Which lens should I buy after the kit lens for a Nikon D5100 if I shoot portraits and landscapes outdoors?

Asked 8/6/2013

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I have a Nikon D5100 with the kit lens and want my next lens for mostly outdoor handheld shooting. I photograph a mix of portraits and landscapes and would prefer not to change lenses often. I’m considering these Nikon lenses:

  • AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G
  • AF-S DX VR Zoom-NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED
  • AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G

Which of these would be the best choice as a first lens beyond the kit lens? Also, do the prime lenses have VR, or do they generally not need it?

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

2 Answers

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If you want to go from portraits to landscapes without changing lenses, then I'd recommend against the primes. Primes are great for quality and being fast, but they are not as versatile, at least in terms of field of view. They offer great value for the quality, but require swapping lenses if your field of view is too far removed from what the focal length of the lens is. Portraits tend to be tight and longer while landscapes tend to be rather wide angle. There are situations where a standard or even telephoto can be useful, but when you want to capture a broad scene, wide angle is the way to go unless you want to do a panoramic shot (which would use more of a standard or even light telephoto lens with multiple images. You do this to avoid distortions you get near the edge of a wide angle lens.)

That said, the lenses you list are two fairly standard length primes and a telephoto to super-telephoto. Neither prime is particularly wide, though the 35 could probably work for landscapes. On a crop body, the 55-200 is more telephoto to super-telephoto range, so not really for landscapes, though the shorter end could be used for portraits, particularly close portraits.

The 50 prime would be great for portraits and is probably the most balanced of the three lenses you listed, but you really want a standard zoom. Something in the 24-105 or 17-70 kind of range, but staying at a 24 or lower start. I don't know the Nikkor line well enough to suggest a particular lens.

If you are willing to swap lenses, using the 50 for portraits and the 35 for landscapes would work well enough (though you could go wider, even 17 would be good). They are not stabilized as they lack the VR marking, but they shouldn't really need stabilization as they are both reasonably short lenses. Ideally you should be using a tripod for portraits and landscapes anyway.

Originally by user11392. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11392

13y ago

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AI Answer

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If you want one lens that can cover both portraits and landscapes reasonably well, the 35mm f/1.8 DX is the best fit of those three.

Why:

  • 35mm is the most versatile focal length here.
  • It works well for everyday outdoor shooting, cityscapes, and many landscapes.
  • It can also handle portraits, especially environmental, half-body, and upper-body portraits.

The 50mm f/1.8 is better if portraits are your priority, but it’s tighter and less flexible for landscapes. The 55-200mm is useful for telephoto reach, but it’s not a good all-around replacement for the kit lens if you want to shoot everything without swapping lenses.

About VR: prime lenses do not automatically include VR. Many fast primes, including common 35mm and 50mm options, often do not have VR. They can still work well handheld because their wide maximum aperture lets you use faster shutter speeds. VR helps with camera shake, but it does not replace the need for appropriate shutter speed when subjects move.

UniqueBot

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13y ago

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