Lenses

[BEGM83]

Ok so i have a Nikon Dsomethingorother that i've forgotten as im sat at work ...anyway...i've only got the kit lens which is great, but, just wondering if there is one lens that i should get for photographing people (mainly in a candid manner) what should it be and why?

My apologies for my appalling memory at what camera i have....but my memory in general sucks suprised ive still got a job....

[CaptainNH]

How much money do you want to blow?

For candid shots of people I know (and who know that I'm taking shots of them) - I use my 70-200 which is good for anything from full length to head and shoulders shots from 10-15m away.

For candid street photography - I like to go up to 300mm - just to give you more space between you and your subject, you'll generally get more natural shots if your subject doesn't know your shooting them.

Image stabilisation (IS on Canon lenses / VR [Vibration Reduction] on Nikkors) helps stop camera shake ruining your shot when you're zoomed in.

My 70-200 is a fast lens (f/2.8) - mainly for shallow depth of field to isolate the subject, but also to improve low-light focussing. Very expensive though - the equivalent Nikon lens AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II - around GBP2000.

I'm not suggesting you need anything like this - you'll get a 70-300mm VR (image stabilised) lens for less than GBP450.

That said, I'm canon through and through - I know nothing about Nikkor lenses

Hope this helps - good luck.

[tailora]

get yourself a 50mm prime, if your body has a built in autofocus motor (ie d200 ) then it will autofocus,
if not u'll be manual focusing..
if 50 is to tight of a fit then get the 35 mm

[teaking]

The one Lens I would go for if I ever had chance would be a 70-200mm like the guy above said being a Canon guy I would want the F2.8 IS now that looks like a fast lens and you wouldnt have to be in peoples faces for portraits so could be a nice lens for you.

[inkista]

You have a D60 (it's on your Flickr if you need to look it up). I'd recommend the 35/1.8--it's got AF-S, so it will autofocus, it does f/1.8 so it does the blurred background thing, and 35mm is a good normal-ish focal length on a crop body. You'll be able to get some context in street shooting, as well as work in close for portraits. Also at around $200 you won't be breaking the bank.

Here's the dpreview take on the lens:
Nikon AF-S 35mm F1.8G DX Lens Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

Waving a big, heavy 70-200 f/2.8 zoom about is one sure way for people to notice you're taking their pictures. Street photography has most traditionally been done with small wide-to-normal primes. Henri Cartier-Bresson took the majority of his pictures with 50mm f/2 lens. A 35mm is a good equivalent to the same field of view on a digital crop body.

[BEGM83]

Thanks guys! Will have a look into those lenses and see which suits me best - im liking the idea of the 50mm or the 35mm most if im honest but will go have a nosy and a play about and see which i prefer. Thanks again.

Inkista thanks for the flickr tip i realised about an hour after i posted the message and forgot to edit my post....dizzy doesn't begin to describe me yesterday!!