Best portrait photography lens?
I'm getting the new Nikon D3200 and i was thinking to get a zoom lens similiar to this one for Nikon (Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Lens). What would be the best lens for me? And if you can give me details and prices.
Best wuld be Carl Zeiss. But Nikon would give just a Nikor - which is just so-so… Okay for portraiture. All the best
On a 35mm film camera or full-frame DSLR a focal length of between 85mm to 105mm has long been considered the ideal portrait focal length. On your D3200 you'll want a 50mm prime lens (no zoom function) for portraits since it will have an equivalent angle of view of a 75mm lens on a 35mm film camera or full-frame DSLR - making it an acceptable portrait lens. The Nikon AF-S 50mm f1.8G is a good choice.
In my opinion you'd be better off buying the D3200 with the standard 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G zoom lens. Then spend the next 4 to 6 months learning how to use the camera and learning the capabilities and limitations of the 18-55mm zoom. First you'll need to seriously read & study the Owner's Manual for your camera and then spend time with this video tutorial: http://www.nikondigitutor.com/eng/d3200/index.html Who better than Nikon to teach you all about your Nikon D3200? This will also give you time to begin finding out what type of photography you like doing the most and how the 18-55mm zoom limits you. NOTE: Before buying any lens its always best to first identify a need for that lens. You can waste a lot of money buying lenses without knowing why you need them. Always ask yourself this: "Why do I need this lens? How will I use it?"
While you're learning how to use your camera and 18-55mm lens you'll also need to begin learning about Light, Composition, Exposure and Depth of Field (DOF). These sites will help you learn what you need to learn:
Light
http://photographyknowhow.com/photography-lighting/
http://photographyknowhow.com/quality-of-light-in-photography/
http://photographyknowhow.com/direction-of-light-in-photography/
Composition
http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/10-top-photography-composition-rules
Exposure
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography
Depth of Field
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/dof.shtml
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/...-field.htm
Yes, there's more - much, much more - to photography than simply buying a camera and walking around pointing it here, there and everywhere and clicking the shutter. Of course that's acceptable if all you want to do is take snapshots but you could do that with a $150.00 point & shoot digicam.
Good photography requires thinking. Learn to think about Light, Composition, Exposure and Depth of Field BEFORE you release the shutter. This is how you begin actually learning how to make a picture instead of just taking a snapshot. "Pictures are not taken, they are made." Ansel Adams.
Another concept in photography that is harder to explain is known as "seeing photographically". This site does a good job of explaining what this is:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/aesthetics-1.shtml
Photography is a never-ending learning experience.
THe 18-55 kit lens is great for portraiture.
While you could, technically, use any lens for portraiture the 'rule' is generally to use a focal length between 70mm and 150mm full-frame equivalent.So, for a Nikon crop camera, such as yours, the general rule would be something between 45mm and 100mm. Also, for drawing attention to the subject and away from the background or foreground I would suggest shooting at larger apertures (smaller f-stop number). A 50mm 1.8 or 1.4 is a great and often used lens for portraiture on crop sensor cameras. They don't zoom, being prime lenses, but they are fantastic if used properly.
Hope this helps!