What lens for Xmas?

[DanielJames]

Hello

My dad has asked if I want a lens for Xmas, sure I thought but I have a Nikon D3100 which doesnt have an inbuilt focus motor.

So far I've narrowed it down to a 55-200 which I could use for when I go to shows next year, or a 35mm for doing portraits but how would a 35mm be for taking pics of cars?

I've used a 50mm before and found it pretty sh1t for getting the car in the full frame, would a 35mm be able to get a car in frame without having to have it fully focussed out if that makes sense?

Dan

 

[Revels]

Sorry, but that's a stupid question. Lol. You just have to stand further away.

200mm isn't long enough really.

 

[unofficialPete]

This might help...

http://www.tamron.eu/en/lenses/focal-length-comparison.html

 

[DanielJames]

Sorry, but that's a stupid question. Lol. You just have to stand further away.

200mm isn't long enough really.

Sorry If I'm being thick, but when I stood further away with the 50mm everything was in focus, or it seemed to be.

I want to be able to get the car in shot and have the background out of focus, for example

 

[Revels]

That's due to the aperture and then the focal length. Have a look here.. http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?192165-Crash-Course-in-Photography

How close you are to a subject also has a massive effect too.

Shooting at arms length at 200mm f4 will get your far more bokeh/out of focus than the same distance with a 50mm f4. I don't really understand why, but it's true.

 

[SamP]

Shooting at arms length at 200mm f4 will get your far more bokeh/out of focus than the same distance with a 50mm f4. I don't really understand why, but it's true.

Perspective. To get the same composition with a 200 and a 50 you'll have to be alot further away with the 200? This is then effected by the focal length, a telephoto will compress the background into the picture essentially cropping part of your background? Any out of focus parts will be exaggerated due to the enlargement of the background. Compare this to a wide angle, where to keep the sameish composition you'll get very close, coupled to this the background will appear much further away and features will be smaller. Thus you wont notice that things are oof, although effectively they probably will be in focus.

Terrible explanation.

http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/composition-perspective.html

Pictures at the bottom should explain it?

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...9GjAQ&ved=0CGIQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=perspective focal length same composition&f=false

The bit on perspective might be of interest?