AboutAkshay Singh Jamwal Expertise I can answer questions questions relating to SLRs (35mm or DSLRs) and general photographic technique. I have a good knowledge and understanding of the principles involved in photography (film or digital) and photographic lighting. Questions about studio lighting, studio flashes, and flashguns are also welcome. Questions about theory (e.g. colour theory, the rules and guidelines behind composition etc.) are welcome as well.
Digital photography also involves some amount of post-processing using an image editing application such as Adobe Photoshop; a program that I am proficient with.
I cannot answer typical generic questions, viz. "Which is the best camera?," as the short and sweet answer to questions such as those is "There is no such thing." Furthermore, there is a lot of literature available on the web pertaining to those sorts of questions. Please be as specific as you can with your questions.
Experience I'm a professional commercial photographer and have been passionately taking photographs since I was 13 years old. In totality, I've been involved in photography in one way or another for over a decade. I've used equipment from various manufacturers, including but not limited to Minolta/Konica Minolta, Nikon, Canon, and Mamiya.
Question QUESTION: I am getting into high end nude photography and am buying a nikon d300 but am at loss for a general purpose fast lens, nikkor i assume but telephoto and size?
ANSWER: Hi Ben.
There are two Nikkors that are excellent all-purpose lenses.
One is the 18-135mm/3.5-5.6, the other is the 18-200mm/3.5-5.6 DX VR. Both have a really compact design. The latter is the more expensive of the two. I've used the 18-135mm.
It won't give you images as sharp as, say, a 70-200/2.8, but considering its price, you can hardly complain. It's a good enough performer for professional use, I can say that based on experience.
Neither lenses are particularly 'fast' at the telephoto end at 5.6, however.
They'll do the job in most situations, but if you need something faster, how about a 50mm/1.8?
You didn't say you were looking for zooms, specifically ;).
Most manufacturers used to offer SLRs with a 50mm as the 'kit' lens during the 80s. It's a little sad to see that trend no longer practiced, since most 50mm lenses were (and still are) sharper than most zooms, relatively cheap, simple in optical design (usually just two elements) and consequently free of distortion and other lens defects.
Another advantage is the extremely fast lens speed. At 1.8 (or better yet, 1.4) you can expect to see really shallow depth of field. Used wisely, this can create some awesome photographs.
The only disadvantage is that you'll have to move forward and back when composing.
In effect, it boils down to what you're capable of purchasing at this point. Even the 18-135mm/3.5-5.6 would be a good choice if price is a factor.
If quality and tack-sharp images are what you want, the bulkier telephotos will do the job excellently. This is not to say that the other lenses are bad or un-sharp, just that a higher price usually buys you a better lens. There are a few bad apples out there within the higher price points as well, so be careful with your final choice.
Hope that helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask another question.
Regards,
Akshay Singh Jamwal.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: First of all thanks for info. Second, what are the thoughts of using in the studio, nikon d300 a 50mm 1.4 0r 1.8 lenses for nude photograhy as the only lense due to the quality. understand having to move but other than that, will the quality be worth it?
Answer Hi again Ben.
That sounds like a good combination, the 50mm/1.8 or 1.4 will be qualitatively comparable to the best lenses in Nikon's line up at a fraction of the price that the others will cost you.
If you Google 'Nikkor 50mm 1.4 AF review' (or 1.8 review), I'm sure you'll find plenty of informative links about how good these two lenses are.
All in all, equipment is a means to an end. Whether it's 'worth it' or not is for you to decide. You may find that it's the best and sharpest lens you've had, or you might find the limitation of a prime lens frustrating. The resulting image quality will be top-notch -this much I can say- as you'll see yourself if you Google for lens reviews for either of the two lenses. The lens is a little prone to flare when shooting wide open, but the same can be said of many other lenses that are otherwise left wanting.
Also, I re-read my previous message and it seems I made an error. I meant to say 'groups' instead of 'elements', and while going through a couple of links I see that it's actually three groups, not two.
Sorry for any confusion.
