[Comet]

I'm a complete retard when it comes to cameras..

my gf however is obsessed with that stuff
I bought her some Nikon D3 or 5 or 7 I don't know what for xmas.

she's been looking at lenses to buy for it...
Her bday is coming up and I wanted to get her one..

so a few questions:
1) Do I need to know her cam's model #? or are lenses all compatible so long as I stick to the same brand?

2) what lens would be the ideal to get? like the must have?

3) is there anything besides lenses that I can get for her?


PAYMENT:

[Draven]

Any modern DSLR Nikon lense will work on any other modern Nikon camera. So if it's designed for DSLRs and is Nikon-based, you'll be in good shape.

Are any of those the actual GF?

[E90SoFlo]

Pics of said GF before I give good answer.

[dosserj]

Some of the must haves for any budding photographer are:

70-200mm F2.8
17-55mm f2.8 or 24-70mm f2.8
Maybe a prime lens such as the 50mm f1.4 or 85mm 1.4

These are all on the upper end of pricing and quality. But if she wants to take better pictures, I'd recommend getting good lenses. She'll see a major difference from her kit lens.

Or you could get her a nice bag or tripod. Maybe a flash?

[Alpine Whiteboy]

External flash makes for better pics as well...

[runnerx]

Prime lens!

[Comet]

Originally Posted by Draven

Any modern DSLR Nikon lense will work on any other modern Nikon camera. So if it's designed for DSLRs and is Nikon-based, you'll be in good shape.

Are any of those the actual GF?

Originally Posted by E90SoFlo

Pics of said GF before I give good answer.

haha
none of the gf

she says "I prefer being behind the cam instead of infront.."
I tried to snap a few of her.. I have pictures of her hand covering her face... :/

thanks for the responses guys

[Chewy734]

Originally Posted by Comet

so a few questions:
1) Do I need to know her cam's model #? or are lenses all compatible so long as I stick to the same brand?

Yes, you need to the know the camera model. No, not all lenses are compatible with a dSLR. For example, EF-S lenses are not compatible with the full-frame cameras (assuming she has a Canon).

Originally Posted by Comet

2) what lens would be the ideal to get? like the must have?

The nifty-fifty (50 mm, large aperture lens), a 70-200mm telephoto, and a 24-70mm zoom. Nikon and Canon both have these. If you need to choose between these, then you'll have to tell us more about what she photographs.

Originally Posted by Comet

3) is there anything besides lenses that I can get for her?

lingerie

[E90SoFlo]

I don't care where her hands are as long as she is naked lololol

As stated

70-200
50
12-24 (ish)

She will love you forever.

[Mr Tonka]

Hope you didn't think the camera body was expensive. You could easily spend $4k on 3 lenses.

[scollins]

Well, there is a Nikon D3, which you would remember buying since they were $5,000 new. There is no D5 or D7, but there are D3000/D3100, D5000/5100, D7000 models. I'm guessing you bought here one of these models.

Good thing is, any Nikon DSLR lens will work on the DXXXX series cameras. If you really did buy her a full-frame camera (FX), then you'll want to avoid lenses marked "DX", as they'll have limited use on the FX camera. It will still work, but not as well as the FX versions.

[cliffhopper]

If you want to go for a reasonably priced lens, 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX.

[boymonkey]

You sort of need the camera model but the biggest difference is full frame or cropped.

I'd get a high end lens that supports full frame. She will get better image quality and be able to continue to use the lens if she upgrades her camera body. Either a prime lens, or a good walk-around lens, or a high end telescoping lens for long zoom and macros will be great to have. If she sticks to photography, she'll eventually have all of those. Which one suits her style/needs more at the moment?

Other things to get include wireless remote shutter, off camera flash with remotes, etc.

[Foodle]

Originally Posted by Draven

Any modern DSLR Nikon lense will work on any other modern Nikon camera.

Not true. Nikon has DX (small sensor) and FX (full frame sensor) cameras. A lens made for a DX camera will not work on an FX camera body. An FX lens, however, will work on a DX camera body.

What model camera body does she have?

As for lenses, what does she have now? Does she want zooms or primes? What kind of photography does she do?

