# Help Me Decide On Which Lens !



## LJD (Sep 18, 2011)

Nikon D300 body

i like Street photography and portrait . I also get stuck into riots etc

I have a Nikon 28-70 2.8 "Monster " which i adore and a 24mm 2.8 which i also like . But i can do a swap fpr a 35mmF2 . I prefer a short lns for most of my pics as the 28-70 is a big lump in a riot !!

so here we go.... I am not full frame , maybe 2 more years (D3s) with the 35mm becoming almost a true "50" mm will it be wide enough for close up work ? I find the 24mm which equates to about 35mm a fraction wide when close up . A mate (ex press reccons the 35mm will be fantastic

I try not to get to "involved" in the tech side of things.... I just get out and enjoy myself !

Advice please


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## Mike_J_Smith (Sep 13, 2011)

50mm is a standard lens and not long ago before zooms, most slrs would be 50mm standard, so on a crop body 30 - 35 mm is an ideal general walkabout lens.

I love my sigma 1.4 30mm on a crop, but for street photography, especially riots i think you'd be better off with the flexability of a zoom. Also 30mm won't be great for head and shoulders, as it'll be too close and will distort. Full length bodies would be ok though.

I don't know much about Nikon lenses, but a standard zoom of 24-50 ish would suit you well. But primes are nice to use.


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## Mike_J_Smith (Sep 13, 2011)

Mike_J_Smith said:


> but a standard zoom of 24-50 ish


Can we not edit posts? Anyway, I meant 17-50 ish! The Canon 17-55 2.8 is a very good lens, not sure if there is a Nikon equivalent?


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## chris l (Aug 5, 2005)

I would not carry an SLR in a riot. It's advantages are minimal in such a situation, except as a club.

Having photographed a good deal of 'civil disturbances' I always favour a camera that doesn't scream 'PHOTOGRAPHER'; both sides can, do and have taken against me, the snapper... a friend was shot dead in Lebanon when his Mamiya 67 was mistaken for a rifle by a bad man.

In the days of fillum, an M2 with a 35mm lens and XP2 covered me nicely. Another in a pocket with a 90mm did the rest.

Now, with multi mega pixel compacts available, I'd consider one of them if... it had a manual focus option to remove the focus delay, a 'hyperfocal' focus setting, .raw recording, a buffer capable of quick succesive .raw shots, and a wide angle zoom.

Wide angle distortion can work well especially in a direct confrontation. The wider your lens, in a news situation, the more you'll be in front of/in the way of other photographers. This is also why wedding photographers used to use a 65mm lens on their 330's. And flash.

Another thing I always did on the frontlines was to carry stamped addressed envelopes; every time I finished a film I'd drop it in a post box to ensure that it got home. The same applies to memory cards. As was drummed into me, you can get beaten up and mugged of your cameras, but we still expect pictures!


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## tall_tim (Jul 29, 2009)

Mike_J_Smith said:


> Mike_J_Smith said:
> 
> 
> > but a standard zoom of 24-50 ish
> ...


You can, but only for 10/15 minutes after you've posted it.


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## Mike_J_Smith (Sep 13, 2011)

Ah ok, that explains it. Thanks.


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

chris l said:


> I would not carry an SLR in a riot. It's advantages are minimal in such a situation, except as a club.
> 
> Having photographed a good deal of 'civil disturbances' I always favour a camera that doesn't scream 'PHOTOGRAPHER'; both sides can, do and have taken against me, the snapper... a friend was shot dead in Lebanon when his Mamiya 67 was mistaken for a rifle by a bad man.
> 
> ...


Well said. 35mm rangefinders were certainly the tools of close-in fast moving street work. A sturdy 14mp digital pocket camera with a few manual options would be a good affordable choice.

Later,

William


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## LJD (Sep 18, 2011)

I knocked a Turkish Police officer out cold with a good thump to the head with a Canon 1VS !!

he was out cold before he hit the deck !

I find that i work a crowd well and spend a lot of the time not looking through the finder.. I know whats going on around me . The fact is also sometimes you need to be close to or just behind the cops. Having the right gear helps them to "see you as a friendly"

And if i use my wifes G10, she would kill me !!

I am tempted to use the 35mm as the "reach" is a little more usable than the 24 mm on my camera

cheers

As for posting the cards....... no way, pics need to be on desks within hours to make it into a sale ! so i use 1 and 2 gb cards and change often. i stick the cards in my socks (Ninja school , 1987 :derisive: )


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## Mike_J_Smith (Sep 13, 2011)

If you have some software like adobe bridge or lightroom you should be able to have a look at past photos taken with your zoom and see what you use most often. Results can be surprising, I thought I loved using my ultra wide angle, but when I checked I was always using it at the longest end, so the 30mm Sigma ended up being pretty much ideal. Do still love the UWA though!


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Forget the DSLR....Todays POS (point and shoot)are just as good as DSLR, fit in your pocket and take great pics.


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## pick (Sep 27, 2011)

I have a Canon 1D series and use a 17-40 for street photos,I borrow a Canon g12 and used the rotating sreen for some street stuff.


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## LJD (Sep 18, 2011)

Got the 35mm f2 today . I will be out tomorrow and take some typical shots and see how i like it


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## Mike_J_Smith (Sep 13, 2011)

LJD said:


> Got the 35mm f2 today . I will be out tomorrow and take some typical shots and see how i like it


Good on yer. Look forward to seeing some shots :thumbsup:


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## gaz64 (May 5, 2009)

LJD said:


> I knocked a Turkish Police officer out cold with a good thump to the head with a Canon 1VS !!
> 
> he was out cold before he hit the deck !


So your saying you assualted a police officer? How thrilling... a criminal in our midst. :thumbsdown:


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## pick (Sep 27, 2011)

LJD said:


> Got the 35mm f2 today . I will be out tomorrow and take some typical shots and see how i like it


Nice lens,great lens for night stuff


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

A phone.

Not as daft as it sounds some of them take not bad pics these days, they will never be pro quality but mine are on PB about a minute or so after they are taken and my phone is out of site in my pocket while it's uploading.










Like I say I'm no pro :lol: :lol:


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## LJD (Sep 18, 2011)

it makes a lot of sense ! no waste of time and you can set up your media contacts on speed dial

if the shot is interesting the quality of a iphone 4 is good enough to print anywhere


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## fi20100 (Aug 27, 2011)

I would definitely use a dSLR for this kind of work. A fast (f/2.8) wide angle zoom would be perfect. If you would like to isolate subjects, a normal or slightly longer fast prime would be nice. Getting the right shot is all about timing, using a P&S or mobile phone isn't just the same. Subject isolation is also almost impossible with those.


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