group shot lens for an s2

what lenses are good lens for doing group shots with 10 people or more, either from nikon or an independent lens manufactuer? Some samples with your oppinions would be nice. I've played with some lenses that some friends of mine have and have mixed reviews, going to try again with a tripod cause it seems the sharpness on the s2 is too good and even at 1/150 some shots seem sharper than others and i dont think its the lens cause it sorta looks like shake but i dunno have to do more tests

I would try to avoid anything too wide as it will 'distort' the people at the edges. I would go for anything in the standard zoom range (28-105 is good) and move around to frame. You also want to keep in mind that you need to use a fairly high f-number to keep everything in focus.

Relm said:

what lenses are good lens for doing group shots with 10 people or
more, either from nikon or an independent lens manufactuer? Some
samples with your oppinions would be nice. I've played with some
lenses that some friends of mine have and have mixed reviews, going
to try again with a tripod cause it seems the sharpness on the s2
is too good and even at 1/150 some shots seem sharper than others
and i dont think its the lens cause it sorta looks like shake but i
dunno have to do more tests

Click to expand...

Tom Allison said:

I would try to avoid anything too wide as it will 'distort' the
people at the edges. I would go for anything in the standard zoom
range (28-105 is good) and move around to frame. You also want to
keep in mind that you need to use a fairly high f-number to keep
everything in focus.

Click to expand...

Doesn't this camera have a multiplie?(1.5 or 1.6 if memory serves me right). If so, I would think at least as wide as 24mm, but probably 20! The multiplier effect and new glass will help diminish the distortion.

Dan Rosen

Any good lens will work. Using a tripod makes for less work because you can pose the group using your tripod and if you have to adjust the pose, the camera will still be in the same position. Since there is a conversion factor on the camera of 1.5, even a 20mm lens will not be that wide. A group of 10 is not that large so a 28-70 will work fine. At the longer end of the lens (70X1.5=105mm) is a good portrait lens for one or two people. Flash fill, reflector or open shade works great for this portrait. If your exposure is dead on, JPEG fine will work great. F8 or better for depth of field.

Steve

Relm said:

what lenses are good lens for doing group shots with 10 people or
more, either from nikon or an independent lens manufactuer? Some
samples with your oppinions would be nice. I've played with some
lenses that some friends of mine have and have mixed reviews, going
to try again with a tripod cause it seems the sharpness on the s2
is too good and even at 1/150 some shots seem sharper than others
and i dont think its the lens cause it sorta looks like shake but i
dunno have to do more tests

Click to expand...

Great advice, yes the s2 has the multiplier, its ruined my 16mm fisheye shots though tear the angle of view is just not the same. my main concern was the distortion with wider lenses cause my tamron 28-300 doesnt go down to 28 on my lens, didn't realize how much that wide angle meant to me. does anyone notice any serious distortion or even light drop off in any of the wider lenses? how bout your thoughts on a group larger than 10 perhaps even a class reunion shot of say 100 people?
and to what did you mean about new glass?
thanks again everyone!

Relm said:

Great advice, yes the s2 has the multiplier, its ruined my 16mm
fisheye shots though tear the angle of view is just not the same.
my main concern was the distortion with wider lenses cause my
tamron 28-300 doesnt go down to 28 on my lens, didn't realize how
much that wide angle meant to me. does anyone notice any serious
distortion or even light drop off in any of the wider lenses? how
bout your thoughts on a group larger than 10 perhaps even a class
reunion shot of say 100 people?
and to what did you mean about new glass?
thanks again everyone!

Click to expand...

Newer lenses have much less distortion than older models of the same width. My old pentax 28mm was really distorted at the edges while my newer Nikons and mamiya 42mm(which is equivalent to about 22mm have little).

I also would go with the widest possible with medium to large groups-they give you a sense of immediacy which "moving back" farther does not allow. I regularly shoot over 200 people on a 16 foot ladder with a 24 mm film lens. Remember, you need a 16mm with your camera to get the same width!

Good luck,

dan

Thanks again dan, my lenses are within 2 years old im just starting out shooting and a photography career, so everythigns within at least 2-3 years cause i bought everything brand new, i hope thats considered a "new" or ill be sad lol

dan rosen said:

Newer lenses have much less distortion than older models of the
same width. My old pentax 28mm was really distorted at the edges
while my newer Nikons and mamiya 42mm(which is equivalent to about
22mm have little).

I also would go with the widest possible with medium to large
groups-they give you a sense of immediacy which "moving back"
farther does not allow. I regularly shoot over 200 people on a 16
foot ladder with a 24 mm film lens. Remember, you need a 16mm with
your camera to get the same width!

Good luck,

dan

Click to expand...