Thank you for advice about wife camera, now, which lens(es)?;)

solamnus · Jun 15, 2015

So i got some good advice from this forum as usual and this time about camera choise for my wife that would comple(i)ment my gear

And in the end i think most suggested the Nikon d5500 which i also after reading up on it thought was an excellent choise. However i have never used a DX camera and only have FF lenses. How will that work, I know the DX crops etc, but will she be able to get the same IQ out of my lenses and what are your suggestions if any new DX lenses. I dont wanna buy her some crappy kit lens, but rather use my lenses and mabe buy something equivalent to the FF lens like the 50mm 1,4 or such that i know are quite cheap but still gies good IQ.

All suggestions are welcome

/Martin.

Dyun27 · Jun 15, 2015

FX lenses work with DX just fine, however, the D5500 does not have a built-in AF motor, so she'll only be able to autofocus with AF-S lenses. Some of the older lenses which are not AF-S, she'll only be able to use them in manual mode. No biggie, since most of the newer FX lenses are AF-S anyway.

P.S. The 50mm f/1.4G works nicely with DX and FX, but will appear longer on the D5500, giving a near equivalent to 85mm. Great for portraits, but if she plans to just walk around and take photos of scenery or buildings, it will not be wide enough on her camera.

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpivkova/

PHXAZCRAIG · Jun 15, 2015

If your wife is like mine, she couldn't care less about some test result that shows one lens a bit sharper than another. She'll care about convenience (focal range) and weight.

Except for the weight, my wife loved the 18-200. Now she loves the s95 point-n-shoot, until conditions get challenging.

I'd suggest taking her to a store and having her hold a D5500 and 18-200vr. If she thinks that's not too heavy, you're done. Keep images to 8x10 or so, and nobody should have complaints.

My wife's typical comment when processing pics from a vacation: 'delete the blurries'. She's not wrapped up in what didn't come out (mostly), and just enjoys taking the image, and then enjoying the ones that 'came out' later.

And while we 'photographers' love to play with shallow depth of field from fast lenses, she hates that. One reason she tends to like shooting her point-n-shoot more than a DSLR.

T O Shooter · Jun 15, 2015

solamnus said:
So i got some good advice from this forum as usual and this time about camera choise for my wife that would comple(i)ment my gear And in the end i think most suggested the Nikon d5500 which i also after reading up on it thought was an excellent choise. However i have never used a DX camera and only have FF lenses. How will that work, I know the DX crops etc, but will she be able to get the same IQ out of my lenses and what are your suggestions if any new DX lenses. I dont wanna buy her some crappy kit lens, but rather use my lenses and mabe buy something equivalent to the FF lens like the 50mm 1,4 or such that i know are quite cheap but still gies good IQ.

All suggestions are welcome

/Martin.

If you only have Fx lenses than I would suggest you re-think you decision to buy a D5500 or anything else DX, and at the very least look at a D600. Big difference if you already had some Dx lenses, but doesn't make sense to me when you're already invested in FF glass.

solamnus · Jun 15, 2015

T O Shooter said:
solamnus said:

So i got some good advice from this forum as usual and this time about camera choise for my wife that would comple(i)ment my gear And in the end i think most suggested the Nikon d5500 which i also after reading up on it thought was an excellent choise. However i have never used a DX camera and only have FF lenses. How will that work, I know the DX crops etc, but will she be able to get the same IQ out of my lenses and what are your suggestions if any new DX lenses. I dont wanna buy her some crappy kit lens, but rather use my lenses and mabe buy something equivalent to the FF lens like the 50mm 1,4 or such that i know are quite cheap but still gies good IQ.

All suggestions are welcome

/Martin.

Click to expand...

If you only have Fx lenses than I would suggest you re-think you decision to buy a D5500 or anything else DX, and at the very least look at a D600. Big difference if you already had some Dx lenses, but doesn't make sense to me when you're already invested in FF glass.

