[Padfan9]

I have a Nikon D3200 and I am just starting to learn about car photography. I have the standard lens that comes with the camera but I want better quality.

I see a few for sale (70-300, 55-300, etc)

Does anyone know what the best lens would be?

[qspring]

For non moving car, I'd go with a wide angle for a dramatic effect. I shoot with canon and my go to lens is a 24-70L. For moving cars, I use a 70-200L IS.

I like the 24-70 since it covers you 24mm, 35mm, and 50mm ranges.

Usually, the shorter the focal range the sharper the lens. I know Nikon has an equivalent of canon's 24-70L lens. sigma also makes high quality lenses as well.

[TheFlyingMouse]

I have the 70-300 for air show photography on my D7100. Don't expect it to work well for cars on a crop frame sensor. You have to stand too far away.

I bought Nikon's 10-24mm dx wide angle for this kind of work, and also landscapes and street photography. I use the 15-20mm range 70% of the time, 10-14 20%, and 21-24mm only 10% of the time. It's the most useful lens I have purchased.

I personally wouldn't bother with the 55-200, 55-300, or the 18-300. I had the 55-200 and ditched it in favor of the 70-300 for more zoom for air shows and much better IQ. I chose the latter above the dx lenses because of IQ and forwards compatibility if I ever get an fx camera body.

[STooK]

IMHO the best lens would be a 135mm f/2 wide open but on a crop sensor it'll be very tough to use. You don't want to use a wide angle since it'll have a lot of distortion. You want to use the longer focal lengths, I would say 85 and above. If you want to shoot cars at a auto show or something obviously you'll want to pack something wider like a 18-55. Honestly, even the kit lens works great with good lighting so I'd rather get more practice in than buying lens.

[GrantE83]

135mm f2 would be my ideal lens from canon.

But I recently sold all my stuff.

Or a 35mm.

Prime is the way to go and a CPL.

[Padfan9]

Originally Posted by GRANTLDN

135mm f2 would be my ideal lens from canon.

But I recently sold all my stuff.

Or a 35mm.

Prime is the way to go and a CPL.

Can I use any lens with any slr?

[Padfan9]

Originally Posted by STooK

IMHO the best lens would be a 135mm f/2 wide open but on a crop sensor it'll be very tough to use. You don't want to use a wide angle since it'll have a lot of distortion. You want to use the longer focal lengths, I would say 85 and above. If you want to shoot cars at a auto show or something obviously you'll want to pack something wider like a 18-55. Honestly, even the kit lens works great with good lighting so I'd rather get more practice in than buying lens.

Thanks! So if I purchased a 75-200, that would work? I want super clear shots from close up but also from a distance and great rolling shots.

[Padfan9]

Originally Posted by TheFlyingMouse

I have the 70-300 for air show photography on my D7100. Don't expect it to work well for cars on a crop frame sensor. You have to stand too far away.

I bought Nikon's 10-24mm dx wide angle for this kind of work, and also landscapes and street photography. I use the 15-20mm range 70% of the time, 10-14 20%, and 21-24mm only 10% of the time. It's the most useful lens I have purchased.

I personally wouldn't bother with the 55-200, 55-300, or the 18-300. I had the 55-200 and ditched it in favor of the 70-300 for more zoom for air shows and much better IQ. I chose the latter above the dx lenses because of IQ and forwards compatibility if I ever get an fx camera body.

Thanks! So you would say a smaller range like that for all my close up shots and a 75-200 maybe for shots where I want my car and a nice background behind it?

Here are some of the shots I am doing now if this helps my question.

[TheFlyingMouse]

There's some contradicting advice on lenses here, but it sounds like the guys recommending 75mm are coming from the 35mm sensor world (FX).

It's true that wide angle adds distortion to your images, but it also gives you a neat perspective that is not obtainable with the longer lenses. I brought both the 10-24 and 70-300 to Europe with me, and I promise you that the 70-300 has not gone on the camera yet.

The wide angle between 15 and 24mm is much more useful on city streets and for landscapes. If you need to fill the frame with your car more, step closer!

