D3100 Extra Lens

[figment41]

Hi lets start by saying I have no clue about anything when it comes to cameras. So, please talk to me in english and not lots of photography talk because in reading other posts you lost me at hello.

I just bought a Nikon 3100 2 lens kit. The Lense are 18-55 and 55-300. If I knew what those numbers meant it would help. I know that has to do with zooming but that is all I know. From reading other posts I am getting concerned that I will be too close to my kids at Character breakfasts, or on rides with them where I want a pic of their excited face not just the ride itself with these lenses. Are these going to be OK or should I look into 1 more lens. I do not want to spend more than $300 on another lens and don't want top break my back carrying an entire photo store with me in the parks.

Thanks for your help

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

For the type of shots you are describing the 18-55mm should do okay. Those numbers are the zoom range of the lens. You will also see a 'f' number. That is the 'f' stop/aperture/size of the lens opening of the lens. On that lens, I'm guessing it is 3.5-5.6. That is a variable aperture lens which means that @ 18mm the largest lens opening (aperture) will be 3.5. The smaller the number the larger the opening to allow light to enter the camera. As you zoom the largest available opening decreases, so at 55mm zoom the largest available opening is 5.6 which allows less light to enter the camera. This is only one of three factors that allow for a proper exposure/picture. There are two other factors, shutter speed and ISO (that is your camera's sensor's sensitivity to light). I don't want to lose you so I am going to recommend a book that explains the "photographic triangle" and that is Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Its a book with large print, photos and around 162 pages, that explains this very well. I'm trying not to get technical, because once you grasp the concept of the triangle, your photography will improve. Otherwise just leave the camera on Automatic because without a little knowledge you may be disappointed in your output. I hope I didn't cause too much confusion and if I can clarify anything, please ask.

PS Those number also apply to your other lens.

 

[PrincessInOz]

G'Day.











Oops! Translation of Aussie to English.....Hello!




(Sorry...My brain told my fingers not to do that but my fingers couldn't resist typing it out!)



I shoot with Canon; but let's overlook that major difference ...


I first bought my dSLR in April last year with a kit lens. For comparison purposes, let's call it the CANON 18 - 55 mm kit lens.

We were at the World for 10 days in May and we shot our entire vacay with that 18 - 55 mm lens, including 2 character breakfasts. We pretty much had the camera for all of 25 days; before we headed out.

My recommendation to you is to take the camera out, put one lens on and take some pictures with it.
Play with the zoom and work out how close you can get to a subject before the camera stalls and won't let you take the shot. I am assuming that the Nikon lens does the same thing when you get too close as the Canon lenses do. That will tell you how close you can get (or not get) to a subject on a particular focal length to take a shot.

Then do the same thing with the other lens.

Just get out and play with the camera so that you know the capabilities and what the pictures could look like before you go. Try taking shots at different times of the day; and especially when it gets dark. Try some of the different program modes; or if you're feeling adventurous, try some of the other modes, other than those in automagic.

Oh....and I forgot....read the manual. It would help to read the manual first; unlike myself; who read the manual about 5 months later!


And then come back, post some pictures and ask more questions. A word of warning....if you post some pictures and ask more questions, you might find that the discussion will get more into photo-babble. But that's okay...you'll be learning as you go.


Can you buy another lens? Sure....you can ALWAYS buy another lens. It just depends on what sort of conditions you want to take your shots.


Good luck!

 

[m-tinkerbelle]

I got the same kit you have!

As for the 55-300mm lens it's great for whatever is further away than 4.59ft (1.4meters). You can find that information where the serial number is on the lens. So for the type of pics you're planning to take I guess you'll have the 18-55mm lens on most of the time.
I'd grab the 55-300mm lens and keep it in its pouch while in the parks. You can grab details you wouldn't be able to capture with a normal P&S camera (at least none of my cameras have THAT much zoom). You can also take portraits of your kids if they're standing away from you without them even noticing you're taking their pics.

The 18-55mm lens is also great for wide angle pictures, landscapes and nighttime pictures that need more light to reach the sensor.

I'll leave further explanations and ideas to the pros and amateurs here, as I'm just starting with the kit and basic stuff .

Read the manual, and re-read it. It's a must! you'll learn a lot faster if you get familiar with every feature of your camera and lenses. Also, there are many tutorials on Youtube and DSLR online courses (for free) that you can watch and they make a BIG difference. You'll take better pictures (even if you only use the AUTO modes) and you'll have a better understanding of what the camera can do for you and its limitations.