T O Shooter · Jun 15, 2015

solamnus said:
T O Shooter said:

solamnus said:

So i got some good advice from this forum as usual and this time about camera choise for my wife that would comple(i)ment my gear And in the end i think most suggested the Nikon d5500 which i also after reading up on it thought was an excellent choise. However i have never used a DX camera and only have FF lenses. How will that work, I know the DX crops etc, but will she be able to get the same IQ out of my lenses and what are your suggestions if any new DX lenses. I dont wanna buy her some crappy kit lens, but rather use my lenses and mabe buy something equivalent to the FF lens like the 50mm 1,4 or such that i know are quite cheap but still gies good IQ.

All suggestions are welcome

/Martin.

Click to expand...

If you only have Fx lenses than I would suggest you re-think you decision to buy a D5500 or anything else DX, and at the very least look at a D600. Big difference if you already had some Dx lenses, but doesn't make sense to me when you're already invested in FF glass.

Click to expand...

Digital Shutterbug · Jun 15, 2015

solamnus said:
T O Shooter said:

solamnus said:

So i got some good advice from this forum as usual and this time about camera choise for my wife that would comple(i)ment my gear And in the end i think most suggested the Nikon d5500 which i also after reading up on it thought was an excellent choise. However i have never used a DX camera and only have FF lenses. How will that work, I know the DX crops etc, but will she be able to get the same IQ out of my lenses and what are your suggestions if any new DX lenses. I dont wanna buy her some crappy kit lens, but rather use my lenses and mabe buy something equivalent to the FF lens like the 50mm 1,4 or such that i know are quite cheap but still gies good IQ.

All suggestions are welcome

/Martin.

Click to expand...

If you only have Fx lenses than I would suggest you re-think you decision to buy a D5500 or anything else DX, and at the very least look at a D600. Big difference if you already had some Dx lenses, but doesn't make sense to me when you're already invested in FF glass.

Click to expand...

George Payne Jr · Jun 15, 2015

After looking at your other thread, I don't think the D5500 will compliment your cameras in the least. I would suggest the D750. My wife uses one and has no issues with the size of it, and she actually prefers the vertical grip on it. There's no sense in starting a line of DX lenses when you already have FX. The D750 is an incredible camera and will suit her well!

AM4L · Jun 15, 2015

get her a D750.. you'll likely never look back or regret it.

emem · Jun 15, 2015

solamnus said:
So i got some good advice from this forum as usual and this time about camera choise for my wife that would comple(i)ment my gear And in the end i think most suggested the Nikon d5500 which i also after reading up on it thought was an excellent choise. However i have never used a DX camera and only have FF lenses. How will that work, I know the DX crops etc, but will she be able to get the same IQ out of my lenses and what are your suggestions if any new DX lenses. I dont wanna buy her some crappy kit lens, but rather use my lenses and mabe buy something equivalent to the FF lens like the 50mm 1,4 or such that i know are quite cheap but still gies good IQ.

At the risk of ticking off all of you D700 owners, step up to the D750 and give the D700 to your wife :-D

But seriously, using FX lenses on a DX body is a real compromise. The image quality will be fine but the focal lengths are all multiplied by 1.5 - Unless you're prepared to buy some DX specific glass - and as others have pointed out, the D5500 doesn't have an internal motor to focus lenses.

solamnus · Jun 15, 2015

emem said:
solamnus said:

So i got some good advice from this forum as usual and this time about camera choise for my wife that would comple(i)ment my gear And in the end i think most suggested the Nikon d5500 which i also after reading up on it thought was an excellent choise. However i have never used a DX camera and only have FF lenses. How will that work, I know the DX crops etc, but will she be able to get the same IQ out of my lenses and what are your suggestions if any new DX lenses. I dont wanna buy her some crappy kit lens, but rather use my lenses and mabe buy something equivalent to the FF lens like the 50mm 1,4 or such that i know are quite cheap but still gies good IQ.

Click to expand...

