Which Nikon D5000 lens is better for portraits and more reach: 60mm macro, 50mm prime, or 70-300mm zoom?
Asked 9/8/2011
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I use a Nikon D5000 and currently have the 18-55mm kit lens and the 55-200mm zoom. I’m considering adding a lens for better portraits and another for subjects farther away.
The lenses I’ve been looking at are:
- Nikon 60mm f/2.8G AF-S Micro for close-up/portrait use
- Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 AF-S for extra reach
How different would these be from the lenses I already own? Would the 60mm macro be a good portrait lens, or would a 50mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.4 make more sense on a D5000? And is the 70-300mm a worthwhile upgrade over the 55-200mm for distant subjects?
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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For portraits, the general recommendation on an APS-C camera (like the D5000) is to go with a wide-aperture lens in the 50-80mm range. That would be either a Nikkor AF-S 50mm F/1.4G or its slightly slower sibling the Nikkor 50mm F/1.8G.
For subjects at a distance, well it really depends how big your subject is. Wildlife for example is usually done with 300mm+ and birding often with 500mm. It also depends whether you are shooting moving subject or in low-light, or worse both at once! If it is only street photography that you are doing, then 200mm can be enough.
One of my favorite lens in that range for wildlife and street-photography is the ultra-sharp Sigma 100-300mm F/4. If you need something faster than look at the twice-heavier Sigma 120-300mm F/2.8. Most birders that I see use the Sigma 50-500mm which has a much more versatile range at the expense of lesser image quality.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
On a Nikon D5000 (APS-C), a good portrait lens is usually in the 50-80mm range with a wide aperture.
For portraits, the 60mm f/2.8 Micro can work very well: it gives a flattering short-telephoto view and also lets you focus very close for true macro shots. But if you mainly want portraits rather than close-ups, a 50mm f/1.8G or 50mm f/1.4G is often the better value because it’s much brighter, giving shallower depth of field and better low-light performance. An 85mm f/1.8 is another strong portrait option if you want a tighter framing.
For distant subjects, the 70-300mm gives you more reach than your 55-200mm and is generally a step up in build, with possible image-quality improvement as well. Whether it’s enough depends on your subjects: 200mm can be fine for street or larger distant subjects, while wildlife often benefits from 300mm or more, and birding often needs even longer lenses.
So: choose the 60mm only if you also want macro capability; choose a fast 50mm for portraits; choose the 70-300mm if your 55-200mm feels too short.
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