To understand properly about the exposure triangle (apertures, ISO and shutter speed) take a look at this, someone here gave me the URL to this site and it's awesome:
The beginners section: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/digital-photography-tips-for-beginners

Try to spend some time to learn some basic stuff, it does help a lot
have fun!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I bought a Nikon D5000 last year and knew just the basic photographic jargon. I took the Nikon School when it came to Phoenix and it was wonderful. Try to take it when it comes near you. You will learn a lot.

 

[m-tinkerbelle]

I forgot to say that there's a digitutor at nikon's website. You just have to click on your camera model and it's like an ultra-speedy course specific of your camera model.

here it is: http://www.nikondigitutor.com/eng/d3100/index.html

 

[ukcatfan]

The 18-55mm lens is also great for wide angle pictures, landscapes and nighttime pictures that need more light to reach the sensor.

Not meaning to call you out, so please do not be offended, but this is not really the case. The aperture controls how much light gets in the camera, not the focal length. There is a lot more physics to it than that though. To your point, you can get away with a slower shutter speed at a wider angle and not have camera motion blur, but that will not help with subject motion blurring.

 

[Wadecool]

Great thread.

 

[disneyboy2003]

Hi lets start by saying I have no clue about anything when it comes to cameras. So, please talk to me in english and not lots of photography talk because in reading other posts you lost me at hello.

I just bought a Nikon 3100 2 lens kit. The Lense are 18-55 and 55-300. If I knew what those numbers meant it would help. I know that has to do with zooming but that is all I know. From reading other posts I am getting concerned that I will be too close to my kids at Character breakfasts, or on rides with them where I want a pic of their excited face not just the ride itself with these lenses. Are these going to be OK or should I look into 1 more lens. I do not want to spend more than $300 on another lens and don't want top break my back carrying an entire photo store with me in the parks.

Thanks for your help

"Hello."

Sounds like you just bought your new camera & lenses. Congratulations on your new camera!

I'm not sure if you've actually started using the 2 different lenses. If you have, then you can pretty quickly tell how these lenses look through your camera, and you can pretty quickly tell when to use which lens.

However, if you haven't had a chance to use your 2 lenses, here's when to use each lens.

The 18-55mm lens is a very versatile, everyday-use lens. This is mostly likely your "walkaround" lens. When you use this lens, you can capture a lot of the scene in front of you because it has a wider angle.

For the character meals, you'd probably use your 18-55mm lens. Have you tried using your camera in similar situations for practice? For example, at home, let your spouse be a "character" during dinner time, and have your kids run up to the "character". Use your camera (and this lens) at that time to see whether this would be the right lens to use.

You can also trying bringing this lens and camera to Chuck-E-Cheese's, for example, to simulate a "character meal". That way, you'll know for sure whether this is the right lens to use, or whether you "need" another lens.

The 55-300mm lens is more of a telephoto zoom lens. That means that if you want to take pictures that are far, far away, you'd use this lens. You probably wouldn't be using this lens as a "walkaround" lens because if you want to take pictures of things that are close to you, you'd be WAY too zoomed in, or you'd have to start backing up A LOT in order to take the picture. In a small room, you may not have enough room to back-up when using this lens.


What do these lens numbers mean? These numbers are called the "focal length" of a lens. You'll quickly notice that the smaller the focal length, the wider your view through the lens. So the 18mm gives you a very wide view of everything. However, when you zoom in to 55mm, the view is not as wide.

Also, the larger the focal length, the more telephoto your view through the lens. If you've noticed, when you zoom your lens to 300mm, those faraway objects are suddenly a lot closer. People may say that your view is more "zoomed in", or this is a "longer view" through a telephoto lens.

For beginning photographers, the focal length is probably the easiest concept to grasp.

Here's an example of what these focal lengths look like. The 2 photos below compare the view at 18mm focal length (a wide view) versus the view at 270mm (a telephoto view):

18mm view

270mm view

(pictures from dpreview.com)​

Hope this helps explain what your 2 different lenses are used for. I hope I didn't make this too confusing with too many "photographic" terms. Try the 2 different lenses yourself to see what each lens is used for and what the view looks like from the different lenses.

