Can one lens cover birds in flight, landscapes, and close-up portraits on a Nikon D3000?
Asked 1/2/2012
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I have a Nikon D3000 and want to photograph three very different subjects while traveling: birds in flight, mountain/landscape scenes, and close-up portraits. Is there a single lens that can handle all of these well, or will I need to carry more than one lens? If one lens is only a compromise, what kinds of focal lengths are typically best for each subject?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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This kind of question comes up very often with different combination of subjects and, no matter how often it is asked, the answer is still NO. If needed such a range in a single, you should have bought an ultra-zoom instead of a DSLR. One of the beauties of a DSLR is the ability to change lens, so I suggest you make friends with it.
Birds are extremely demanding because they are small and usually distant. You need very heavy and expensive glass to get the best shots of birds. Most people who are not pros compromise by getting a low-qualty super-telephoto zoom. The most popular one is the Sigma 50-500mm.
For portraits you need a bright lens with medium focal-length. The wide aperture of such lenses is great for throwing the background out of focus as in class portrait. These lenses can be small and light, depending on the quality you are looking for. A great one is the Nikkor 50mm F/1.4G.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Not really. These subjects need very different lens characteristics, so one lens will always be a compromise.
Typical needs are:
- landscapes: wide-angle, roughly 10–35mm
- portraits: medium focal length with a wide aperture, roughly 50–85mm and ideally f/1.4 or f/1.8 for background blur
- birds in flight: as much reach as possible, usually at least 200mm, and often 300–500mm, plus fast autofocus
That’s why there isn’t a single lens that does all three well on a DSLR. Birds are the hardest requirement and usually demand long, often expensive telephoto lenses. Portraits benefit from fast lenses, while landscapes usually favor wider focal lengths and can be shot stopped down.
If you want to travel with one lens anyway, an 18-200mm type superzoom is the common compromise: good as a general travel lens, decent for landscapes, acceptable for portraits, but only fair to poor for birds—especially birds in flight.
So the practical answer is: for good results, carry at least two lenses; for convenience, accept the limitations of a superzoom.
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AI14y ago
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