Nikon 50mm 1.4 vs 1.8

[thatwillis]

Lenses for hire is just down the road from where i'm working tomorrow which is really tempting. But I think i'm going to have a propper go with what i've got and see how it effects me. I can then work out what lense i should be trying. Really helpful pointers to show that a 50mm 1.4 might not be the right sort of lense.

Taking Photos for a Hardcore party saturday night! http://www.facebook.com/events/156801194417547/  So should be some colourful characters for sure!  I'll get some of them posted up here when i get round to having a fiddle with them 

[T_J_G]

With regards to the Tamron 17-50 it seems like a cracking lens if you get one that is good, they dont seem reliable and many people have had to send two back to get a good copy.

Maybe I'll get a 17-40.

[DubFan]

With regards to the Tamron 17-50 it seems like a cracking lens if you get one that is good, they dont seem reliable and many people have had to send two back to get a good copy.

Maybe I'll get a 17-40.

I've not heard problems with reliability as such, more that they have the problem (that you can get with any lens) that the pairing of lens and camera is not bang on.
Think about it: every lens and camera is manufactured to be exactly as specified, the distance between the lens mount and the sensor for example must be a precise amount, but obviously it can happen that it's a fraction of a millimetre out, but within the "acceptable tolerances" so it passes quality control and goes to a customer/user.
The same thing happens with lenses, they are manufactured within "acceptable tolerances" but they might be a fraction of a millimetre out.
So when you come to pair a lens with a camera body, you can find that they don't match exactly and give the sharpest pictures. But if you got hold of another copy of the same lens it might be much better because the mix of the tolerances of camera and lens works well.

Read here for a better explanation: http://www.canonrumors.com/tech-articles/this-lens-is-soft-and-other-myths/

[T_J_G]

People have reported AF issues and the lense jamming up...I was aware of the tolerances that can be adjusted by micro adjustment (if my camera had it)

[Ridg]

I've got the f/1.4 it's a great lens and awesome for low light conditions, the difference is 2/3 of a stop so you could just step the ISO up and get the f/1.8 although on a D3000 the noise is probably going to become an issue.

although the f/1.8 is meant to focus slightly quicker than the f/1.4

Personally I'd say that 50mm on an APS-c is going to be too long for club work and you'd be better off with a wide angle / ultra wide angle.  If you're shooting in a club, you're going to get asked by people to take their photo @ 50mm all you're going to get is a headshot, if you've got a group of people you're not going to get them all in.

As said something like the in the 17-50 range would be ideal, but these are expensive and the one to have is the nikon 17-55 f/2.8 however this comes in at just over a grand, the tamron and sigma are good alternatives but don't have the same build / optical quality.

The nikon lens also has a very very good re-sale value as it keeps it's price.

[thatwillis]

Well so glad i posted up here first. Thanks for all your help! Found out that a 50mm lense is pretty much no good to me for this type of shooting! I spend almost the whole night set at 18mm on my 18-55. And the place was far from full. What i was having issues with was getting the auto focus to work propperly where there wasn't quite enough light. Lead a few embarrasing instances of it just refusing to take a photo. Over all a really fun cheap/night! Here are a Few of my favorites.

[DubFan]

Nice work.

If you're going to be doing this sort of work, it's worth getting something better than a kit lens and either the Sigma or the Tamron is a good starting point.
Go with what you can afford, keep checking ebay for bargains.
If this sort of work starts paying, then upgrade your lenses as you get the money in.

Have you got a flash ?
If not, then it might be worth investing in something just to get you out of those awkward moments when the camera with kit lens can't find focus with a group of people wanting to have their photo taken.

For example, here's another shot from the same work party as before, perfect timing and the flash assisted the camera focusing, and again taken with the kit lens. The flash was bounced off the low ceiling with a Stofen diffuser.


My flash is a Sigma EF530 DG ST, which cost me £40 from ebay.

[thatwillis]

  Thanks.

So even tho statistically the lenses look similar I'll end up with a better photo due to the higher quailty of the lens?

Yeah I'm Use a Nissin Di622 mkII So that sensor on that does help but still struggles. I didn't have the AF assist on (little light on the camera) Perhaps should have done! I don't have a Stofen diffuser as i didnt have time to get one I used baking sheet as ive seen a few people surgest on forums. I ended Burning through the paper with my flash  Downside of Club shots in the lack of nice white ceilings to bounce flashes off!

[shepgti]

af assist light would have solved the focus issue! better lens than the 18-55 kit def needed, also i think your white balance is off as the people are very orange(are you shooting raw!?!?)

[DubFan]

Turning on AF assist will definately help.
Does your Nissin flash have AF assist too? If it does it'll be better than the little one on the camera.
Stofen for your Nissin : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stofen-STO-FEN-C/dp/B00009R69T/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1331513910&sr=8-24

Yup, even a £2-300 lens will be better than the kit lens. Kit lenses (on this level of camera) are just a starting point, often they use cheap glass or even plastic for the actual elements, so going up one level in the quality of the glass will be a big improvement.
Also if you get a lens with a constant f2.8 aperture, you won't be forced to use higher f-stops when you zoom in, and in low-light shooting this means you won't have to pump up the ISO to compensate (which brings in noise).
If I get time, I might try a test shoot for comparison of my kit lens vs 50mm prime vs Sigma 28-70mm f2.8

On the subject of bounce flash, even if you don't have a nice ceiling, you can still use bounce flash, either just pointed up, or with a bounce reflector
like this one or this one.

Below is another (sorry) example of a shot taken with kit lens and flash pointing up, no bounce reflector, in a large dark marquee, but it still lights up the crowd. (Not a perfect shot, but you get the idea)