Which prime lens?

mshanson3121 · May 30, 2015

Which prime do you find the most valuable to take to the parks?

mom2rtk · May 30, 2015

That's really a matter of style preference. I like the 30mm f/1.4 for dark rides, but I don't find it wide enough for general park shooting.

Will you be taking just one lens or would you be taking that prime in addition to another lens of some sort?

mshanson3121 · May 30, 2015

mom2rtk said:
That's really a matter of style preference. I like the 30mm f/1.4 for dark rides, but I don't find it wide enough for general park shooting.

Will you be taking just one lens or would you be taking that prime in addition to another lens of some sort?

I'll have my two kit lenses, 18-55, 70-200. Lowest f/3.5

mom2rtk · May 30, 2015

mshanson3121 said:
I'll have my two kit lenses, 18-55, 70-200. Lowest f/3.5

Are you shooting with a crop sensor camera?

My personal preference would be no tighter than a 30mm prime. Lots have and love the 50mm prime but I'm just not a fan when used on a crop sensor. I'm bringing that one to the MK next week, but I'm shooting full frame so that will be similar to a 30mm on a crop sensor.

Are you thinking of buying or renting something?

You can get the old Sigma 30mm f/1.4 on Ebay for a reasonable price these days. I sold mine on Ebay recently and it went for $275.

elmoandzoey · May 30, 2015

I used the 50 f1.8 for dark rides and found it too tight on my crop sensor. Per recommendation from this board I switched to the Sigma 30 f1.4. I just used it last week at DL and can only recommend it! 30mm was a really good choice for indoor dark rides. There wasn't a single thing I could fit in the shot. I had that problem a lot with the 50mm. I know the 50mm is recommended a lot because of the price but if you are serious about taking indoor shots on a crop, get the 30mm instead. I rode HM a dozen times with the 50mm and only got one usable shot of two hitchhiking ghosts. It was too tight to fit 3 in. With the 30mm I got usable shots of the ghosts every single time I rode a dark ride!

mshanson3121 · May 30, 2015

Thanks, yes I am using a crop sensor. I never thought of renting, but for a two week vacation I imagine it would be just as cheap to buy one on ebay.

mshanson3121 · May 30, 2015

Would a 35 1.8 be a good option?

havoc315 · May 30, 2015

mshanson3121 said:
Would a 35 1.8 be a good option?

Yes. It's just slightly slower and tighter, but the differences may be small enough for you, to be worth the price savings. 30/1.4 would be better, but how much better is pretty subjective.

SuperDave531 · May 30, 2015

I don't typically shoot during the rides, but I like to carry my 40mm 2.8 pancake for street shots, etc.

boBQuincy · May 30, 2015

Since my main reasons for using a prime lens are low light or shallow depth of field there are two that I use in the parks: Panasonic Leica 25 f/1.4 and Olympus 45 f/1.8 (for micro 4:3, these are equivalent to 50 and 90 mm). The 25 mm is not too long for dark rides and produces good results. The 45 mm is great for portraits and character meets (as long as there is room to back up).

mshanson3121 · May 30, 2015

Yes I mostly want for dark shots and shallow DOF for meet and greet etc... Probably scenery at AK. As well

mshanson3121 · Jun 2, 2015

I'm also considering a 2.8... if I skip the indoor ride shots, would a 2.8 be enough for say inside Cinderella's castle?

SrisonS · Jun 2, 2015

Love my Sigma 18-35 f/1.8. Excluding AK, that zoom range is really good for the parks.

mom2rtk · Jun 2, 2015

mshanson3121 said:
I'm also considering a 2.8... if I skip the indoor ride shots, would a 2.8 be enough for say inside Cinderella's castle?

If I was going with a 2.8, I personally would not be getting a prime. I would be replacing my kit lens with a 2.8 mid range zoom. My Canon 17-55 f/2.8 is one of the best lenses I have ever owned.

havoc315 · Jun 3, 2015

mshanson3121 said:
I'm also considering a 2.8... if I skip the indoor ride shots, would a 2.8 be enough for say inside Cinderella's castle?

2.8 is fine for normal indoor lighting. You may need to boost ISO a bit, but you can get the shot. I often used my 50/2.8 macro lens as a walk-around for such things... It was an ultra-sharp lens, better than a 2.8 zoom and much cheaper. But I also used 2.8 zooms as well, and they worked fine indoors, as long as we weren't talking candlelight type lighting.

coastalhh · Jun 5, 2015

Go with the 40 or 24 2.8 pancake lenses. They are only 150 and the lightest you can get.

bob100 · Jun 6, 2015

coastalhh said:
Go with the 40 or 24 2.8 pancake lenses. They are only 150 and the lightest you can get.

the pancake lens would get my vote. Mirrorless and pancake lens are pocket-size but produce good images
some examples
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless/

jec6613 · Jun 9, 2015

Nikon 35 f/1.8 DX - small, light, and a good mid focal length, but my body is usable at ISO 12800 and quite competent at 6400, so I don't need faster.

The other primes I'm bringing along are the 85 f/1.8 and 105 f/2.8 VR Micro for night telephoto, otherwise it'll just be my 16-85 f/3.5-5.6 VR zoom on my body most of the time. Almost nothing outside of AK requires a really long lens, after all, and EV levels don't tend to favor using an f/2.8 zoom (it's either very bright or quite dark, without much in between).

Money and packing space no object, I'd bring along a Coolpix A or similar large sensor compact for my indoor shots. But that means another set of batteries, chargers, and expense, for something that has very limited use for me outside of once or so a year.

Which prime lens?

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