 

[m-tinkerbelle]

Not meaning to call you out, so please do not be offended, but this is not really the case. The aperture controls how much light gets in the camera, not the focal length. There is a lot more physics to it than that though. To your point, you can get away with a slower shutter speed at a wider angle and not have camera motion blur, but that will not help with subject motion blurring.

you don't offend me at all that's what I understood from the course I took what they told me (explained in a simple way), is that the 55-300 lens captures less light since the light has to go through a longer tube instead of a short cylinder such as the 18-55 lens (or a fixed focal lenght lens). Of course you can make the shutter speed slower to let in more light, and leave the aperture wide open. You can always raise the ISO for more sensitivity but in a slow lens such as that one, without a tripod under certain truly poor lighting scenes can be quite challenging to get a sharp picture even with a steady subject.

What they explained to me is wrong? I'm quite sure I heard the very same thing in one of Karl Taylor videos in Youtube (user "greatphotography" I think)

I never intended to say that it was the focal lenght the one that controlled the light, what I meant is that the 18-55mm lens was better for catching more light, and it's faster. You just need to get closer to your subject than with the 55-300 lens.

Correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[wenrob]

you don't offend me at all that's what I understood from the course I took what they told me (explained in a simple way), is that the 55-300 lens captures less light since the light has to go through a longer tube instead of a short cylinder such as the 18-55 lens (or a fixed focal lenght lens). Of course you can make the shutter speed slower to let in more light, and leave the aperture wide open. You can always raise the ISO for more sensitivity but in a slow lens such as that one, without a tripod under certain truly poor lighting scenes can be quite challenging to get a sharp picture even with a steady subject.

What they explained to me is wrong? I'm quite sure I heard the very same thing in one of Karl Taylor videos in Youtube (user "greatphotography" I think)

I never intended to say that it was the focal lenght the one that controlled the light, what I meant is that the 18-55mm lens was better for catching more light, and it's faster. You just need to get closer to your subject than with the 55-300 lens.

Correct me if I'm wrong!

The kit 18-55 has an ap of f/3.5-5.6 the 55-300 has an ap of f/4.5-5.6. If you leave the 18-55 at 18 then you'll be able to use f/3.5 but as soon as you zoom it will close down to f/5.6. At 55 you'd be able to use f/4.5 but again start to zoom and it drops to f/5.6. So technically yes at 18mm you'll get more light but it's not a whole lot. Neither is a fast lens. A "fast" lens would be something with a fixed ap usually f/2.8 so that when you zoom it'll stay wide open. There are several techniques for nighttime photography one being a tripod and slow shutter speed and really any lens will do for those but for hand held, crank your ISO shots you need to go f/2.8 zoom or with a prime.

eta: OP Your 18-55 should be fine for character pics etc.

 

[disneyboy2003]

you don't offend me at all that's what I understood from the course I took what they told me (explained in a simple way), is that the 55-300 lens captures less light since the light has to go through a longer tube instead of a short cylinder such as the 18-55 lens (or a fixed focal lenght lens). Of course you can make the shutter speed slower to let in more light, and leave the aperture wide open. You can always raise the ISO for more sensitivity but in a slow lens such as that one, without a tripod under certain truly poor lighting scenes can be quite challenging to get a sharp picture even with a steady subject.

What they explained to me is wrong? I'm quite sure I heard the very same thing in one of Karl Taylor videos in Youtube (user "greatphotography" I think)

I never intended to say that it was the focal lenght the one that controlled the light, what I meant is that the 18-55mm lens was better for catching more light, and it's faster. You just need to get closer to your subject than with the 55-300 lens.

Correct me if I'm wrong!

Hmmm... I don't think it matters that much that light has to go through a longer tube vs. a shorter tube.

Consider 2 different lenses: the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens vs. the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens.

the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
length: 7.8 inches

the Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens
length: 2.7 inches

Even though the white lens is 5 inches longer than the black lens, it actually captures more light than the black lens. Why? Because the white lens has a larger maximum aperture of f/2.8. The black lens has a smaller maximum aperture of f/3.5 to f/5.6.

Let's compare the maximum apertures of the 2 lenses. At f/3.5, the black lens captures 35% less light than the white lens at f/2.8.

At f/5.6, the black lens captures 75% less light than the white lens at f/2.8.

So...as with all things in life, size doesn't matter with regard to light gathering ability. As ukcatfan mentioned earlier, it's the aperture that controls how much light gets into the camera (plus the shutter speed, too).

 

[m-tinkerbelle]

Hmmm... I don't think it matters that much that light has to go through a longer tube vs. a shorter tube.

