Another D200 Question.....

[ben]

Well, I know nothing about photography but the girlfriend has got herself a nice new D200.
I want to get her a new lense...? Anny suggestions?
She has a normal every day one that she uses for portrates and wedding stuff. I was thinking a fish eye one?
Any advice and prices would be good - I'm in Gibraltar in a couple of days and think that would be a good place to start.

[miniman]

Tough one. What does she want to take photos of? And what is your budget? You have any number of possibilities:

Sigma 10-20 - nice wide angle
Nikon 50mm f/1.8 or perhaps f/1.4 - I've got the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and it's a cracking lens for only about £80
70-200 f/2.8 VR - splendid, fast, longer lens
Sigma 18-200 - nice, versatile lens but not particularly fast

Can you narrow it down a bit? Those ideas above range from £80 to £1200!

[ben]

Ah, yer, will have a go..
Budget of about £200
I want to surprise her so can't ask many questions.
She wants to be doing more weddings really. I know she doesn't have a wide angle lense however. Possibly this is the way forward.
Obviously she will have to take pictures of my car too...
Thanks

[flat-planedCrank]

ben said:

She has a normal every day one that she uses for portrates and wedding stuff. I was thinking a fish eye one?

Can you find out what lenses she has ? Her portrait lens could be similar to the 50mm f1.4 or f1.8 thats mentioned above, better safe than sorry

For prices try looking at- http://www.warehouseexpress.com/?/photo/lenses/Nik...
they are usually pretty competitive.

[flat-planedCrank]

forgot to say...


That site has Sigma prices as well - http://www.warehouseexpress.com/?/photo/lenses/Sig...

That Sigma 10-20 (very wide-angle but not specifically a fisheye. Though i'd guess it'd be much more useful) is about £290-£300.

[ben]

Thanks for the help,
Apparently she has a "105" something. Sorry, I rubbish at this.
She has managed to borrow a wide andle lense now so possibly I will wait and see what she thinks.
Looks like it could be easy to mess this gift idea thing up and waste a few quid at the same time.
Ben

[flat-planedCrank]

ben said:

Thanks for the help,
Apparently she has a "105" something. Sorry, I rubbish at this.
She has managed to borrow a wide andle lense now so possibly I will wait and see what she thinks.
Looks like it could be easy to mess this gift idea thing up and waste a few quid at the same time.
Ben

A 105 sounds like a 105mm 'prime' lens (prime = fixed focal length. i.e Not a zoom).

[tech'y bit]
Prime lenses tend to be great at portraits as they can deliver a small 'in-focus' area (for the persons face) and have the background blurry. The way they do this also allows them to work very well in low-light situations like inside a church / at dusk.
This is noted in the lens description as the 'f' number. In general, the smaller the f number, the smaller the in-focus area, the more sought-after the lens, the more it costs.
Prime lenses tend to have lower f numbers than zooms. The zooms that do have low f numbers tend to cost a worrying amount of money
[/tech'y bit]

If she is trying a wide lens then it may be an idea to see how she gets on with it first
It can be a personal choice depending on how she like to photograph things. Some people love big zooms, others like sticking to single focal length 'prime' lenses.

Hope this helps

[ben]

I will take your advice and see if she drops any hints..
Thanks again

[_dobbo_]

Assuming she hasn't got one, I'd be looking at getting a decent flash. Either an SB800 (available for around £220) or if you prefer get an SB600(£150) alongside a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8(£50).

A good flash is extremely useful especially if she does weddings - likewise the 50mm f/1.8 is never a waste of money no matter what camera or other lenses you own.

[beano500]

SB800 would be a great idea. Or maybe a good tripod?

[Mad Dave]

SB800 would be a good idea if she doesnt have a decent flashgun, or if she does then maybe something like a Gary Fong Lightsphere.

re Lenses, ive just bought a 24-70mm EX DG Sigma lens and it's great.

[Pupp]

I know you said lens, but one of the very best things I've added to my D200 was the twin battery grip. If she's using the thing for extended sessions, it would be a boon

[flat-planedCrank]

Must say that flash idea sounds like a winner

(if she doesn't have one already, of course.)

[ben]

flat-planedCrank said:

Must say that flash idea sounds like a winner

(if she doesn't have one already, of course.)

She has got one..
I have got some good ideas however, cheers.
Will see what hints she drops over the next few months.

[rustyspit]

Nikkor 35mm f/2D - not a zoom but a really nice light, bright, sharp walkaround lens. I'm delighted with mine.
http://www.europe-nikon.com/product/en_GB/products/broad/390/overview.html