Which Prime Lens???

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

Hey guys I am new to the photography board...

I got a Nikon d3200 for christmas and have been reading A LOT about different tips, suggestions, lenses all kinds of things about photography...

Anyway I have narrowed down my prime lens options to the:

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - $399.
Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S NIKKOR FX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - $225
Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - $200

I plan on using it for food, Dark Rides, and on Disney Cruise Line - I have a couple Disney Cruises next year so this will be my primary use food and DCL...

So what are your opinions of the 3 lenses?

Tom Bricker recommended that the Sigma is the best option but is it worth the extra $200???

Any thoughts would be very appreciated - Love to hear lots of opinions!

Thanks!

Chuck

 

[wmson2000]

Hey guys I am new to the photography board...

I got a Nikon d3200 for christmas and have been reading A LOT about different tips, suggestions, lenses all kinds of things about photography...

Anyway I have narrowed down my prime lens options to the:

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - $399.
Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S NIKKOR FX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - $225
Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - $200

I plan on using it for food, Dark Rides, and on Disney Cruise Line - I have a couple Disney Cruises next year so this will be my primary use food and DCL...

So what are your opinions of the 3 lenses? I have heard the Sigma is the best option but is it worth the extra $200???

Any thoughts would be very appreciated

Thanks!

Chuck

The sigma is a great choice - if you use the lens frequently and low light is a priority, the extra light gathering is worth the $$. But also consider the field of view - two of your possibilities are wide(r) angle lenses. The Nikon 50 will pull the subject closer if that is a priority.

 

[nbaresejr]

Tom Bricker recommended that the Sigma is the best option but is it worth the extra $200???

Worth it is something that is hard to answer for anyone but you. Tom raves about it an its been on my list for some time to purchase. I have the Canon version of the 50mm 1.8. I didnt like the field of view from it but since the birth of my son I have been using it for all my photography shoots with him.

My suggestion would be to set your kit lens at the 3 lengths you are thinking of getting and see what you can shoot with each. That way you can figure out if each lengths works for what you want to shoot.

 

[wiigirl]

The sigma is a great choice - if you use the lens frequently and low light is a priority, the extra light gathering is worth the $$. But also consider the field of view - two of your possibilities are wide(r) angle lenses. The Nikon 50 will pull the subject closer if that is a priority.

 

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

Thank you everyone for the quick responses! I didn't even think about setting the lengths on my kit lens that is genius!

The thing with the Sigma is that I take a lot of food photos - one of my favorite parts about vacation- often its in low light settings so I think it may be worth that extra...

But having the wide(r) angle lenses is nice too...

This photography stuff is really fun and interesting but man its expensive haha

 

[jillgunter]

I have the Sigma 30mm. Love it! Great lens. Great with low light with the low f stop.

50mm can be tight indoors, I don't know Nikon but you probably have a crop sensor. Which makes it really like 65mm.

 

[Animagic!]

I have the Sigma 30mm. Love it! Great lens. Great with low light with the low f stop.

50mm can be tight indoors, I don't know Nikon but you probably have a crop sensor. Which makes it really like 65mm.

Agreed. I love the 30mm focal length and the f/1.4 aperture. The 50mm is a little difficult to use in the parks. It's a little too much zoom for general park use. Taking pics of food will be harder too cause you'll need to step away from it. Even 30mm can be tight when sitting at your meal. Shooting at food across the table is right for a 30mm. The 50mm will require you to back up farther.

My Sigma 30mm f/1.4 is a great lens. It is sharp and 30mm is an awesome focal length for the parks. Keep in mind that the Sigma is notorious for quality control issues. The 30mm f/1.4 is famous for having focusing issues. My copy backfocuses. Meaning at the very narrow DOF of f/1.4 a little backfocus makes a big difference. So shooting a dark ride at f/1.4 or f/1.8 can be very challenging if the lens isn't focusing properly. Now I use the lens with manual focus at wider apertures.

One last thing to consider as far as a f/1.4 vs a f/1.8 lens goes. The extra light gathering of the f/1.4 is nice (especially on darkrides) and the narrow DOF makes it great for isolating your subject. The f/1.8 does all these things too, just not as dramatically. Also, lenses are never sharpest wide open. They tend to be soft at their widest aperture. Meaning that a f/1.8 lens doesn't start to sharpen until around 2.8. But the f/1.4 starts to sharpen at f/1.8. So in theory an f/1.4 lens stopped down to f/1.8 will be sharper than a f/1.8 lens shot wide open.