At the risk of ticking off all of you D700 owners, step up to the D750 and give the D700 to your wife :-D

But seriously, using FX lenses on a DX body is a real compromise. The image quality will be fine but the focal lengths are all multiplied by 1.5 - Unless you're prepared to buy some DX specific glass - and as others have pointed out, the D5500 doesn't have an internal motor to focus lenses.

RightLight · Jun 15, 2015

Nikkor 16-85 is an excellent go around lens. It fits nicely with 70-300 VR in range if she needs longer reach. It's the best lens for that longer reach at the price. You may already know that 70-300 also works on FX. I believe there is $200 off in the later if you bundle up with D5500 - a super cool deal it its still there.

If she needs faster and better, Sigma 18-35/1.8 is superb on the wide to normal range. Just check the image samples available on internet. Nikon 85/1.8 G works great in both FX and DX for portraits, but does not focus close. 50 mm/1.8 or 1.4 G does (I like better on DX) but bokeh is not great as 85 mm.

Edit: Sorry, the $200 off is for US only I believe.

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/23155184@N07/

jkjond · Jun 15, 2015

What's the rush?

The problem with the nice light 5500 is that you are now saying you want to put big heavy lenses on it, which will negate any weight saving. If she's going to be happy with f4 lenses, then that should work out OK, but f2.8 lenses are seriously heavy.

I'd see how she gets on with your current cameras and lenses to see what she prefers and what she is prepared to carry before splurging on something new. If the X-T1 isn't getting used, send it to me, I can't see any feature of it that is not to like.

If doing it professionally, then yeah, get the biggest and the best plus a wheelbarrow, but I don't understand anyone buying big cameras and lenses to carry around for the fun of it.

JJ10 · Jun 15, 2015

I have my doubts about the D5500. It is a fine little camera and the image quality is good but if you have good quality FF glass it may not work too well on the D5500. The camera only auto focuses with AF-S lens and it does not have AF fine tuning.

I have a big selection of FF glass along with D750 & D700 and found most of it was not sharp on my D5100 or D530 (both models before the D5500) and I could not fine tune them. Very frustrating. I still have my D5300 but I got the Nikon 40mm f2.8 macro lens and keep that on the camera to get decent shots from a light weight walkaround rig. It does great portrait shots of my grandkids etc too.

I don't have a problem with the weight of my gear using the D750 and I am a 73 year old female. I would take your wife into a store and get her to handle the D750 and even the D7200 with lens in the range she likes and take it from there.

KnightPhoto2 · Jun 15, 2015

PHXAZCRAIG said:
If your wife is like mine, she couldn't care less about some test result that shows one lens a bit sharper than another. She'll care about convenience (focal range) and weight.

Except for the weight, my wife loved the 18-200. Now she loves the s95 point-n-shoot, until conditions get challenging.

I'd suggest taking her to a store and having her hold a D5500 and 18-200vr. If she thinks that's not too heavy, you're done. Keep images to 8x10 or so, and nobody should have complaints.

My wife's typical comment when processing pics from a vacation: 'delete the blurries'. She's not wrapped up in what didn't come out (mostly), and just enjoys taking the image, and then enjoying the ones that 'came out' later.

And while we 'photographers' love to play with shallow depth of field from fast lenses, she hates that. One reason she tends to like shooting her point-n-shoot more than a DSLR.

solamnus · Jun 15, 2015

jkjond said:
What's the rush?

The problem with the nice light 5500 is that you are now saying you want to put big heavy lenses on it, which will negate any weight saving. If she's going to be happy with f4 lenses, then that should work out OK, but f2.8 lenses are seriously heavy.

I'd see how she gets on with your current cameras and lenses to see what she prefers and what she is prepared to carry before splurging on something new. If the X-T1 isn't getting used, send it to me, I can't see any feature of it that is not to like.

If doing it professionally, then yeah, get the biggest and the best plus a wheelbarrow, but I don't understand anyone buying big cameras and lenses to carry around for the fun of it.

solamnus · Jun 16, 2015

JJ10 said:
I have my doubts about the D5500. It is a fine little camera and the image quality is good but if you have good quality FF glass it may not work too well on the D5500. The camera only auto focuses with AF-S lens and it does not have AF fine tuning.

