Hey there, i have a Nikon D80 with a general 50mm 1.8 Nikor lens, ( i use this for Portraits of people!~ ) and want to get into taking pictures of my baby! was just wondering is a 12-24mm wide angle lens good for this or what is your favorite lens, or does any one know what lens Justdave uses on spit pics? i think its a 70-200mm but i am not to sure,

thanks for your time.

Unifx.

A 70-200 would be a rather long lens for up close portraits of cars.. But hell, if you're cashed up enough grab a good long and wide lens.

Something like a 12-24 would be a great lens for almost fisheye-like angles (12 is rather wide) but just keep in mind that you'll have to get VERY intimate with the car so no shooting of moving vehicles at race tracks etc (what a 70 to something would be good for, 12-24 would be only if they're going slow beside you) but for portrait shots and and nice wide pics that lens would be good.


Check out a user on the forum here called Method, he uses some wide angle lenses for his shots, I think he even won a POTW (Picture Of The Week) with a fisheye shot of a green pick up at a car show, that'd be what a 12-24 would give but without the roundness of it (maybe depending on the lens). There's also a user here called Tim Larkin who uses a 10-20mm sigma with all sorts of stuff, lately skating/bmx so you can see what such a short lens can do there too.

If you just want to take pics of cars rolling by at the spit, what you have now would be ok, you'd just have to crop them in photoshop, or maybe something like a 18-80 (or similar range) would be a decent all-rounder.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2130/235103..._1a704e0d90.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/235181..._ca00143291.jpg

Thanks for your reply you are a great help
i wanted the 12-24mm because its a great landscape lens also so i can use it for other things also. so pretty much.. the best lens for car shots be it moving or portrait is a 70mm to something?

24-70 f/2.8 for static
70-200 f/2.8 moving/distance
17-40/10-22 for wide angle interior.

Lance said it so much better with so fewer words.

10-22mm
70-200mm

you've covered the mid-range with the 50mm.

I find 'normal' range zooms can be boring when shooting cars. They aren't wide enough for a really dramatic perspective and they aren't long enough for decent compression.

You'll just need to decide what suits your shooting style.

Thanks guys!, also Chris i love all of your work i think you use a much wider lens don't you.

also i use a nikon and i do not think they have the 10-22mm, instead the 12-24mm amirite?

yeah nikon (shudder) only has the 14-24 f/2.8, unless you get a Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6 with Nikon mount

the Nikon AF-S 14-24 mm is from $1500 to $2000 i was talking about the 12-24mm f/4 which is also $1000 but i can get the Tokina 12-24mm f/4 PRO DX. It's a great lens (according to reviews ) and is about 1/2 the price of the Nikon 12-24 f/4.

Now I'm confused on what to get haha they all sound so sexy!

Buy within you budget.

I use both my 24-120 f/3.5-5.6 and my 70-200 f/2.8 for all my car photography.