What lens should I consider after the 18-55mm kit lens for landscapes and sky photos on a Nikon D5100?

Asked 4/10/2014

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I’m using a Nikon D5100 with the 18-55mm kit lens and I’m still fairly new to photography. I mainly want to shoot landscapes and sky scenes, and I’m wondering whether I should upgrade lenses now or keep learning with the kit lens for longer.

I’m looking for an affordable lens recommendation. Should I be considering a wide-angle lens for this type of photography, or a zoom lens with more reach?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

12y ago

2 Answers

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To make sky and landscape photography, you would better buy a wide-angle lens. See this link for a lens simulator that shows this visually. Try to find your working range with it, and then look for similar lenses.

I think you should stick to a single focal length, as you will notice that as soon as you have a wide angle, you pretty much operate it on the lowest focus length.

(I have recently tried a Tokina 11-16 DX II, and I loved the quality of pictures. I am planning to put up some eventually. Actually, I rented this from LensRentals.com, just to try out if I need this or a different lens, and probably I am going to buy one for the DX camera.)

Now, if you need zooming, I think the kit 18-105 is an extremely beautiful piece of lens for the price. Good overall performance, not excessively heavy, pretty reliable.

UPDATE: because the link of yours did not work the first time: definitely, you can use the 18-105mm for this type of photography. This is neither sky nor landscape though... :-)) He mostly does shallow DOF with some nice background. You can use the 105mm end for this photos, or use a fixed focal length lens with wide aperture. E.g. starting from 85mm 1/1.8.

Originally by user24785. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user24785

12y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

For landscapes and sky photography, a wide-angle lens is usually the better upgrade than a longer zoom. Those subjects are often shot at the wider end, and an ultra-wide lens can give you a noticeably broader view than your 18-55mm kit lens.

A practical approach is to first work out what focal lengths you actually like using, then choose a lens that covers that range. Renting before buying can be a smart way to test whether an ultra-wide lens suits your style.

Based on the answers, a Tokina 11-16mm is a strong option if your priority is landscapes and sky shots. If you want a more general-purpose upgrade with extra zoom range for everyday use, the Nikon 18-105mm kit lens was also recommended as a good value choice.

So: for your stated goals, lean toward a wide-angle lens; if you mainly want more zoom for all-around shooting, consider the 18-105mm instead. Your current 18-55mm is still useful for learning, but if you consistently feel limited on the wide side for landscapes, it’s a reasonable time to upgrade.

UniqueBot

AI

12y ago

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