What are some good lenses with artsy effects for a nikon D5000?
I have a nikon D5000, and for my birthday, i can get a lens of any choice. I already have a fisheye, so that's out of the question.i'm looking for a lens that's artsy, not like a zoom or a macro lens.
The 10-24 mm will allow you to shoot "forced perspective" images.
Most of the "artsy" photos are the result of major photo manipulation using Photoshop. If you are a student, you can buy it in the student store for under $200
Lenses don't do effects - that's up to you. You can manipulate the light getting in, change to focus,
manipulate your dof with the right lighting, speed up your shutter speed to "freeze" action, slow it down to blur action but effects - lenses don't do them.
I'd suggest some serious reading on lenses. Perhaps even a serious look at photo editing software.
Effects are in software not lenses.
Which lens, like which paintbrush, is more artsy than another depends on what artistic use you intend to provide. Wide angle lenses exaggerate foreground to background distances. Telephotos compress them. Maybe you should get the most neutral lens of all for your camera--AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX. I gives a straight forward normal angle of view, it is very sharp, and it will auto focus with your D5000. You supply the artistry.
Some disadvantages:
1.It lacks a distance scale, which could be a useful thing to have for applications like setting the hyperfocal distance.
2.It has become so popular that it is often out of stock, and even vendors that normally sell for less than retail have been marking it up to above retail.
Another lens that can be a good choice is the AF NIKKOR 28mm f/2.8D.
I will not autofocus with your D5000.It is sharp. The angle of view is slightly wide, similar to that of many rangefinder film cameras of the 1970's. It's exactly the same as the Olympus 35RC.
(Woo hoo, it's retro!).
It has a useful distance scale. It can be set for great depth of field like this shot
and it can be dialed to infinity in light too low for autofocus to be useful like this shot
Instead of getting a lens to provide the artistry, you could get another camera. The Olympus E-PL2 has an art filter mode. For example, shot without Art filter:
With Art filter set to dramatic tone:
Look for this: LensBaby Composer or Control Freak models. With these lenses, you CAN do artsy effects!
http://www.lensbaby.com/#0
Sounds like you need to be more creative rather than relying on equipment.