best lens on a 7100 for fireworks/night time city shots?

tiCreativeMedia

Hi,

trying to get recommendations on a good lens for night photography. Subject might be the sky/moon, fireworks and city shots. I know that they have lenses that are in the $1800 range, but I just spent that much on the camera and there's NO WAY my wife will go for a lens that pricey. Can anyone recommend an alternative, maybe in the $500 range?

THANKS!
Dave

Ironheart

Nikon 10-24mm AF-S Nikkor f/3.5-4.5G DX ED
Costs about $800 though. You can get the Tamron version for $500, almost as good as the Nikkor.

rbrylawski

How about a nice fast prime? The AF-S DX 35mm F1.8 which is about $200 would take great shots of fireworks and it's fast enough to work well in low light.

KnockKnock

Used 12-24mm f/4 DX - I see a few at Adorama and BH from $500-800. Aside from that, I second the 35mm f/1.8 DX.

Photobug

I have done a lot of fireworks pictures and it depends how far you are from the point of explosion. All most all of mine were taken with a Nikkor 17-55mm F/2.8 lens. Very expensive new but you can find these used on eBay for less than $900. Every once in a while I see refurbished ones too.

The other lens I have used for moon and fireworks is a Nikkor 70-200mm F/2.8. The low cost alternative is the 55-200 or the 55-300 or 70-300mm. Think I got these right, may have messed up on the short focal length number. These are much less expensive new and refurbished and used and is an excellent alternative to the expensive 70-200 F/2.8 lens.

tiCreativeMedia

Ok I'll check in to all these. I heard however that the Tamron doesn't work in automatic mode on the Nikon??

Thanks!!
Dave

JakesGT

I have the 28 1.8 and I really like that. It's about 700 new

kyoshinikon

10.5mm f/2.8 is what I would recommend. The 50mm f/1.8 is more practical and at a few hundred you probably could grab a 35mm too and still be under $500

spraynpray

I'm surprised the other contributors haven't mentioned the Tokina 11-16 f2.8. It out performs the wide DX Nikons and you can get them used for under $500.

Before we go any further, you need to tell us which body you have so that we know whether you need to be buying lenses with focus motors in, or whether your camera can use those without a focus motor (because the body has it's own focus motor as well).

JakesGT

Or the Samyang 14mm 2.8. That's like 350 and dxomark says its sharp especially stopped down some. It's a manual focus lens though, but not a huge deal with something that wide. It's my next lens

tiCreativeMedia

Hi spraynpray-I'm not sure what you mean by which body? it's the D7100. Are there different kinds?

I bought mine as the kit with the 18-140 lens if that helps.

thanks!!
Dave

spraynpray

Dave, You have no problem with the D7100 as it can either use the lenses own motor or it has a separate motor built into the body to cope with old lenses or those without their own motor.

In that case, you REALLY need to check out the 11-16 f2.8 Tokina.

Msmoto

One of the best lenses, if you want a "normal" lens for the D7100 is Sigma's 35mm f/1.4. It is $500. Here is a shot with the lens on a D4 at 12,800 ISO in a fully red lighted venue

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantinesfotos/9626824825/in/set-72157635282120385

There are several shots with this lens in the set.

shawnino

@msmoto: I thought Sigma was more like $800-$900? Are you seeing it for less?

tiCreativeMedia

@Msmoto WOW. fantastic photo! Now, I already have the Nikkor 35mm 1:1.8G. I should get this one too?

I'm just not sure of the difference by those numbers.

THANKS!!
Dave

tiCreativeMedia

and I see what @shawnino is saying--I'm seeing it for around $800

THANKS!!

spraynpray

No Dave, as you have the 35/1.8, the 35/1.4 will not allow you to do anything that the 1.8 can't. It may have better IQ (image quality), but until you can use your gear without thinking about it, I suggest you use what you've got and learn from it.

Peachpit press does books in the series 'snapshots to great shots' for each body type so I suggest you look for the D7100 edition and buy it - it should help you a fair bit.

shawnino

Dave--

what else do you already have in your bag? Maybe you already have something that will do the business well.

(S-n-P is spot on: nobody needs more than one 35mm prime lens. Some people have more than one, but at this stage it's more important to get versatility with focal lengths.)

kyoshinikon

I thought about the 11-16mm... It is a good lens but I thought those run $700ish on average...

35mm's Gotta collect em all!

spraynpray

35 is too long unless you are a long way back, but the 18-140 would be fine in most cases. The OP wants an ultrawide and I see the Tok at £295 buy it now or offer on eBay (used) and cheaper if you want to bid.

Msmoto

@shawnino

OMG, I was totally incorrect…Sigma 35 price is $900…….mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa

OK, used 10.5 like kyoshinikon suggested…. $400-500 on eBay.

tiCreativeMedia

HAHAHA!!! awesome.

no biggie, but I'll check... these are all great suggestions... thanks for chiming it!!

Beso

@tiCreativeMedia - Your original question discusses uses which vary greatly and require lenses with different focal lengths to get the best performance. The 35mm is a great lens for fireworks and a lot of city shots but if you want to shoot the moon you will want a much longer lens. If you want to shoot a starry sky you will probably find something in the 15-21mm range is ideal. While most of us would love to have something that enabled us to shoot virtually anything with one or two lenses, the reality is as our skills grow we begin to see the value of the specific lenses for specific purposes. One option that I will always recommend is to go rent a lens that you think will meet your needs and try it out. Renting can be relatively inexpensive and gives you the opportunity of real world testing prior to making the actual investment. Good luck!

ianeke

Personally I would either go for the Nikkor 10-24, Sigma 10-20 or the Tokina 11-16. The Tokina is the fastest and sharpest of them all, but suffers from glare a lot. The Sigma is great value for money, the Nikkor is superior in terms of (corner) sharpness.

spraynpray

I think you need to just get out and try your 18-140 on a tripod Dave. I am sure that you will get as good results with that as you will with any of the lenses recommended - fireworks are about technique more than gear, and you will need a tripod for any fireworks photography.

Vipmediastar_JZ

+1 for sigma 10-20. I used to own it and it was great with the d7k. I didn't shoot much fireworks really but it also depends where you are for location.



http://gearshop.dpreview.com/sigma-10-20mm-f-4-5-6-ex-dc-hsm-lens-nikon-f-mount/dp/B00BPHS2DY?childAsin=B0007U00XK