 

[PhotographyDR]

First of all. Never trust what Tom says. (just kidding). Actually Tom is responsible for "making me" buy the Sigma 30mm so I really cannot complain. I really do think this is worth the extra cash. f1.4 does help a lot and the extra width ( around 50 mm equivalent) is worth it on dark rides and food. I would not worry about DOF too much on rides even at f1.4. Shooting with around a 15 ft subject distance at f1.4 will still give you just over a 4ft range in focus. Which is not bad. I have had no issues with focusing on mine and still use it as my primary lens on a regular basis. Looks even sharper at f2.8. Go for the extra money. You will not regret it. Even if you do, just blame Bricker. .

 

[traylorc]

This photography stuff is really fun and interesting but man its expensive haha

You are in the early stages of N.A.S....Nikon Acquisition Syndrome. You will feel a compelled to buy new equipment for no real reason other than it's new. Every week there will be a new favorite piece of equipment to buy....the dark side has you now.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I had the Sigma for Pentax, LOVED it! It was my main lens on my last WDW trip and when we left it was nearly mounted permanently on my K5. I only sold it because I got an offer I couldn't refuse, now I'm looking at getting the 35 Art lens!

 

[bob100]

Hey guys I am new to the photography board...

I got a Nikon d3200 for christmas and have been reading A LOT about different tips, suggestions, lenses all kinds of things about photography...

Anyway I have narrowed down my prime lens options to the:
Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - $399.
Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S NIKKOR FX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - $225
Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - $200
I plan on using it for food, Dark Rides, and on Disney Cruise Line - I have a couple Disney Cruises next year so this will be my primary use food and DCL...
So what are your opinions of the 3 lenses?

Tom Bricker recommended that the Sigma is the best option but is it worth the extra $200???

Any thoughts would be very appreciated - Love to hear lots of opinions!
Thanks!

Chuck

I agree, if you want a wider f1.4 lens on a crop model the Sigma 30mm 1.4 is good but get the original (non art) version, it's only around $200 - $250 (used) at least for the Canon and I would think the Nikon version is similar

 

[mom2rtk]

The most expensive lens is one you have to buy twice.

I was in your position once and went for the "bargain" of the 50mm f/1.8 Canon prime. After shooting a few weeks I ordered the Sigma 30mm f/1.4. So that $400 lens jumped by $100 after paying for the 50mm one first, which now mostly sits in a drawer.

Initially it was mostly about field of view. 50mm is just too wide to be long and too long to be wide in my book. It just seems an uncomfortable in between length. Once I got to Disney I really appreciated that width. But if you plan to shoot any dark rides, you will also appreciate that extra bit of light gathering in the 1.4 vs. the 1.8.

And that Sigma lens is sharp as can be. Just a great lens all-around.

 

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions!!!

I think I have decided on the Sigma 30mm f/1.4

I have a couple of Disney Cruise this year and really want this lens...

Do any of you who either have this lens or have had this lens have photo's that I could see? Flicker on the boards ext...

First of all. Never trust what Tom says. (just kidding). Actually Tom is responsible for "making me" buy the Sigma 30mm so I really cannot complain. I really do think this is worth the extra cash. f1.4 does help a lot and the extra width ( around 50 mm equivalent) is worth it on dark rides and food. I would not worry about DOF too much on rides even at f1.4. Shooting with around a 15 ft subject distance at f1.4 will still give you just over a 4ft range in focus. Which is not bad. I have had no issues with focusing on mine and still use it as my primary lens on a regular basis. Looks even sharper at f2.8. Go for the extra money. You will not regret it. Even if you do, just blame Bricker. .

Haha Okay I'll blame him... Thank you for your help I am almost 100% sure I am going to bite the bullet and get this lens! His darn blog is killing my wallet!

