Hello fellow nikonians

I know that almost all of us would want fast lenses. If only money (and muscle? -- weight of lenses could be a problem) was easy to find... hehehe. I'm just curious... All of you who have 1 or all of the holy trinity of nikkor lenses (17-55, 28-70, 70-200/80-200 f2.8's) how much of your shots are taken at wide open or close to wide open apertures? Or do you usually stop down to f5.6 or f8?

For events coverage or indoor photography does f2.8 really matter when subjects are moving around? I was just asking because I was trying to take pictures of my 6 month old baby using my 50mm f1.8 set at f2.8 last night in our room (fluorescent lights) but I still could not get enough light to give me a shutter speed that would stop his movement. I still needed flash to be able to do that. Now if I would still need flash then I can just use my lowly consumer lens and set it at f5.6, tama po ba?

I was just asking this to f2.8 lens owners because I'm thinking of getting one (eventually) and would want to know how much of your shots were taken at f2.8... If it was a mere 5% kasi then I could not justify getting a 70T++ lens (IMHO). Although these lenses are not known merely for their fast apertures, they are also considered some of the sharpest nikkor lenses, but most people buy them for being constant f2.8's, right?

...Depth of Field is also one factor in using those big apertures

...Depth of Field is also one factor in using those big apertures

But can't we get the same depth of field of an f2.8 lens by using any lens at f5.6 by adjusting focal length and distance to subject?

You can also do that with some photoshop action :D
At what ISO did you take the shots at? :)

But can't we get the same depth of field of an f2.8 lens by using any lens at f5.6 by adjusting focal length and distance to subject?

that's true to a certain extent but you don't always have the luxury of being able to adjust both quickly. it depends on you subject also. for instance, when i shoot sports, i can only guess what the players will do so i can't really plan the focal length and distance to the subject (at best i can anticipate but it will always change). for that matter, when the situation changes quickly the time it takes you to adjust both focal length and distance may cause you to miss the action (at least for my type of photography). i can't really commment on more controlled settings, though. HTH

You can also do that with some photoshop action :D
At what ISO did you take the shots at? :)

I did most at at ISO 800. I tried a few with ISO 1600 but moise was beginning to be a problem (maybe PS can help with that...)

I shoot wide open at f/2.8 and stop down to f/4 for more DOF with my Sigma 18-50 when shooting available light portraits indoors. I'd go up to f/5.6 to f/8 if I needed to take a group photo, or if I wanted more detail in a closeup.

Not all f/2.8 lenses are sharp wide open, and with probably any lens you need to stop down to get the maximum sharpness. If you're getting a constant f/2.8 lens, shop around and check the reviews. But, not even an f/2.8 lens will get you sharp indoor portraits in really bad light. I use ISO 1600 a lot and sometimes wish I could go to 3200.

A fast lens helps but you can't make a photo without enough light. :) Get a constant aperture f/2.8 lens, by all means, it will improve your hit rate, but remember the limitations don't magically go away and you may have to find a way to add light in some situations.

70k, let me guess, that will buy you a 17-55/2.8! Hot damn! :)

most of my shots, i usually stop down to f/4 or f/5.6 to get the sharpest image.

but there was a trip to singapore were i set my lens to f/2.8 99% of time (even with enough light)... why? want to check the DOF of a f/2.8. im really impressed with the bokeh that my 80-200 f/2.8 produced. btw, the images were still sharp even @ f/2.8:Grin:

Sorry to butt in (Canon user here).

I agree that almost all lenses will NOT give their best performance at wide open aperture. But for the few rated to do so, you will realize why they demand the coinage.

Like Levi, I was in a couple of situations where F2.8 was the only saving grace. Here's an example;

HK Disney
http://static.flickr.com/56/135954240_e03dba6966.jpg

No flash photography allowed and the only way I could remotely cope was ISO 1600 @ F2.8.

I'm sure a prime would even fare better, but I don't fancy carrying a big bag of lenses . The "Holy Trinity" for me covers 90% of all possible shots which is good enough for me.

You will also hear more and more about bokeh and the bigger aperture glass can make mincemeat off the background providing creamy blur which allows the foreground to POP out.

Here's another example;

http://static.flickr.com/57/165532947_c49c14a9a1.jpg

I myself prefer the bokeh over DOF anyday because replicating it in post processing hasn't yet quite caught up to a real lens (I can still tell). The moment it does happen, I will be happy to get rid of the weight and move to slower but lighter glass.

Good Luck!

When shooting sports (show jumping, a bit of basketball, softball), I always shoot wide open. Even when there is available light, I still like shooting my kids at 2.8 because of the bokeh and blurring of the background, making the subject stand out more. :)

Prime lenses (like the 85mm f/1.8 or 1.4) are suppose to be better than zoom lenses but I believe zooms have come a long way and can rival prime lenses already. I, like Dave, do not wish to carry a no. of prime lenses. I prefer the versatility of zooms. :Grin:

That was my arguement before I bought my two VR lenses. Just like you, I have the 50mm and even at 1.8 you still need a good light.

