TOG help - lens choice

I'd take the 18-55mm - should give you more than enough scope for the type of shots you'll be taking in New York, and is lighter and more discreet. As you say the 18-200mm lens is heavy and not something I'd fancy lugging round while away, plus you're not likely to need to zoom that far for the majority of shots you take there. Hope that helps!

Very helpful, thanks. Am slightly surprised though, as had assumed the 18-55mm would be bottom of a list. Seems counterintuitive to deliberately take a lens with capabilities that would be covered by another (and then some). But you're right about the practicality though.

It would be the 50 all the way for me. Move with your legs if you need to get closer.

But I can't scale buildings Would I not miss the wider angle capability of the 18-55?

I would go with the 50 as well, better quality than the other lenses, what camera are you taking.

What would you need to zoom capability of the 200mm for though? It's not a lens I'd ever take away on holiday unless we were going to a sporting event or on safari ?

I am with the others on the 50. Prime lenses give better images.

Also, think of the awesome landscapes you can photograph if are going to the top of a very tall building! I would be thinking twilight landscapes from the Empire State!

Have a great holiday and enjoy taking fabulous photographs! ?

Andrea de Gabriel

Agree that this is the best lens I own. It's also the one I am most familiar with and am beginning to 'know' what settings work with different frames/lights etc. I'll certainly be able to take quicker photos (which will please my husband, as he gets annoyed with me trailing behind....).

I have a Nikon 5100.

When I'm being lazy?

I have a sunset slot on the observation deck at Top Of The Rock. So hopefully my twilight pics will include the Empire State. I will need as fast a lens as possible for this, yeah? (Am a photography newbie).

Yep - your 50mm would be best for this, particularly if you'll be shooting hand-held. A slower lens would be fine if you can rest it on something though, imagine you'll not be lugging a tripod about as well ?

I have a mini tripod thing with bendy legs, which I'll bring (it's maybe 15 cm long). Even when I can't find anywhere to put it, I find that pulling the legs together and bracing it against my chest can reduce my shakiness a little.

Don't be scared to whack the ISO up a little too if you're struggling to get the speed you need

I wouldn't say so. You'll be risking the quality of the image with a 18-55 though. Worst case, the 50 is that good that you can crop in post production.

OK, decision made. I'll take the 50mm prime. Boy can take charge of my compact, which has 24-480mm optical zoom (with A/S/M priorities, WB/ISO selection etc) so can cover anything extraordinary that I can't manage!

Thanks all!

This.....I also use the phrase zoom with your legs!!!!!

Why not take the wider zoom plus the 50mm? It is quite light and would be better in low light museums.

As your camera is 2/3rds frame, the 50mm "might" be a bit tight at times for some shots. I would honestly take the two lenses, 50mm plus the wider zoom.

Peter

Indeed - I remember you saying to when I was asking for advice at the buying stage. I may have also said it to others since.... *blushes*

I can fit/carry both the 18-55 and the 50. But not the 18-200 and the 50. But as nobody has voted for the 18-200, I don't need to worry about that....

Yes...drop the long lens and take the two others.....(I don't mean literally drop)? Keep the 50mm on the camera and get the zoom out when and if you need it.

Peter

What ISO value makes your teeth begin to itch?

If I double ISO, I can halve shutter speed?

Download the community version of Noiseware. That will clean up some excess noise from high ISO.

But what constitutes 'high' ISO? +800 or so? I haven't quite got my eye in yet - your tolerance of noise will be far lower than mine, and I am quite a fan of harsh images anyway.... I have the long exposure NR activated in my camera, but not the high ISO NR because I gather it is a rather blunt tool for a job that could be done with greater delicacy post-production? Will check out that software, thanks.

Depends on the camera and the lenses - varies massively! The software Peter recommended is great, worth having a play around with your camera and some night shots before you go to see what level of noise you're happy with ?

It's a hard one as the better my cameras go the more I can bump it up. A candlelit reception was fun the other night ?

You'll be able to tell from the grain so experiment before you go away to a level your comfortable with. Take the same picture but keep bumping up the ISO (and correcting for exposure).

This might be more designed for reciprocity issues. Although more prevalent with film, it also can affect digital sensors too.

Low intensity reciprocity failure is often found in longer exposures in low light. The exposure algorhythm that is usually fine for normally illuminated images isn't so mathematically exact when in low light, long exposure shots. Usually it is necessary to boost the exposure to get a better image.....for example, 8 seconds may well be better as 12 seconds exposure. There are many variables dependent on film used, sensor type, lenses etc.....

Peter

18-55mm and the 50 1.8 in a heartbeat.

Unless you're popping off hobos across the street you don't need longer range than that.

NYC is a place that you'll want to fill the frame with.

I guess though, if you have 'Space in Da Case' then take the 200mm anyway. Just don't carry it around with you for a few days....see if you miss it.

This is a bit of a clean sweep then.

Chris, I have a little Crumpler Jackpack. I could fit all three lenses in but, weight issues aside, I was hoping to section off some of the case for my purse etc.

If you're feeling flush you could try the 40mm 2.8 (around £100) - it's tiny...but you lose the low light ability. Still, a lightweight small lens a third of the the size of the 50.

I'd dump the 200mm tho.

Enjoy yourself. As much as I carry LOADS of kit when I go away (too much in most cases) there are certain things I 'take in' rather than photograph.

Some things a camera can't capture and they're better off stored in the grey matter where they take on their own cloudy charm which is a dream to reminisce over.

While over there have you considered buying any equipment? Its definitely cheaper than the UK by a fair margin......

Well then, I'll definitely need to leave some space for a shiny new macro lens.....

Depends on the camera. For my cam's 12800 is what I would call high. With a Canon APSC (crop) cameras 1600 is high imo.

For software, Lightroom 4/5 is great, no need for other software for noise imo.

As Chris said I would take the 50 and 18-55. In new york I would think a good wide angle is crucial to capture the skyscrapers and views etc.

The 18-55 is a little soft so I would look to stop down to F8. If you have any spare cash, I would consider the Tamron 17-50mm as well as the VC version. The VC will help with your shaky hands and will give you the same ability to shoot static subjects in low light as the 50 but more will be in focus. Also you will be able to do some artistic panning with slow shutter speeds on moving subjects like the New York yellow cabs etc.

I would only look to use the 50 for times when a shallow DOF is beneficial like portraits etc.

Or take a look at the Samyang 14mm f2.8. It is relatively cheap and has had some great reviews. I know of some high end togs who have added this to their bag.....OK its manual focus, although worth going in to a camera shop and trying it out on your camera body......

Whatever the ISO is to get a result.......

I have trawled through some old work from when I fist used digital alongside film. The shot below was taken on a Canon 10D which was not a full frame camera. The venue was pretty dark where the bride was coming from. This was taken at 3200ISO and then cleaned up in noiseware. At the time, digital purely supplemented the Hasselblad film cameras and the lens was not the fastest. When converting fully to digital, I opted for prime lenses and a full frame camera.

That said, the results were not too bad considering when I shot this 10 years ago.........

So bottom line is, whatever ISO it takes to get a result......although ALWAYS remember to change back down straight afterwards or else you may ruin some other shots........Many stories of togs upping the ISO in the church and forgetting to change down when they went outside......

Conversely, this was a 3200 ISO shot in a TV studio of a live performance on a full frame sensor camera. Unlike the previous shot, this was hand held.