New Lens!!!!!!!!!!!
I woke up Saturday morning and decided I couldn’t live another day with out the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens. It just would not be possible. My very existence depended on it. I had to have it right now.
Me, dramatic? Never.
So I (of course cleared it with my husband first) jumped in the car and headed out to the local camera shop. I will spare you the all the details but I happily walked out with that shiny new lens. I even got to drool over play with a Nikon D90 for a few minutes.
It was a really fun morning!
So I L-O-V-E this lens. Seriously. I am having so much fun with it.
The kit lens that came with my camera is an 18-55 mm f/3.5. So I already had the 50mm range available to me. The reason I wanted this lens is because the aperture is so much larger than f/3.5. Plus, for reasons I don’t fully understand yet (but will in the future!), I could rarely get it to actually go that large. It was usually around f/4 or f/5.
This caused some emotional discomfort for me. I was getting frustrated with how dark my photos were. I couldn’t get enough light into the camera. It was driving me nuts.
Also, with the higher aperture, now I can have a narrower Depth of Field.
Have we talked about Depth of Field? I don’t think we have. You know when a photo has something in the foreground that is blurred, the subject is in focus and then the background is blurred? Here’s an example:
Ok, I know it isn’t the best example. It’s the only one I could find in my recent photos. Plus, it was taken with my new lens (so that makes it extra cool). You can kind of tell that the car in the foreground is blurry, Gar is in focus and the background is blurry.
Here is another example of a photo with great depth of field or DOF as it is referred to in the biz… I did not take this photo. I’m not that awesome. Yet…
So there are a few different ways to get that shallow DOF, one of them is to use a lens that has a large aperture (remember the smaller the number means the larger the aperture or lens opening). The smaller the aperture number, the shallower the DOF.
If you are taking a picture of a group of people - like a family portrait, you will notice that everyone is standing in different planes and so you will want to remember to widen your DOF so that you can get everyone in focus. So that mean raise the aperture number to a 7 or 8 and see if they are all clear. You might need to go higher than that in some situations.
I know this doesn’t mean anything to point and shoot users. It’s really a SLR feature. I don’t know of any point and shoots that offer that kind of aperture control. If you know of one, please let me know. I’d love to learn more.
**Edit - Thanks Luann for reminding me that there are higher end point and shoots that have manual modes in which you can control the aperture and shutter speed. I know that both Canon and Nikon make some really good ones. This was totally a slip of my brain as I spent about 5 minutes talking to the guy at the camera shop about the new Nikon ones. Ding-Dong!! Now back to your regularly scheduled program...***
So anyway… I feel like I’m kind of rambling here. The point of what I want to say is that I am having a blast with this new lens. It is so much fun to be able to shoot in lower light than I could before (without having to raise my ISO or use my flash as often). It is so much fun to experiment with a great DOF. It is also fun to use a lens in manual focus.
What? Did you just read that correctly? Yes. Manual Focus. I have to focus old school style because my D40x only supports auto focus on lenses that have an internal motor. One of my least favorite things about this fun little camera, but ya’ deal. It’s no biggie. I have heard that this feature is the reason that the D40-D60’s are so small; they don’t have to have that autofocus motor inside.
I read online that an autofocus lens with an internal motor will be coming out in December. However it is rumored to cost about $430. This lens that I bought was nowhere near that price. It works on autofocus on our D100 and when I can one day upgrade to my D90 it will work with that too.
So here’s to new lenses! It is also really fun to have more options. When I need a zoom feature, I can use my old lens and when I want that shallow DOF, I can use my new lens. Honestly, I will probably keep this lens on my camera for a long time. It’s my new favorite possession.
Here are a few shots of Uly that I took at the park last night. I shot them all with the 50mm at f1.8 with the ISO at 400.
November 12th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Congratulations to you! I so want to know the things that you know about photography! Like I have said before, it is because of your site that I have been taking more pictures of my kids and appreciating the times with them. I will have these memories to look back on later in life and I would love to improve how I take pictures so that they are the best they can be. I have a junky camera right now but I am hoping to learn more about them and get a new one soon.
Thanks for your inspiration and great photos,
Gretch
November 12th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Thanks Gretchen! That is so nice of you to say. I find that having my camera out and around really helps me document those memories so much better too. I take that job seriously. I really love how you say that you are appreciating those times with them and that’s what it’s all about.
I hope that you will post up any questions if you find you are having an issue or problem. Then we can all learn and grow together.
November 12th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Oh, Jessica. You are SO going to love that Nifty Fifty! I have a 50mm f/1.4 and it is almost always on my camera. Since it’s a fixed length, you will have to move around a little more to frame your shots, but it is so worth it!