I've tried to use my 50mm f/1.4 for city photography and I can tell you that on a DX sensor, it just isn't wide enough.

Stook's suggestion of just getting more practice and staying with the kit 18-55 is a good one. It's actually a really good lens for what you're trying to do on a DX sensor. If you're only looking at something like the 55-200, I wouldn't bother. The 18-55 takes sharper pictures in my experience.

The other lenses mentioned like the 135mm f/2 are EXPENSIVE, and usually heavy. I wouldn't go buying one of those until you've personally figured out what you're looking for in a new lens. If you want faster glass, you might look at the 35mm f/1.8.

Go try lenses in a store before you buy them!

[TheFlyingMouse]

Try playing with your camera settings more. Switch to vivid mode and stop down to f/8 or so to see how your color and depth of field changes in the types of shots you posted.

[GrantE83]

Originally Posted by Padfan9

Can I use any lens with any slr?

No, not really.

Try looking for Sigma lenses with Nikon mounts.

Nikon's lenses are very expensive for the good stuff.

It all depends on the budget for your lenses really. It's also a case of where does it stop.

[Kzang]

Originally Posted by initialgemini

For non moving car, I'd go with a wide angle for a dramatic effect. I shoot with canon and my go to lens is a 24-70L. For moving cars, I use a 70-200L IS.

I like the 24-70 since it covers you 24mm, 35mm, and 50mm ranges.

Usually, the shorter the focal range the sharper the lens. I know Nikon has an equivalent of canon's 24-70L lens. sigma also makes high quality lenses as well.

What is a good price on a 24-70L lens for Canon?

[Klassen iD Wheels]

anything with a longer focal range wont give you what you need for rollers for the most part. I've seen people use like 70-200 for rollers, but its just harder to keep it steady. My ideal set up (being a canon user) is a 24-70 (pretty expensive lens) 70-200 (for those depth of field shots) and a prime lens 35,50,85 etc. Prime lenses are nice because they are typically sharper and have a wide aperture which helps for low light and such. It really comes down to your budget.. For just starting off, I would just look for a nice mid range lens. Maybe like a 35mm Prime lens and then maybe like a 24-85? Either that or just bite the bullet and pull the trigger on a 24-70. Just my .02.. Not very familiar with Nikon

[okusa]

Originally Posted by STooK

IMHO the best lens would be a 135mm f/2 wide open but on a crop sensor it'll be very tough to use.

Why is that?

[Klassen iD Wheels]

Originally Posted by Kzang

What is a good price on a 24-70L lens for Canon?

Depends.. There are technically 3 24-70s from Canon.

24-70 F4 - New $900ish Used $650 +

24-70 Mark 1 - Out of date so to speak

24-70 mkII - New $1700ish Used $900ish


Mind you the used prices vary depending on the condition, but I have always been skeptical about buying a lens used.

[qspring]

Originally Posted by Kzang

What is a good price on a 24-70L lens for Canon?

Check out canonpricewatch.com for the latest prices.

The 24-70L II Goes for about $1600 right now. If you wait, canon periodically has mfg rebates up ranging from $100-$200. Also, places like B&H will let you buy w/o sales tax.

[qspring]

Originally Posted by Klässen iD Wheels

anything with a longer focal range wont give you what you need for rollers for the most part. I've seen people use like 70-200 for rollers, but its just harder to keep it steady. My ideal set up (being a canon user) is a 24-70 (pretty expensive lens) 70-200 (for those depth of field shots) and a prime lens 35,50,85 etc. Prime lenses are nice because they are typically sharper and have a wide aperture which helps for low light and such. It really comes down to your budget.. For just starting off, I would just look for a nice mid range lens. Maybe like a 35mm Prime lens and then maybe like a 24-85? Either that or just bite the bullet and pull the trigger on a 24-70. Just my .02.. Not very familiar with Nikon

I'm a Canon guy too. Not sure if Nikon has the equivalent of the 24-105L With image stability, but that's something I would recommend. It's a good lens with nice focal range. Not as sharp as a prime or 24-70, but a great lens if that's all you're going to carry or start. I love prime lenses, but I know that's not everyone's cup of tea.

