[wanderernomad]

Originally Posted by amrisharm

I purchased a nikon D5300 in January from flipkart for 34,000/- and I must say I am 110% satisfied. Picture quality, manual settings, wifi, I am a very satisfied customer. Back then the Nikon D5500 was a cool 10,000 more expensive than the D5300. Plus they have the exact same sensor and 90% same features. So decided to save on the camera body price. That money I will use to buy a wide angle lens in the near future.

It took me a while to get the camera set up to take the kind of pictures that I want. But now that its set. The pictures are just awesome.

Picture clicked over the weekend. Taken at around 12pm which is not the best time to be clicking pics. But still the colour came out very well.

Attachment 1522749

Thanks buddy, appreciate the trouble you took to post a first hand experience. You purchased the D5300 with the standard 18-55 mm VR II lens?

[petrolhead_chn]

Originally Posted by wrongturn

I have found photography to be a great stress buster honestly and also it's a great hobby to have,

Completely agree on that - a great stress reliever. I must admit that photography is an expensive hobby. The gadgets, upgrades and post processing devices apart from the challenge of buying time from family for ourselves, etc., all comes at a price in some way or the other

In the end, the comments for our clicks and the 'feel good' grin on our face...

[Aroy]

Instead of using default AF settings, use the following
. AF servo - single point
. AF Area - Single point

Then you will be able to select the point which you want to focus at. In Auto settings the camera will just home in to a point for focus which may not be what you want.

[amrisharm]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

Thanks buddy, appreciate the trouble you took to post a first hand experience. You purchased the D5300 with the standard 18-55 mm VR II lens?

Yup it was with the standard 18-55 mm VR II lens. For the moment this lens is more than adequate for my needs as I am still mastering the manual features of the DSLR. Ideally I would love to have a Prime and a wide angle lens in my collection.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by amrisharm

Yup it was with the standard 18-55 mm VR II lens. For the moment this lens is more than adequate for my needs as I am still mastering the manual features of the DSLR. Ideally I would love to have a Prime and a wide angle lens in my collection.

Get the 35mm F1.8DX. It is a gem of a lens and inexpensive to boot. You will see it approach 7K regularly on e-commerce sites.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by wrongturn

Thank you. I still sometimes can't get the focus right maybe I will get better with time. It was my first day with the camera, and I was on auto mode, like always. But now I am learning about photography slowly and steadily and I am on manual all the time, learning through trial & error. Hopefully some day I will be able to take great shots like you. There is a lot to learn for me specially about editing RAW files.
I have found photography to be a great stress buster honestly and also it's a great hobby to have, which actually & literally pays.
Here is a shot of my dZire.

I have never used Auto mode in a DSLR, so not sure what happens there :-)

But, there are two things here when you talk about Auto:
1. Exposure. For which you can use P or A (aperture priority) or S (shutter speed priority) or M mode. There is no advantage in starting with M mode, might as well use A or P mode. This is a controversial statement, because many will tell you to use M mode to learn. IMO one should leave exposure calculations to today's highly advanced metering sensors, for most situations, unless you choose to play around with exposure. Just get familiar with various metering modes e.g. matrix, centre weighted and spot.

2. Autofocus. Here, don't use auto-area AF mode. For viewfinder-based shooting, I would recommend that you use Dynamic-area AF, in a manner where you can select any of the 11 AF points. Also, use AF-A mode, which will take care of static and dynamic subjects. Later, when you are comfortable shooting action, you can use AF-C mode.

Originally Posted by Aroy

Instead of using default AF settings, use the following
. AF servo - single point
. AF Area - Single point

Then you will be able to select the point which you want to focus at. In Auto settings the camera will just home in to a point for focus which may not be what you want.

AF Servo nomenclature seems to be for Live View shooting. I am not sure why Nikon confuses new users further, by having different AF-area mode nomenclature for viewfinder and live view AF.

[W.A.G.7]

For the Nikon D5000, what would be the best prime lens to photograph kids?

I intend to use it to shoot portraits of my 2.5yr old son. I am thinking of getting the 35mm f1.8G or 50mm f1.8G. The price difference in both the lenses is not much, say a few hundred rupees, so I am confused. Moreover someone said I should get the 50mm lens so that it is future proof. That is if I upgrade the body later on, 50mm would better serve the purpose on the new body also (even if it is full frame).