Consider 2 different lenses: the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens vs. the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens.

the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
length: 7.8 inches

the Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens
length: 2.7 inches

Even though the white lens is 5 inches longer than the black lens, it actually captures more light than the black lens. Why? Because the white lens has a larger maximum aperture of f/2.8. The black lens has a smaller maximum aperture of f/3.5 to f/5.6.

Let's compare the maximum apertures of the 2 lenses. At f/3.5, the black lens captures 35% less light than the white lens at f/2.8.

At f/5.6, the black lens captures 75% less light than the white lens at f/2.8.

So...as with all things in life, size doesn't matter with regard to light gathering ability. As ukcatfan mentioned earlier, it's the aperture that controls how much light gets into the camera (plus the shutter speed, too).

completely understood what you posted. But still, comparing both lenses that come with the kit we have. There's the 18-55mm that's 1:3.5-5.6 and there's second one, the 55-300mm that's 1:4.5-5.6 .
The first one, at 55mm is at 3.5 and the second one at the same focal length (55mm) is 4.5! therefore, the first one catches more light at the same focal lenght than the second one... am I right?? Also, it allows you to set faster shutter speeds because the aperture is wider...right? That's what I meant with what I said.

Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you all! If by chance I was correct maybe my choice of words was not accurate

I'm always learning and re-learning with all your comments and posts

 

[figment41]

Wow thanks for all the simple explantions

Thanks for all your help. I unfortunately have not had a chance to even take the camera out of the box yet. But we are leaving soon and if I needed to order another lens I needed to do it this week.

So, other than me definately needing to practice with both you all think I should be OK.

I take 1000's of pics with my point and shoot and was tired of not getting the shots I wanted. I just don't want to get there and have to be sitting with other families across the aisle in order to take pics of my family. Character breakfasts are huge for us and I always feel to close even with my point n shoot.

Do you also think if she is sitting next to me on Small World I would be able to catch that perfect expression or are these to close. From what I am reading I will be OK but just wanted to make sure as time is running out.

Also if you do not think they are OK what lens would you recommend?? What do you use at character breakfasts?? or on Rides.

I am excited to start learning and will def look into the online courses and maybe they will bring a Nikon school here prob not before we leave though.

I know I need to get that camera out of the box.

Thanks so much

 

[wenrob]

completely understood what you posted. But still, comparing both lenses that come with the kit we have. There's the 18-55mm that's 1:3.5-5.6 and there's second one, the 55-300mm that's 1:4.5-5.6 .
The first one, at 55mm is at 3.5 and the second one at the same focal length (55mm) is 4.5! therefore, the first one catches more light at the same focal lenght than the second one... am I right?? Also, it allows you to set faster shutter speeds because the aperture is wider...right? That's what I meant with what I said.

Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you all! If by chance I was correct maybe my choice of words was not accurate

I'm always learning and re-learning with all your comments and posts

As I said above TECHNICALLY yes but it's not a faster lens, they are both slow lenses. As disneyboy pointed out it has nothing to do with focal length it's all about aperture. Both of those lenses as soon as you zoom drop to f/5.6 so are essentially the same when it comes to gathering light. To get f/3.5 on the 18-55 you have to leave it at 18mm, zoom even a little bit and your at f/4.5 and f/5.6 pretty quick so it's a wash. Unless you just leave your zoom at 18mm.

 

[ukcatfan]

The first one, at 55mm is at 3.5 and the second one at the same focal length (55mm) is 4.5! therefore, the first one catches more light at the same focal lenght than the second one... am I right?? Also, it allows you to set faster shutter speeds because the aperture is wider...right? That's what I meant with what I said.

It was covered, but to be specific to your question, the 18-55mm at 55mm cannot do f/3.5. The max at that focal length is f/5.6, so the telephoto lens at the same focal length is actually more capable of gathering light at f/4.5.

Basically, you should not think about focal length in terms of being able to gather more light. The focal length is important for the composition and should be determined by that. Then you need to consider if you need a lens at a particular focal length that can gather more light. The best thing for that is a prime and most have an aperture around f/2 or faster. For a fast zoom, the fastest you can get is f/2.8

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Wow thanks for all the simple explantions

Thanks for all your help. I unfortunately have not had a chance to even take the camera out of the box yet. But we are leaving soon and if I needed to order another lens I needed to do it this week.

So, other than me definately needing to practice with both you all think I should be OK.