I have a big selection of FF glass along with D750 & D700 and found most of it was not sharp on my D5100 or D530 (both models before the D5500) and I could not fine tune them. Very frustrating. I still have my D5300 but I got the Nikon 40mm f2.8 macro lens and keep that on the camera to get decent shots from a light weight walkaround rig. It does great portrait shots of my grandkids etc too.

I don't have a problem with the weight of my gear using the D750 and I am a 73 year old female. I would take your wife into a store and get her to handle the D750 and even the D7200 with lens in the range she likes and take it from there.

Great input thank you for that

I have decided after several females now have given me advice about taking her to the store, do that and let her get a sense of what might be a good fit for her. Its the best way to start at least and we will go from there.

She is a small woman, so i have my doubts that she will drag around the d700 with my 24-70 for a day without getting some real shoulder pains or backpains. I use my d700 less and less for that reason even though i can handle it for a day or two, but i never take it to a longer vacation etc, then i grab my x-t1 or the df with lighter lenses.

However you put me to shame saying you have no problems with it hehe. So maybe my wife can as well

We will see. Thanks for your advice!

/martin.

solamnus · Jun 16, 2015

Digital Shutterbug said:
solamnus said:

T O Shooter said:

solamnus said:

So i got some good advice from this forum as usual and this time about camera choise for my wife that would comple(i)ment my gear And in the end i think most suggested the Nikon d5500 which i also after reading up on it thought was an excellent choise. However i have never used a DX camera and only have FF lenses. How will that work, I know the DX crops etc, but will she be able to get the same IQ out of my lenses and what are your suggestions if any new DX lenses. I dont wanna buy her some crappy kit lens, but rather use my lenses and mabe buy something equivalent to the FF lens like the 50mm 1,4 or such that i know are quite cheap but still gies good IQ.

All suggestions are welcome

/Martin.

Click to expand...

If you only have Fx lenses than I would suggest you re-think you decision to buy a D5500 or anything else DX, and at the very least look at a D600. Big difference if you already had some Dx lenses, but doesn't make sense to me when you're already invested in FF glass.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Digital Shutterbug · Jun 16, 2015

solamnus said:
Digital Shutterbug said:

solamnus said:

T O Shooter said:

solamnus said:

So i got some good advice from this forum as usual and this time about camera choise for my wife that would comple(i)ment my gear And in the end i think most suggested the Nikon d5500 which i also after reading up on it thought was an excellent choise. However i have never used a DX camera and only have FF lenses. How will that work, I know the DX crops etc, but will she be able to get the same IQ out of my lenses and what are your suggestions if any new DX lenses. I dont wanna buy her some crappy kit lens, but rather use my lenses and mabe buy something equivalent to the FF lens like the 50mm 1,4 or such that i know are quite cheap but still gies good IQ.

All suggestions are welcome

/Martin.

Click to expand...

If you only have Fx lenses than I would suggest you re-think you decision to buy a D5500 or anything else DX, and at the very least look at a D600. Big difference if you already had some Dx lenses, but doesn't make sense to me when you're already invested in FF glass.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

solamnus · Jun 16, 2015

solamnus said:
So i got some good advice from this forum as usual and this time about camera choise for my wife that would comple(i)ment my gear And in the end i think most suggested the Nikon d5500 which i also after reading up on it thought was an excellent choise. However i have never used a DX camera and only have FF lenses. How will that work, I know the DX crops etc, but will she be able to get the same IQ out of my lenses and what are your suggestions if any new DX lenses. I dont wanna buy her some crappy kit lens, but rather use my lenses and mabe buy something equivalent to the FF lens like the 50mm 1,4 or such that i know are quite cheap but still gies good IQ.

All suggestions are welcome

/Martin.

Thank you for advice about wife camera, now, which lens(es)?;)

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