosing the right one for me. Please help me find a great lens at the cheapest possible price. Under 300 would be great,

Posted 2 years ago #
jonnyapple

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Joined: May '09
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Welcome to the forum, ykazi. Telephoto lenses do have a smaller depth of field for the same aperture (you can try comparing your lens at 18mm at f/5.6 and 55mm at 5.6 to see).

What kind of subjects do you have in mind for the new lens you want to get?

Posted 2 years ago #
studio460

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The AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D is your best bet for shallow depth-of-field for not too much money [EDIT: THIS LENS WILL NOT WORK ON YOUR D3100--ONLY AF-S LENSES WILL WORK]. It's a short telephoto which makes a great portrait lens on DX bodies, like your D3100. The AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G would also do the trick. For shallow depth-of-field, you want a low numerical aperture (e.g., f/1.4, 1.8, etc.), which indicates a large maximum aperture (i.e., "widest opening").

P.S. This thread falls under the, "Which lens should I get?" category, and will likely soon be closed by the forum moderators, but I thought I'd give you a quick answer while I can.

Posted 2 years ago #
KOK Yoon Lee

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Joined: Sep '10
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There are 3 factors for a shallow depth of field, namely
1. Longer focal length
2. Wider aperture (ie smaller f number)
3. Closer subject (ie nearer to the camera)
So a longer lens would help

BTW the f/1.8D lenses mentioned by studio460 will not auto-focus on the D3000 bodies.

Posted 2 years ago #
studio460

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KOK Yoon Lee said:
There are 3 factors for a shallow depth of field, namely
1. Longer focal length
2. Wider aperture (ie smaller f number)
3. Closer subject (ie nearer to the camera)
So a longer lens would help

Right! Just one more . . .

4. Sensor size: The larger the sensor, the shallower the apparent depth-of-field.

KOK Yoon Lee said:
BTW the f/1.8D lenses mentioned by studio460 will not auto-focus on the D3000 bodies.

Right again! Duh! I keep forgetting that the entry-level bodies don't have screw drives.

Posted 2 years ago #
tcole1983

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Joined: Feb '10
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I find it kind of hard to explain in simple terms but here are some examples...

With the 35 f1.8 (costs ~$200)
This picture was taken at f1.8 to blur the background.

With my 18-200 VRI @170mm and F7.1 the background is still blurred here, but not to the extent of the other. If I would have shot it at f5.6 it would have been more so, but I know the lens is sharper around f9 then wide open at f5.6.

Posted 2 years ago #
casperwb

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Joined: Jan '11
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studio460 said:
For shallow depth-of-field, you want a low numerical aperture (e.g., f/1.4, 1.8, etc.), which indicates a large maximum aperture (i.e., "widest opening").

This is difficult for someone new to photography to grasp, its back to front.

the smaller number is bigger and the bigger number is smaller, then faster and slower.........phew

the easiest way to teach this to someone is to take a lens with an aperture ring, not mounted on a camera and show them what happens when you move the ring, then you can get into how it affects depth of field.

Then you have to explain how all this will affect shutter speed and ISO.

Ykazi, If you have some one close by who can show you how apperture works it will help.
It is kind of hard to explain and the use of different length lenses complicates things.

As Studio said, a faster lenses will help, however if you can get some one to work with you, shooting subjects that are relatively close to achive different DOF effects and then subjects farther away, you will well be on your way.

along the way you will also learn about how light affect your choices and shutter speed will come into play, and that will just be the beginning of a fantastic journey.

Posted 2 years ago #
spraynpray

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Joined: Feb '10
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Hi ykazi,

Nobody has yet mentioned that the sensor (the thing with the 10Mp in your camera) is an APS-C type (is smaller than some) which makes it more difficult to get a very blurred background. If you had a point and shoot camera, the sensor would be smaller still - try to get a blurred background with them - even harder.

You would need to combine BOTH a longer lens (50mm at least) with a larger maximum aperture (f1.4) to get reasonable blurring of the background (isolation of the subject) and it would need to be a 'G' type lens to 50mm f1.4G to get the autofocus to work on your camera. You don't say what currency you are prepared to spend 300 of - my 50mm f1.4G cost me just under £300. If you mean $, you are looking at having to buy a cheaper lens (still great quality) that you will have to focus manually.

We all need a 'fast lens' (what I have just described) so it is not a frivolous purchase.

Is what we have all written clear to you?

Posted 2 years ago #
ykazi

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Joined: Feb '11
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Thanks a lot guys! I haven't been on here much, but I just wanted to say I appreciate your help. I had a basic understanding of how aperature works. I think I'll go with the 50mm f1.4G. Again I barely use my camera, but I wanted to invest in something cost efficient and keep me prepared for what the futures brings in. Again special thanks for the useful information!

Posted 2 years ago #
rbid

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Joined: Jan '11
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Here is a nice DOF Calculator: http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html.

That page also explains other terms related to DOF :)
- Hyperfocal distance
- Circle of confusion is explained here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_confusion

Posted 2 years ago #
tcole1983

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Joined: Feb '10
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If you don't need it right away you could wait for the 50 f1.8 for less than half the price. Only problem is it might be a while...

Posted 2 years ago #

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nikon d3000 (Lens Purchasing) advice

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