Need help deciding on a lens

[Cookie Monster]

Hello all.

I have a Nikon D3100 and I'm looking to buy a lens that will allow me to take pictures in a club setting where I'd have to be pretty close to my subjects.

I have an sb-900 flash and I'm having some trouble figuring out what would be good in a club setting.

My budget is 600 dollars

Thanks in advance.

[inkista]

Just a guess (I shoot Canon), but the AF-S 35mm f/1.8G might be a good bet.

With your flash, bouncing with iTTL might be the call of the day.

[McRoberts Photography]

Use to shoot Nikon, the 35mm 1.8 is the best lens to get for wide angle or the new 85mm 1.8 both would do great for what you want

[metric_photography]

I use the canon 50mm 1.8 for shots of bands in dark clubs. It's only about $129 CDN and I love it!

[CBabcock]

I would definitely opt for the fastest glass available in your budget. Bump up you ISO too. Flash is usually frowned upon in clubs.

[OsmosisStudios]

Are you shooting people in the crowd, a band on stage, or what?

[inkista]

Originally Posted by metric_photography

I use the canon 50mm 1.8 for shots of bands in dark clubs. It's only about $129 CDN and I love it!

On the Nikon side of the fence, the picture's a little more complex for a D3100 shooter. The AF 50mm f/1.8D won't autofocus, and costs about $100. The AF-S 50mm f/1.8G, however, will autofocus, but costs around $200.

AF-S is the Nikon equivalent of USM, and it's required for autofocus function on an entry-level Nikon body (D3100 or D5100), because those bodies lack a focus motor, and AF lenses also lack a focus motor, and you need at least one to autofocus. The higher-tiered bodies (D90, D700, D300, etc.) have focus motors, and both the AF and AF-S lenses will autofocus on them.

So, just be a little careful when recommending a 50/1.8 or an 85/1.8 to Nikon shooters. (But, yay! At last, they have an AF-S 85mm f/1.8G!)

[metric_photography]

Originally Posted by inkista

On the Nikon side of the fence, the picture's a little more complex for a D3100 shooter. The AF 50mm f/1.8D won't autofocus, and costs about $100. The AF-S 50mm f/1.8G, however, will autofocus, but costs around $200.

AF-S is the Nikon equivalent of USM, and it's required for autofocus function on an entry-level Nikon body (D3100 or D5100), because those bodies lack a focus motor, and AF lenses also lack a focus motor, and you need at least one to autofocus. The higher-tiered bodies (D90, D700, D300, etc.) have focus motors, and both the AF and AF-S lenses will autofocus on them.

So, just be a little careful when recommending a 50/1.8 or an 85/1.8 to Nikon shooters. (But, yay! At last, they have an AF-S 85mm f/1.8G!)

Sorry-- I'm a Canon girl, so I don't know much about Nikons. I was just offering advice based on my own experience. Thanks for the heads up though.

[sk66]

Originally Posted by Cookie Monster

I have a Nikon D3100 and I'm looking to buy a lens that will allow me to take pictures in a club setting where I'd have to be pretty close to my subjects.

35mm........

[superduperwesman]

35 1.8 might be tge best choice given your camera and cost. Or maybe the 10.5mm 2.8 fisheye. Love it! But as others have said, depends what exactly your doing