I take 1000's of pics with my point and shoot and was tired of not getting the shots I wanted. I just don't want to get there and have to be sitting with other families across the aisle in order to take pics of my family. Character breakfasts are huge for us and I always feel to close even with my point n shoot.

Do you also think if she is sitting next to me on Small World I would be able to catch that perfect expression or are these to close. From what I am reading I will be OK but just wanted to make sure as time is running out.

Also if you do not think they are OK what lens would you recommend?? What do you use at character breakfasts?? or on Rides.

I am excited to start learning and will def look into the online courses and maybe they will bring a Nikon school here prob not before we leave though.

I know I need to get that camera out of the box.

Thanks so much

Do you have a local zoo? I really enjoyed getting out my camera and playing with it at the zoo. You can practice with both lenses and get close ups of the animals.

 

[TexasTom]

I'm a novice and have a Nikon D3100 with kit lens. I try to shoot in manual and play with the F stop and shutter speed. I've just bought a Nikon 35 mm F1.8 lens.

Thanks for all your posts. They are valuable for improving my photography technique.

Tom

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Wow thanks for all the simple explantions

Thanks for all your help. I unfortunately have not had a chance to even take the camera out of the box yet. But we are leaving soon and if I needed to order another lens I needed to do it this week.

So, other than me definately needing to practice with both you all think I should be OK.

I take 1000's of pics with my point and shoot and was tired of not getting the shots I wanted. I just don't want to get there and have to be sitting with other families across the aisle in order to take pics of my family. Character breakfasts are huge for us and I always feel to close even with my point n shoot.

Do you also think if she is sitting next to me on Small World I would be able to catch that perfect expression or are these to close. From what I am reading I will be OK but just wanted to make sure as time is running out.

Also if you do not think they are OK what lens would you recommend?? What do you use at character breakfasts?? or on Rides.

I am excited to start learning and will def look into the online courses and maybe they will bring a Nikon school here prob not before we leave though.

I know I need to get that camera out of the box.

Thanks so much

I'm going to make this very simple: GET THE CAMERA OUT OF THE BOX!!!!!

Read the manual, practice, then re-read the manual, practice, etc., etc,!

I'm not being mean, but I would like to see you succeed with the new DSLR. Otherwise, put it on automatic everything and use it as a fancy point and shoot. You don't have to have the camera in manual mode, but you should be very familar with all the controls and the lenses you have. Before I would buy another lens I would buy a decent tripod (it doesn't have to be $1000 one but better than a $25 one), and an external flash.

Do yourself a giant favor and practice day and night before you leave.

 

[m-tinkerbelle]

It was covered, but to be specific to your question, the 18-55mm at 55mm cannot do f/3.5. The max at that focal length is f/5.6, so the telephoto lens at the same focal length is actually more capable of gathering light at f/4.5.

Basically, you should not think about focal length in terms of being able to gather more light. The focal length is important for the composition and should be determined by that. Then you need to consider if you need a lens at a particular focal length that can gather more light. The best thing for that is a prime and most have an aperture around f/2 or faster. For a fast zoom, the fastest you can get is f/2.8

thank you so very much for making that clear to me ;D I'll one day buy a faster zoom. For now, I'll stick to what I have. The only thing that worries me is the nighttime parades at Disney.

figment! get the camera out of the box NOW! If you don't experiment with it you won't learn to use it. Read the basic quick start guide and start taking pics in P or Auto mode! then learn to change lenses and be very familiar with that ASAP or you might run into problems in a rush.
If you're going to use it as a fancy point and shoot as Gianna'sPapa said, be familiar with the basic stuff AND, read the warnings to take good care of the camera (don't force the focus ring with the Auto Focus on for example)
You'll have plenty of time to learn how to use the camera in manual mode.
I bet 90% of the people who carry a DSLR have any of the auto programs on all the time.
Also, it's important that you take pics, and see if you need an aditional memory SD card or batteries for example (let's say that you find out that you prefer to use the live view, you'll run out of power relatively soon).

You'll be fine with the 18-55mm in IASW I think. I don't know what the others' opinion is.

Experiment with the camera and take as many pictures as you can before leaving! How long do you have left?

Really, the Auto or P modes are so great that I started taking pictures right when I took the camera out of the box and put the first lens. You don't need to use the manual mode if you're not familiar with it. You can always use the other auto programs according to the situation and lighting conditions, but Auto or P can work wonders the very first week.