Calling all Photography nerds!

Very true. How close you actually get to the subject has a huge impact on how distorted it will be. Theres a 11-24mm L Canon lens Ive been drooling over. Really nice lens. Almost no distortion/fisheye when shooting video at 11mm.

 

What would you pros recommend for a fast inexpensive landscape/wildlife lens,and maybe a site to pick up a used one. Nikon 3100.

 

Oof, I've seen reviews on it (The f4 one, at least(always scoping the the shade of green that canon grass is on the other side)) and it looks awful greeeeeen... DO IT!

Fast and inexpensive don't often run hand in hand outside of a few primes (the nifty fifty comes to mind). Honestly, I'd recommend trying a few rentals from something like borrowlenses.com or local camera shops and really dial in on what you like and are willing to sacrifice for better cost. Then save and spend on good glass.

Closest I've found, and probably my most used/abused lens for travel/landscape is a 24-70mm f2.8. Solid, sharp edges in photo and fast enough to accommodate most lighting scenarios. Moving over to wildlife, you're going to want a longer throw, unless you have control of the subject, which likely won't be the case. 300mm and up, but you're looking at pretty big bucks up there.

 

Thanks, that's what I was afraid of. I had a sigma 150-500 5.6, but sold it awhile back.

 

I might just pick up another Sigma. I recently bought a remote shutter release, do you think that would help sharpen up the Sigma, or would time kill it?, and I kept my Manfrotto tri-pod.

 

last week when going to work the day before next to hyw there were grass fires all over out of control. That next morning I wish id of pulled over and took picture with my Samsung phone now but I didn't. It was as sun was just coming up but clouds so just getting light. Out in the all black grass fields next to highway all burned and black was one small tree base about 6 foot tall on fire just burning. I tell u it was a sight u had to see. I know that may sound weird but it really was. That is when I said id like to get something. I have no clue on computers or never even handled a camera other than the old kind u click and can take the card out and supposed to be able to load in computer to see it but I haven't even done that but I need to figure it out for sure

 

Remote shutter control (or even using the timer (I've done this when I forget my remote, haha)) and a good tripod (equally important, maybe even more so) will get you to about as sharp as any lens can get. From there just tweak settings and watch the lighting. It's also worth noting how much movement (trees in the wind, cars rolling through etc...) you have in the shot, as these can affect other aspects of the image too.

From your description, that's the type of sight that people like me dream about. Doesn't sound weird at all. I'm the idiot that keeps getting dangerously close to frame it up properly... That being said, let's get you outfitted. First and foremost, go to an actual camera shop and put hands on some of these. It may very well be that lugging around a DSLR (Even a canon 70D or Nikon d7200) might be more than you're bargaining for, as they're not really "pocketable" or easy to have with you at all times. Once you've had a little time with them, it might be worth it to talk it over with the shop dudes/dudettes.

Once that's all settled, we'll have to talk computer specs. What are you working with? Does it have an SD card reader? If not, you might want to snatch up a reasonable card reader with your camera, so you'll be able to offload those first images quick fast in a hurry!

After all of that, we can work with you on off-loading and editing those pics! What you're talking about doing isn't rocket science, but it's going to be a hell of a learning experience to dive into the deep end so put your thinking cap on and let's party!

Since I've shitted up this thread with a bunch of words, here're a couple of pics. (not my trucks)

 

i think that a mid-range body (Nikon 7200 or even teh D7000) would be a good body to start with....But the lens is the key....Try and get a good lens..Example: Nikkor 24-70mm, f2.8 or the Nikkor 28-200mm.4.5 ......both are zooms and they take great pix....landscape to portraits like wedding.....good luck on your search....but remember, a good lens can always be used later on in upgraded bodies....

 

I bought a d3300 to learn on and still learning, though I do wish i had a 24-70mm lens I mostly only take landscapes

 

I don't see him getting a 2.8 lens with a $1000 budget since he will pay more than that for the lens in decent condition. That Nikon set listed earlier would be a great setup for him to start out with if he can manage the extra $50 in the price of it. I do agree the 2.8's are the way to go with the lenses but not mandatory starting out just to get into it. I used to have a D7000 and really enjoyed it but have moved to FF and sold mine.

I'd also recommend something in the D7xxx line starting out so you have more features in the body to not limit yourself in the near future when you want to expand your abilities out.

 

I think another useful question for @crappie man might be how far into it he plans to get. Are you thinking of this as a potential all-in hobby, or just to catch images here and there that smoke a cell phone on quality?

Kinda wondering what the high end point and shoot market looks like. Anybody have any useful data there? Still garbage, or worth exploring?

 

That Tamron 15-30/2.8 mentioned a bit back is an outstanding wide angle. Sharp to the corners. Absolutely kills my Nikon 14-24/2.8.

I run it on my old D610 for storm time lapse because I don’t care about wearing out the shutter on that body.

 

check out this lens. It is very sharp and equivalent to a 24-70 on a FF. Not too expensive and much smaller than a 24-70 2.8 on FF. I love this lens on my crop body.

Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM FLD Large Aperture Standard Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital DSLR Camera

https://www.amazon.com/Sigma-17-50m...587&sr=8-4&keywords=sigma+17-50mm+f+2.8+nikon

 

Will this fit my D3100?

 

Yes

 

Thank you sir.

 

Dang thats a pretty bold claim! As far as I know, that Nikon 14-24 2.8 is the best wide angle there is for astro shots. Really good sharpness and no Chromatic Aberrations in the stars. Shes expensive though. I opted for the full manual Samyang/Rokinon 24mm f1.4. I absolutely LOVE that lens for time lapse and wide angle Milky Way shots. Extremely sharp and even better than the Nikon lens for chromatic aberrations. But full manual lens means YOU are responsible for making sure your shot is in focus.

Ive used it to focus stack keeping a shallow depth of field yet still keeping everything I want in focus. example below of our extended beam setup on our mock bronco frame at work.

 

A little off topic but not sure where to turn. I have a photo of my dad and his '69 fastback and was hoping someone could clean it up a bit with Photoshop. I am .ore than willing to compensate with PayPal for anyone who can put some time into it. He is coming down in June and I'd like to give him at least an 8"x10" with a homemade frame. Please let me know. Thanks in advance.

 

Yeah I know it’s a bold claim but trust me side by side there is no comparison. The 14-24 is a touch wider but the corners are way better on the Tamron. Plus the Tamron adds Vibration Compensation. I also have that full manual Rokinon 24/1.4. Great astro lens. I started using the Nikon 20mm 1.8, my new favorite.

Those beam setups always seem so weird to me