Is the Nikon 35mm f/1.8 DX a good lens for indoor photos of active kids on a D5100?
Asked 9/21/2011
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2 answers
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I have a Nikon D5100 with the 18-55mm VR kit lens. Outdoors it works well, but indoors my photos of my 2.5-year-old twins aren’t very good, especially in low light. They move around a lot, so I need something that can handle motion better. Would the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX be a good choice for indoor kid photos, and would it help more than the kit lens? I’m new to DSLR photography and still learning what different lenses are best for.
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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Yes - but for indoor shots of fast moving kids, I'd highly recommend a good flash first. You'll be guaranteed to freeze that motion regardless of the lens.
Indoors, in low light, with fast moving subjects - I'd choose a flash over a f/1.8 lens. With that lens, you'd still have to crank your ISO considerably to get motion freezing results, but a flash will do it everytime at whatever ISO you want. (Luckily, the D5100 does have pretty decent high ISO capabilities.)
Try not to associate flash with that cheesy popup thing on your camera. Even a SB-400 pointed at the ceiling to diffuse would be a serious step up and MUCH better.
I'm not knocking the 35mm lens - I think you should get it (optically and in everyway, its very much worth the price), but for freezing shots of kids indoors, a flash rules.
Originally by user1917. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1917
14y ago
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Yes. On a Nikon D5100, the 35mm f/1.8 DX is a strong choice for indoor photos of kids. Its wider f/1.8 aperture lets in much more light than the 18-55mm kit lens, so you can use faster shutter speeds in low light. That helps more than VR for moving subjects, since stabilization only reduces camera shake, not subject motion.
The 35mm focal length also works well indoors on a crop-sensor body, and as a prime lens it should give better image quality and more background blur than the kit lens.
That said, for fast-moving kids indoors, a flash is often the bigger upgrade. Even with an f/1.8 lens, you may still need high ISO in dim rooms. A hot-shoe flash that can bounce off the ceiling or wall will do a much better job freezing motion and giving softer light than the built-in flash.
Best answer: the 35mm f/1.8 is worth getting, but if your main goal is sharp indoor shots of active kids, consider a bounce-capable external flash as well.
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