As a general kit, most people like to cover wide angle to mid telephoto with f/2.8 zooms. For Nikon, that would be:
17-35mm f/2.8
24-70mm f/2.8
70-200mm f/2.8

If she shoots far away stuff, some long f/2.8 primes or the 200-400mm f/4 would be great.

Never cheap out on the lenses. Stick with Nikon/Nikkor lenses. Forget about the 3rd party lenses like Sigma. Sometimes they produce a good lens, but if you don't know what you're doing, you can't go wrong with a Nikon/Nikkor lens.

Besides lenses, there are a lot of things she might want:
- Flashes (D3 has no integrated flash)
- Memory cards (compact flash if she has a high-end camera body)
- Lens filters (have to get the right size)
- Teleconverter
- Tripod/monopod
- Camera bag
- Photoshop
- Faster computer
- Better monitor (NEC pro line)
- Bigger hard drive or RAID array

[ibarry92]

I don't know much about cameras or camera lens; although, I would love to learn. But I like the way you well OP, you came upfront with a good payment. Good work lol.

[Foodle]

Originally Posted by cliffhopper

If you want to go for a reasonably priced lens, 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX.

Not a good idea if she has a D3 full frame (FX) camera ...

[scollins]

Originally Posted by Foodle

Not true. Nikon has DX (small sensor) and FX (full frame sensor) cameras. A lens made for a DX camera will not work on an FX camera body. An FX lens, however, will work on a DX camera body.

Yes, a DX lens WILL work on an FX body. My D3 switches to DX mode when a DX lens is attached. Of course, I only get about 5MP doing that, so it is a foolish waste of precious pixels. But the lens will work, which I don't think is true of Canon. But they don't use Nikon's DX/FX terminology.....

[accordingi2ime]

if full frame body...

f1.4 50mm
f1.4 24mm
f1.4 85mm
f2.8 70-200mm
f2.8 24-70mm
f3.5-5.6 28-300mm
f2.8 14mm
f2.8 14-24mm

[Foodle]

Originally Posted by scollins

Yes, a DX lens WILL work on an FX body. My D3 switches to DX mode when a DX lens is attached. Of course, I only get about 5MP doing that, so it is a foolish waste of precious pixels. But the lens will work, which I don't think is true of Canon. But they don't use Nikon's DX/FX terminology.....

Ok, true, it will function, but it will crop down to a pitiful resolution. So, IMO it doesn't make much sense to use a DX lens with an FX body. I was over-simplifying.

[scollins]

Originally Posted by Foodle

Ok, true, it will function, but it will crop down to a pitiful resolution. So, IMO it doesn't make much sense to use a DX lens with an FX body. I was over-simplifying.

Since the D3 is low on pix to begin with, I agree. But the D3X results in a 10MP crop, which is quite usable. Again, not the best choice if buying a new lens, more of an option for those already invested in DX lenses.

Truthfully, buying her a new lens will be tough. Better to say "honey, let's go buy you a new lens, what do you want?". So many choices, and she'll know what she wants or needs. If she is feeling the need for wider shots and you give her a 70-200, I'm sure it would be appreciated but not well used. Vice versa too....

Budget $2,000 for top of the line zoom glass, $1,300 for mid-line and $800 for the rest.

[Comet]

Originally Posted by scollins

Truthfully, buying her a new lens will be tough. Better to say "honey, let's go buy you a new lens, what do you want?". So many choices, and she'll know what she wants or needs.

that's what I'm thinking of doing.
but I did that with the camera as well...


I recall spending around 1,300$ for the camera around xmas... if that helps in the slightest...?

[Foodle]

Originally Posted by Comet

I recall spending around 1,300$ for the camera around xmas... if that helps in the slightest...?

The only way $1300 will get you a Nikon D3 is out of the back of a van from a guy named Knuckles. For $1300, it was either a D300s or D7000. Both are DX (smaller sensor) cameras, so either DX or FX lenses will work. I would suggest getting an FX lens, just in case she later shifts to an FX camera body.

It's obviously her choice, but I would suggest avoiding any of the "super zooms" that cover huge focal distance ranges with large f-stop, since their image quality and light gathering capability are generally not that great. The only reason to get one of those lenses is if you want an all-in-one travel lens.