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Advice on Lenses, Zoo Visit?


5 years 1 month ago #636228 by labcat_crafter
I'm just starting out with DSLRs, and I was hoping I could get some advice. I'm going to Indianapolis with a friend soon, and we're planning to go to the Garfield Park Sunken Garden and the zoo. The zoo has a butterfly enclosure that I'd love to get some photos of.

I've been trying to figure out what lenses to bring. My camera is a D3400, and it came with two lenses, the AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR and the AF-P DX Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED. I'm thinking of only bringing the 70-300, but I feel I would need a tripod since it doesn't have VR?  

I've also been looking at renting a macro lens to take with me. Given that I'll be photographing insects and sticking within a budget, would the 85mm f/3.5G AF-S VR DX Micro be a good choice? I've been between it and the 60mm, and they're comparable in rental price. I'm not sure if one would be too close with a 60mm if it's an insect.

I'm also looking to buy a prime lens, and given that the D3400 is a crop sensor, should I go with the 35mm so it's a 52.5 equivalence? Or would I be better off with a 50mm which would be like a 75mm? 

I hope I've made sense, and I know this is a lot of questions. I've tried to research and get as good at understanding all of this as I can, but I'd really like some opinions from people much, much more educated than I am. :) Thank you!
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5 years 1 month ago #636233 by Nikon Shooter

labcat_crafter wrote:  I'm thinking of only bringing the 70-300 …  


If the perfect shot is there but you don't have the 18~55 you'
re gonna hate yourself for ever and a day, maybe longer! :rofl:
Light is free… capturing it is not!
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5 years 1 month ago #636237 by labcat_crafter
So given limited space, should I go with both the 18-55 and the 70-300, and also a macro lens and leave a prime lens at home? Like I said, super super new at this, so I'm still trying to figure out what my "perfect shot" even is. X'D
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5 years 1 month ago #636239 by Nikon Shooter
This is a decision you'll have to make.

The zoo for pictures is a good idea… if you go for it.
If it is a family outing then adjust your ambitions.

Even with my sons at the zoo, I got quite decent stuff
along… and my boys had cameras too! :P
Light is free… capturing it is not!
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5 years 1 month ago #636241 by garyrhook

labcat_crafter wrote: I'm also looking to buy a prime lens, and given that the D3400 is a crop sensor, should I go with the 35mm so it's a 52.5 equivalence? Or would I be better off with a 50mm which would be like a 75mm? 


Take both of your kit lenses, and rent as long and fast a macro as you can justify. You needn't restrict yourself to DX lenses; all FX lenses will work on a D3400. (I've used a 500mm at a zoo, and it's been barely enought. You'll make compromises no matter what.)

N.B. you want to ensure that the lens works on your body by checking its calibration. If it doesn't focus properly, you can't adjust it (no micro-adjustments on that body) and will either need to tighten the aperture or use a different lens.

Prime: no, the 35 is a 35, and is has a narrower field of view. That's it. The focal length doesn't change. So get that out of your head right now. You'll need to balance focal length (because it affects the geometry of the shot) against the view angle. Suggest you not worry about the view angle and get a lens that shows the world the way you see it.
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5 years 1 month ago #636242 by labcat_crafter
Nah, no family outing. Just a day of fun and learning. I'm not expecting to get the most brilliant pictures of all time. I felt it would be a fun choice to figure out how my camera acts in different places.

So really, looking at it that way, it sounds like both of my kit lenses would have their place, and for the butterfly/flower close-ups, a macro. The 18-55 would cover a 35 or 50 range? So even if a prime lens might be sharper in the end, it's not as much of a necessity to bring along to learn with...

Thanks! And that sounds like it was a lot of fun. :)
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5 years 1 month ago #636344 by labcat_crafter
I'm sorry for the double post. I hadn't noticed the reply five minutes before mine. If there's a way to edit posts that I just didn't see, I'll be happy to merge them together.

Thank you so much for the solid opinion on what would be best to bring! I completely forgot that FX lenses would work on a DX body and I'm looking forward to what options that opens up. I'm planning for the trip to be at the end of the rental period so I have time to experiment and practice, so I'll have time to make sure the lens works properly with my camera, too.

I might have to go to the only camera shop in the area a couple of cities away (wish there were some much closer) to see what works best for me and my camera. I think I didn't word it very well in terms of what I heard crop sensors do, but I do appreciate the reiteration of exactly what it is that happens with them. I didn't really get the focal length relative to the view angle to begin with.
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5 years 1 month ago #636353 by garyrhook

labcat_crafter wrote: I might have to go to the only camera shop in the area a couple of cities away (wish there were some much closer) to see what works best for me and my camera. I think I didn't word it very well in terms of what I heard crop sensors do, but I do appreciate the reiteration of exactly what it is that happens with them. I didn't really get the focal length relative to the view angle to begin with.


A lack of physical stores is a sad thing.

As for the view angle, I think the greatest disservice the manufacturers did was to equate everything to a 35mm frame. Most of the people buying DLSRs, micro 4/3, etc have no point of reference making the comparision meaningless for must buyers. Only the film folks, and only the ones serious enough to understand, care. The rest of us? Meh. I didn't know a thing about focal lengths 6 years ago. I learned and crop vs. full had nothing to do with it.

Okay, rant over.

Have fun. Wise to give yourself a bit of time to practice before heading out on your adventure. Be sure to have plenty of storage with you.
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5 years 1 month ago #636525 by Shadowfixer1
The longest lens you can take is good for the zoo. I would also use the 70-300 on the butterflies. You don't have to have a macro to shoot butterflies unless you want to get in super tight for detail shots. I would take the 18-55 also. Just play around and you will figure out what works best for you.
www.betterphoto.com/?ramshots
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