OP: There are a lot of places that rent lenses out for $25 a day. Try them all out and see what fits your shooting style.

[GrantE83]

Originally Posted by Kzang

What is a good price on a 24-70L lens for Canon?

Originally Posted by okusa

Why is that?

135MM x 1.6 Crop works out at around 216MM.

f2 x 1.6 crop = f3.2

That's a long focal length for a prime lens. But hey my mate has a 300mm prime for shoot drifting and loves it.

I'm not a fan of the 24-105 for some reason, 24-70 is definitely worth the extra monies.

Also if you are on crop instead of the 135 f2 get the 85 f1.2 as this will equal out for you.

85MM x 1.6 crop = 136MM
f1.2 x 1.6 crop = f1.9



I shot these on my previous Canon 70D with my mates 85mm F1.2.. Only had it on the body for a few minutes at an indoor show..

[Rikx1M]

Originally Posted by GRANTLDN

135MM x 1.6 Crop works out at around 216MM.

f2 x 1.6 crop = f3.2

This confuses me...I thought cropped sensors only affected the image as the smaller sensor grabs the center of the picture, giving you the appearance of zooming in.....how does it also affect aperture/depth of field?

[GrantE83]

Originally Posted by Rikx1M

This confuses me...I thought cropped sensors only affected the image as the smaller sensor grabs the center of the picture, giving you the appearance of zooming in.....how does it also affect aperture/depth of field?

For the aperture being reduced, it was never something I read in to too much, but it was a guy from over your side of the pond who mentioned it too me.

When he told me I was new to photography and it went over my head and I never really looked back in to it.

Maybe I should dig this info out.

But in terms of the focal length that's how you work out the length on a crop sensor. Some crop sensors are actually around 1.5 instead they do vary.

Either way, full frame is the way to go.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by GRANTLDN

...
Maybe I should dig this info out.
....

Yes, you should, but you won't be able to find it, because it's not true.

Here's a series of shots where I compared resolution of the 7D MkII (crop sensor) to the 5DsR (full frame). The aperture setting are the same with crop and full-frame and result in the same exposure:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dcstep...57654706175433

Full-frame is NOT the way for everyone to go. It depends on what you'll be shooting and how much your willing to spend on lenses and how much bulk you're willing to carry around.

As you can see in my comparison, crop-sensor bodies with the same pixel pitch as full-frame sensors have the same resolution. Any difference you see is due to slight differences in sensor technology and can really only be discovered at 100% and higher cropping.

If you're not going to print at sizes like 50" and beyond, spend your money on great lenses. If you're going to sell and/or print, then full-frame should be seriously considered. For internet and small prints, you will not see a difference.

Dave

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by dcstep

Yes, you should, but you won't be able to find it, because it's not true.

Here's a series of shots where I compared resolution of the 7D MkII (crop sensor) to the 5DsR (full frame). The aperture setting are the same with crop and full-frame and result in the same exposure:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dcstep...57654706175433

Full-frame is NOT the way for everyone to go. It depends on what you'll be shooting and how much your willing to spend on lenses and how much bulk you're willing to carry around.

As you can see in my comparison, crop-sensor bodies with the same pixel pitch as full-frame sensors have the same resolution. Any difference you see is due to slight differences in sensor technology and can really only be discovered at 100% and higher cropping.

If you're not going to print at sizes like 50" and beyond, spend your money on great lenses. If you're going to sell and/or print, then full-frame should be seriously considered. For internet and small prints, you will not see a difference.

Dave

Yep, the only reason i went full frame was because i am making largish to large prints of my images for wall art around the house. That said, i did print a 20"x30" (which is a largish print) that was taken with a 30D (8 megapixels) and at that size you can just barely start to see pixels, and i mean barely, most people wouldn't find any pixelation in that print. Same size print from the 5DmkIII shows absolutely no pixelation what so ever and doubt it would until, as you said, the print get to 50" in one direction.

What do you suppose the 5DsR will print up to without showing pixels?