I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to address a few things you mentioned. First, I think I can solve the mystery why kit lens will only open to f/4 or f/5 most of the time. You will only be able to go all the way out to f/3.5 if you are zoomed out as wide as possible. If you zoom in at all the the maximum aperture goes down. The tighter your zoom the smaller your maximum aperture. So if you are shooting at 55mm you will only get it to open up to f/5.6. My Pentax kit lens is the same.
Second, I have to clarify that there are quite a few point and shoots that have aperture priority, or manual mode and let you choose your aperture. You will almost certainly be more limited in your choices of aperture than you would with an SLR, but you will have some control. Most of the tiny little compact point and shoots don’t give you this option, but most of the nicer, SLR-ish looking ones do. The Canon G9 (and the just released G10) are examples of a nicer point and shoot that gives you this capability, but there are many others.
Have fun experimenting with aperture and DOF. You know you are going to LOVE it!
November 12th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Thanks for this great comment Luann!!! Your explanation about the aperture is great. I really appreciate it.
You know, I don’t know what i was thinking. I totally knew that Canon and Nikon both have point and shoots with those manual modes. I was just talking to the guy at the camera shop about the Nikon ones after I bought my lens. Who knows where my brain is?!? I think I will need to make an edit to this post to clarify my thought there…
Thanks again.
November 12th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
WOW…those are some great shots and now it is very tempting to go and get myself one! I can’t wait to shoot my next photo shoots with your very cool CAMERA STRAP!!!
November 12th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I hope it fits. I get a little nervous when I make something for someone and I haven’t seen how it fits… Anyway, enough of my insecurities. I hope you like it!!!
Oh, and thanks for the complement on my shots.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:59 am
I think I decided that I would leave myself a whole bunch of comments to boost my own ego.
It might actually be working!
Or it might be the sleep deprivation talking…
I was looking at photographers websites tonight. I think I need to make a post.
Post or go to sleep? I better choose sleep or I won’t be able to go to the gym in the morning. Post to come tomorrow.
That is, if I can sleep with all these ideas running through my addled brain!
Seriously, now I’m just talking to myself. It’s a bit sad.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
I borrowed a nifty 50 from my friend, and before I gave it back, I purchased my own. Was at a local Cord camera for an expo and it was $10 off. $10 at least covered the cost of my UV filter
Love the lens, and it has been on my camera the most recently! It loves taking pictures of my 2 boys and their little sister. I too have that same kit lens, and I am so glad I have the option of the wider aperture.
My next lens is the 18-55mm f\2.8! Now just to save up the money!
November 13th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Something else to think about on depth of field, is the amount of blur and where it is located in your field of view. If you have a wide aperture, and are close to the subject, you will get a lot of blur. I have a 2 year old and I focused in his eyes, and his ears are slightly blurred. Wonderful!
You will also see that there is a method to the blur and where it is located, but I’m struggling on how to explain it. When you focus on a point in your field of view, the amount of focus can be divided into thirds. 1/3 of the in focus depth of the photo will be in front of your focus point, while 2/3rds will be behind your focus point. So if you have a big group of people to take a picture of (i.e. a high school band) you want to get on a ladder and shoot down on them, rather than shooting from the front…otherwise many of them would be out of focus.
Play around and you’ll see what I mean. I love my 50mm!!!!!
November 13th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Congrats on finally getting the 50! It’s brilliant, that one. I love how some people don’t take me seriously when I’m using it, and it’s all I can do not to laugh out loud.
November 14th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Jumped here by way of Blog Her. Congrats on getting the 50mm. I shot exclusively with that for over 2 years! It’s awesome isn’t it?
The 18-55 performs fine outdoors but really struggles in low light conditions. And like you mentioned, the maximum aperture is not constant through the zoom range. The aperture is largest at the wide end (18mm) and at 55mm it can only be f/5.6. It’s easier to make lenses with a variable aperture than one with a constant aperture throughout the zoom range. Hence the huge price gap for the f/2.8 zoom lenses. Because the 50mm is a prime lens, it’s easier to give it a large aperture. You can always get more primes if you need different focal lengths. Or get an f/2.8 lens with a good zoom range if you don’t like changing lenses all the time.
The 50mm can certainly hold it’s own though! Have fun with it!
November 14th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Congrats on the new lens! How exciting for you. The pics of your boys are darling!! Love them all.
November 19th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I have the same lens and it stays on my camera all the time unless I need to zoom with a zoom lens. It has been a great bang for the buck wouldn’t you say!
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 am
Hello Jessica! I have enjoyed reading your blog. Thank you for all your tips and advice! I am trying to learn more about photography and be better at it. I have a Nikon D80 with an 18-135mm lens. I too get frustrated with the Aperture and darker photos. I have been wondering about the 50mm lens and you are convincing me that I maybe should invest.