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

For the Nikon D5000, what would be the best prime lens to photograph kids?

I intend to use it to shoot portraits of my 2.5yr old son. I am thinking of getting the 35mm f1.8G or 50mm f1.8G. The price difference in both the lenses is not much, say a few hundred rupees, so I am confused. Moreover someone said I should get the 50mm lens so that it is future proof. That is if I upgrade the body later on, 50mm would better serve the purpose on the new body also (even if it is full frame).

The 35 has, in my opinion, too much distortion, for close up portraits. I own one!
The 50 gives a lot better results, specifically for portraits, but can be limiting in closed indoor spaces.
Personally - I'll probably sell my 35 and get the 50.

[sgiitk]

I miss the datewise indexing of Canon Image/Zoom-browser. Is there any way of downloading images from a Nikon indexed by date? I will likt to have taht.

[condor]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

For the Nikon D5000, what would be the best prime lens to photograph kids?

If portraits, then why not the 60 or 85 ? Will give you the ability to shoot from a little distance away. But both are quite expensive compared to the 35/50.

[VW2010]

I miss the datewise indexing of Canon Image/Zoom-browser. Is there any way of downloading images from a Nikon indexed by date? I will likt to have taht.

Get light room. Perfect for not just organizing but also to edit. With some free filters lately available LR to me is a perfect package for the same.

Also it just organizes everything in your PC that is related to Photo or video.

[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

The 50 gives a lot better results, specifically for portraits, but can be limiting in closed indoor spaces.

I am also thinking of getting the 50mm instead of 35mm as the price difference is not too much and it would be better suited if I upgrade the body later on.

Originally Posted by condor

But both are quite expensive compared to the 35/50.

That's the problem. They are way too expensive for me right now! Otherwise would have loved to get one of them

[Samurai]

Is camshot.in still a good place to buy camera gear? I am asking because half the pages there keep jumping to unrelated dpreview.com pages after a second or so.

[amrisharm]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

For the Nikon D5000, what would be the best prime lens to photograph kids?

I intend to use it to shoot portraits of my 2.5yr old son. I am thinking of getting the 35mm f1.8G or 50mm f1.8G. The price difference in both the lenses is not much, say a few hundred rupees, so I am confused. Moreover someone said I should get the 50mm lens so that it is future proof. That is if I upgrade the body later on, 50mm would better serve the purpose on the new body also (even if it is full frame).

Hi there, I am also in the same position as you. I did a bit of research and came to the following conclusions.

1) They are both very sharp lenses.
2) The 35mm 1.8 is a bit more versatile lens as its a bit wider. So it can be used for normal photos and also landscape to some extent. Portraits shot with this lens gives you a bit of background as well.
3) The 50mm 1.8 is a strict portrait lens. Great for half body and head shots.
4) Out of the two, the 50mm gives great Bokeh effect.
5) For indoor photography, with the 50mm, its going to be a challenge even to get half body shots.

The best thing to do is this. I am sure you have the 18-55mm kit lens with your Nikon D5000. So set that lens at 35mm and shoot for a day at just that focal length. Then the next day, set your lens to 50mm and shoot for the whole day. Shoot indoors and outdoors. Then see how it felt.

Ideally the 50mm would be recommended as it can be used later on if you upgrade to a Full Frame camera. Also the Bokeh effect is just great on this. But the focal length of 50mm which is approximately 80mm on the Dx body due to the crop factor could be too much for some. With this lens I see you having to change lens between this and another wider lens quite a bit during any photo session.

The 35mm is also a great lens. It has a more usable focal length for a Dx body (50mm on a Dx), so maybe no need to change between lenses. But there is a slight trade off. The bokeh effect is good but not as great as the 50mm 1.8.

In the end its your call.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by condor

If portraits, then why not the 60 or 85 ?

Originally Posted by amrisharm

The 35mm is also a great lens. It has a more usable focal length for a Dx body (50mm on a Dx), so maybe no need to change between lenses. But there is a slight trade off. The bokeh effect is good but not as great as the 50mm 1.8.

In the end its your call.

I prefer a longer focal length for portraits

1/40s handheld, ISO 6400. Ranthambore, evening.


Re 35mm vs 50mm: I prefer the 50mm (had the 50mm f/1.8D earlier, that conked off, now have the G version).

A shot with the 50mm.


And if you feel like a serious portrait session, consider renting one of the 85mm lenses on a full frame.