nikon lens upgrade

medicosatish · May 2015

Hi I own a Nikon d3200 with a basic 18-55mm kit lens. Now i want to buy a 55-300mm lens mainly for its zoom purpose. I want to know if i can take portraits using this lens both indoor and outdoor. How good is this lens at portrait photography? How are the bokeh effects from this lens?

tcole1983 · May 2015

It isn't really a portrait lens. Not that you couldn't take portraits with it but it isn't going to have much or great bokeh. You are better off with the 35 or 50 f1.8's. Or if you want a really good portrait lens the 85 f1.8 is going to be one of the best. There is tons of information about comparison between all the lenses so I won't get into that. They are all going to have better bokeh than the 55-300.

heartyfisher · May 2015

There is nice review on photography life .. https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-55-300mm-vr

I was considering this lens too for a while .. what camera are you using ?

sevencrossing · May 2015

Hi I own a Nikon d3200 .........

.. what camera are you using ?

:-S

heartyfisher · May 2015

Hi I own a Nikon d3200 .........
.. what camera are you using ?

:-S

8-} sorry half asleep .. been shooting Vivid Sydney for a few days :-) (... nights)

kyoshinikon · May 2015

Primes are your best bet. A 55-300mm wont cut it

WestEndFoto · May 2015

I would buy a 50 1.8 G for a few hundred bucks. For DX it is the best portrait value available. An upgrade would be the 50 1.4 G, still less than $500. For about a hundred more, buy the 85 1.8G. However, you will have difficulty with full body shots indoors with this lens. Outdoors though, it is ideal.

NSXTypeR · May 2015

What's your budget like? The above suggestions are great, but doesn't help if you don't have a budget.

Photobug · May 2015

Hi I own a Nikon d3200 with a basic 18-55mm kit lens. Now i want to buy a 55-300mm lens mainly for its zoom purpose. I want to know if i can take portraits using this lens both indoor and outdoor. How good is this lens at portrait photography? How are the bokeh effects from this lens?

Hi welcome @meticosatish. The wife likes her 55-300mm for size and picture quality. From my perspective, I agree with those that said the bokeh isn't good...it's okay but not a good lens for portrait work. Sure for quick grab shot of the kids or relatives, it's fine.

I have the 50mm 1.8 and have only used it for 3 months. Like it so far. Next year I am thinking about the 85mm 1.8 and as other have said, it's really a good lens. The 35, 50, 85mm F1.8 lens are all good lens and would work well for portrait work.

If the new prices are out of your budget, check out Nikon USA web site refurbished equipment. You can save some money and still have a warranty. Also Adorama, B&H, Roberts Camera, and a few others get refurbished gear from Nikon and sell them for a nice savings.

tcole1983 · May 2015

Rereading your post OP I have to wonder if you are wanting the zoom as in the reach of the 300 mm or the simplicity of a lens that covers a large range...unfortunately that doesn't equate to a portrait lens. If you are looking to do indoor and outdoor portraits in the $400 range of the 55-300 new...I would grab the 35 and 50 F1.8's. That would cover you pretty good for indoor and outdoor portraits.

Photobug · May 2015

+1 @tcole1983 - excellent recommendation.

spraynpray · May 2015

You also need to realise that wider lenses like the 35mm and even the 50mm become around 50mm and 75mm on DX bodies so if you do use the 35, it should be for portraits of people and backgrounds and the 50mm really only for 3/4 length but not any closer. If you want head and shoulders, you need the 85mm as the wider lenses mean you need to get too close which will distort your subjects features.

Just my advice: It seems to me (apologies if I am wrong), that you are fairly new to this but have done some reading (worrying about bokeh). If I am right and you are starting out, sure, get a zoom and even if the bokeh on your 55-300 isn't great, use it and learn about the points I made above plus how to get good shots then maybe you will want to up your budget and get primes or a better zoom. On the other hand, you may find that you are perfectly happy with the gear you have and don't have to spend lots more money. Great shots are about the light, the moment and the photographer more than the gear.

Msmoto · May 2015

There is always the idea of looking for a used 135 or 200mm....prime. The primary determinant is always one's budget. Do you have one?

manhattanboy · May 2015

I have shot with the 55-300 zoom for portraits when I had it years back. The problem is really that the best pics are at the long end say 200mm+, where you can finally get background blur. The problem on a DX camera is that you are in a galaxy far, far away from your subject...

IMHO the 50 1.8 is a nice cheap lens but not that flattering for portraits. Frankly it may be okay for men squaring up their jaws, but not so flattering for women, where a longer slender-inducing lens is usually preferred. What sucks about DX is that indoors going longer than the 50 usually means cropped shots. Hope this info helps you.

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