You are in the early stages of N.A.S....Nikon Acquisition Syndrome. You will feel a compelled to buy new equipment for no real reason other than it's new. Every week there will be a new favorite piece of equipment to buy....the dark side has you now

It is ridiculous!!! Everyday I'm reading a new lens review (Most on the Disney Tourist Blog darn Bricker) every day and wanting more!
I think I have decided before my cruise I want the Rokinon 8mm Ultra Wide F/3.5 Fisheye Lens and the Sigma 30mm f/1.4...
But I'm a college kid on a limited budget haha luckily I am blessed that my parents are paying for my tuition so I can spend my extra cash on Disney and now photography...

 

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

The most expensive lens is one you have to buy twice.

I was in your position once and went for the "bargain" of the 50mm f/1.8 Canon prime. After shooting a few weeks I ordered the Sigma 30mm f/1.4. So that $400 lens jumped by $100 after paying for the 50mm one first, which now mostly sits in a drawer.

Initially it was mostly about field of view. 50mm is just too wide to be long and too long to be wide in my book. It just seems an uncomfortable in between length. Once I got to Disney I really appreciated that width. But if you plan to shoot any dark rides, you will also appreciate that extra bit of light gathering in the 1.4 vs. the 1.8.

And that Sigma lens is sharp as can be. Just a great lens all-around.

Thank you! That makes me feel even better about the Sigma

 

[SplashMo]

To me this is a no-brainer:

Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - $200


Excellent lens for a great price. I would use the money saved to pick up the 50mm/1.8 G as well.

 

[Silock]

To me this is a no-brainer:

Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - $200

It's a great lens. I have it.

But I wish I had gotten the Sigma instead. My budget just didn't allow for it. One of these days.

If you have the money, I'd get the Sigma. The 1.4 speed is worth it.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

Like it was stated earlier in the thread, the most expensive lens is the one that you replace because you want better....

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I know you are looking at prime lenses, however there is a new zoom lens out there that is getting quite good reviews. From my experience, it may be the best option for a Disney lens. That lens is the Sigma 18-35 f1.8. You get lowlight capability with the option of zooming from wide to 35mm. On a crop sensor that gets you to the "magic" 50mm that so many of us used in our film days. I have used the Sigma 30 to great success for a multitude of options such as the dark rides and some portrait-type work. Fortunately for me, the 18-35 isn't currently available in my mount. Later this year when it becomes available, I will be in trouble.

 

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

To me this is a no-brainer:

Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - $200


Excellent lens for a great price. I would use the money saved to pick up the 50mm/1.8 G as well.

Thank You I have definitely considered this seeing as I get two lenses for the price of 1...

The consensus is that the Sigma is a lot better so I'm still slightly leaning that way...

It's a great lens. I have it.

But I wish I had gotten the Sigma instead. My budget just didn't allow for it. One of these days.

If you have the money, I'd get the Sigma. The 1.4 speed is worth it.

I think that is pretty common from what I've been reading which is making me lean more towards the Sigma... I'll just pick up a second job lol

I know you are looking at prime lenses, however there is a new zoom lens out there that is getting quite good reviews. From my experience, it may be the best option for a Disney lens. That lens is the Sigma 18-35 f1.8. You get lowlight capability with the option of zooming from wide to 35mm. On a crop sensor that gets you to the "magic" 50mm that so many of us used in our film days. I have used the Sigma 30 to great success for a multitude of options such as the dark rides and some portrait-type work. Fortunately for me, the 18-35 isn't currently available in my mount. Later this year when it becomes available, I will be in trouble.

Oh no don't get me thinking about that one again hahaha
I have been looking at it quite a bit and would LOVE to have it but I was planning on getting a Fisheye and the Prime lens this would blow my budget completely in fact I think its more than both...

The photos that I have seen with this lens are pretty incredible!

What mount do you have???

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Thank You I have definitely considered this seeing as I get two lenses for the price of 1...

The consensus is that the Sigma is a lot better so I'm still slightly leaning that way...



I think that is pretty common from what I've been reading which is making me lean more towards the Sigma... I'll just pick up a second job lol



Oh no don't get me thinking about that one again hahaha
I have been looking at it quite a bit and would LOVE to have it but I was planning on getting a Fisheye and the Prime lens this would blow my budget completely in fact I think its more than both...

The photos that I have seen with this lens are pretty incredible!

What mount do you have???

I have been a Pentax shooter since the early 80's.