IMHO, the extra bucks you pay is not worth if it's only for the bokeh. very few keen eyed photographers can recognize the difference of the real lens blur vs the pp blur (done properly) even on bigger prints.

There are, however, advantages on owning an expensive lens. Your camera will be updated later but your good lens will always be there.

Thanks all for the replies. I have learned a lot from this small thread.

I agree with most of your comments. It would really be nice to have an f2.8 lens for those creamy bokeh. Of course f2.8 would always be welcome specially when you have bumped up your ISO and still could not get enough light.

But for now, since I have only a few months under my belt in the field of photography, my slow lens is enough for my needs. Maybe if situations call for a fast lens then I would indeed need to feed my NAS. Most probably when my 6-month old starts doing those stage presentations in a year or two in those dimly lit auditoriums. :)

Most probably when my 6-month old starts doing those stage presentations in a year or two in those dimly lit auditoriums. :)

My exact sentiments... that's why i got intophotography, which led me to buying better lenses...

Our kids are so lucky, don't you think? Documented memories...

count me in on that too. a bit of OT but it's from the OP's comments tho....
how does one get a "press photo id" so that i could then be able to use my gear inside CCP so i get to shoot my daughter's ballet performances. (still need to get either of the f2.8 70-200/80-200 tho...)

count me in on that too. a bit of OT but it's from the OP's comments tho....
how does one get a "press photo id" so that i could then be able to use my gear inside CCP so i get to shoot my daughter's ballet performances. (still need to get either of the f2.8 70-200/80-200 tho...)

@manny

Can't you get a pass from the organizers of the ballet performances? Although what I know is they don't usually allow photos to be taken during the performance itself. Usually, it's only during the dress rehearsal. :)

@manny

can i go with you when you shoot that recital? i'm so interested.

@ rosalie
haven't really tried myself but my wife asked the organizer for me the last time but got a negative for both the recital proper as well as the dress rehearsal. funny because as you pointed out, normally TDR's are open for shoots.

@dindin
no prob. will advise you when the next recital is. ballet philippines holds 2 recitals every year.... mid-year and year-end. hopefully by that time, i'm able to find out how i can get a pass for a shoot.

one of the parents who's an AP photog is always able to bring his gear in and shoot during recitals.
best to ask advise from him perhaps.

wide open or f/4 with tripod/monopod of course. :)

Hello fellow nikonians

I know that almost all of us would want fast lenses. If only money (and muscle? -- weight of lenses could be a problem) was easy to find... hehehe. I'm just curious... All of you who have 1 or all of the holy trinity of nikkor lenses (17-55, 28-70, 70-200/80-200 f2.8's) how much of your shots are taken at wide open or close to wide open apertures? Or do you usually stop down to f5.6 or f8?

For events coverage or indoor photography does f2.8 really matter when subjects are moving around? I was just asking because I was trying to take pictures of my 6 month old baby using my 50mm f1.8 set at f2.8 last night in our room (fluorescent lights) but I still could not get enough light to give me a shutter speed that would stop his movement. I still needed flash to be able to do that. Now if I would still need flash then I can just use my lowly consumer lens and set it at f5.6, tama po ba?

I was just asking this to f2.8 lens owners because I'm thinking of getting one (eventually) and would want to know how much of your shots were taken at f2.8... If it was a mere 5% kasi then I could not justify getting a 70T++ lens (IMHO). Although these lenses are not known merely for their fast apertures, they are also considered some of the sharpest nikkor lenses, but most people buy them for being constant f2.8's, right?
John, If shooting the 50mm at f2.8 didn't work out for you, I don't see how it would be different with the f2.8 zooms you've mentioned. In these situations, using the flash would help and also don't be afraid to use the lens wide open.

Practice is the key :Grin:

hi john, may classmate ako nung high school sa PCU, palafox din ang surname nya. anyways, mejo late na ata itong sagot ko. in order to shoot a moving subject, it depends what would you like to have it done.
if you want to freeze that, you may consider the correct shutter speed to freeze the action. at f/2.8, since you have the maximum aperture of 1.8, you may try that with the program aperture priority but you will have a problem of slow focusing and it may not travel at the same time to freeze the action unless you wanted a preset position and put your focus to manual then shoot.
again you may adjust your ISO to at least 1600 then if you have a higher, try a shot. plus you may check on your internal metering that is sort of a guidance natin tuwing mejo lito tayo sa lighting condition. but you may not exceed sa 1/250 sec dahil madilim na rin iyon. pero sa 250 eh doon ka na nakakapagfreeze ng action, pataas.

yes, at ISO1600 and up, you will experience great noise there. that is why there are softwares to do to help us with that, if that is a problem to you.

so kung ayaw natin ng noisy e mag SB800 na tayo. :-)

kung quality ang hanap natin ng image e we may use artificial light na macocompensate ang gusto nating exposure. but just to have those moments of your child, laughing, waiving his hands, walking & running just like sa sports.
e ibuka mo na ng 1.8 with 125-250 shutter speed , timplahin mo na lang ang ISO mo, this might work at ISO800/1250/1600m you may put the WB in A or Fluorescent.