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Got me a used D3100 and ready to start shooting again

R

robvp

Senior member
Hi everyone, I used to do a little bit of shooting a couple of years ago until my old Rebel XTi was stolen along with the beautiful 50 1.4 I had, it stopped me in my tracks and never picked the hobby again.

Last week I got a little D3100 (switching to Nikon, still getting used to the control wheel being on the thumb). Got curious about vintage lenses and wondering what a decent 50 would be for this one, gonna need lots of practice with manual focusing.

My favorite subject was and still is people, gonna see if i can get into portrait photography by doing some shoots with friends and family and the such, what is the veredict on the Yongnuo flashes? A decent flash can run a couple of hundreds and for someone starting up that's quite some cash to drop.
 
For portrait, get the 50mm f1.8g - you're not going to do better for $200 new ( and it'll AF on your body if you care for the trivalities of working AF)

I have a Yongnuo and wireless trigger and for the (very) light work I've done with it, I've been pleased.
 
CuriousMike said:
For portrait, get the 50mm f1.8g - you're not going to do better for $200 new ( and it'll AF on your body if you care for the trivalities of working AF)

I have a Yongnuo and wireless trigger and for the (very) light work I've done with it, I've been pleased.
Click to expand...

I agree with Mike on both counts. I've got the 50 1.8 and for the price you won't do much better. A 50 1.4 can be found for $400 if you look around.

I have three of the yangnuo flashes and for what work I do with them I think they're a good value. Completely manual but I also have the commander and the wireless trigger set, so that helps a bit too.
 
Some of my favorite legacy lenses are the AIS series of lenses from Nikon. Manual focus lenses are fun to use, but challenging. The 50mm 1.4 AIS lens from Nikon is my favorite lens, it's built like a tank and takes beautiful pictures. I wish Nikon has focus peaking similar to Sony mirror-less cameras, but it is another story.
 
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Pocatello said:
Some of my favorite legacy lenses are the AIS series of lenses from Nikon. Manual focus lenses are fun to use, but challenging. The 50mm 1.4 AIS lens from Nikon is my favorite lens, it's built like a tank and takes beautiful pictures. I wish Nikon has focus peaking similar to Sony mirror-less cameras, but it is another story.
Click to expand...

Been researching the older AIS lenses and I'm a bit confused, do these lenses work with the camera's light metering or will I have to go full manual with them?

I'm pretty bad at full manual right now and was hoping to get a decent glass under $100, the $200 1.8g is nice but it's out of my price range.

Right now I'm deciding between the 1.8D and the 1.4 AIS but my ability to use A mode is what will drive the purchase
 
robvp said:
Been researching the older AIS lenses and I'm a bit confused, do these lenses work with the camera's light metering or will I have to go full manual with them?

I'm pretty bad at full manual right now and was hoping to get a decent glass under $100, the $200 1.8g is nice but it's out of my price range.

Right now I'm deciding between the 1.8D and the 1.4 AIS but my ability to use A mode is what will drive the purchase
Click to expand...

The AIS lens should meter with Nikon D7xxx series, Nikon D300, D600, D8xx, essentially, the more expensive models, you still need to focus by hand. The cheaper D3xxx (D3000-D3300) and D5xxx (D5000-D5500) won't meter so everything is manual.

Here is a more comprehensive list from Nikon
https://support.nikonusa.com/app/an...2LzEvdGltZS8xNDQwODAzMjE5L3NpZC9OeU5CRzR2bQ==
 
robvp said:
Hi everyone, I used to do a little bit of shooting a couple of years ago until my old Rebel XTi was stolen along with the beautiful 50 1.4 I had, it stopped me in my tracks and never picked the hobby again.

Last week I got a little D3100 (switching to Nikon, still getting used to the control wheel being on the thumb). Got curious about vintage lenses and wondering what a decent 50 would be for this one, gonna need lots of practice with manual focusing.

My favorite subject was and still is people, gonna see if i can get into portrait photography by doing some shoots with friends and family and the such, what is the veredict on the Yongnuo flashes? A decent flash can run a couple of hundreds and for someone starting up that's quite some cash to drop.
Click to expand...

The 50mm f/1.8G would be excellent. The 50mm f/1.8D will not auto-focus on your camera, and af is a nice thing. The 50mm

If you don't have the 35mm f/1.8G it is a great "normal" prime.

"D" lenses require a motor in the camera. "G" lenses have internal motors. Your camera does not have the in-camera motor and so will not AF with the "D" lenses.
 
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JohnnyRebel said:
The 50mm f/1.8G would be excellent. The 50mm f/1.8D will not auto-focus on your camera, and af is a nice thing. The 50mm

If you don't have the 35mm f/1.8G it is a great "normal" prime.

"D" lenses require a motor in the camera. "G" lenses have internal motors. Your camera does not have the in-camera motor and so will not AF with the "D" lenses.
Click to expand...

The G lenses don't have the aperture ring, some of them don't have auto-focus motor built in. If the lens says AF-S then you're sure it has a built-in auto-focus motor.
 
Lost a couple of ebay auctions and sorted through local markets with no luck but yesterday I went to a stand that I remembered used to sell vintage lenses and found that he had nothing but old laptop chargers, remotes and similar knick knacks, he saw my dissapointed face and asked me what i was looking for, told him i remember he used to sell lenses and he got a little bag from the back and in it he had a canon 50mm and 18-55, some sony lens and a Nikkor 35mm 1.8G which i inquired about.

Aestethically it wasn't perfect, the glass seemed in good shape though so i tested it out and the focusing is fast and good, the motor doesn't make any odd noises or anything and the best part is that he was only asking $800 pesos for it, equivalent to around $50 bucks, so now my prime hunger is quenched.. for now.

Here's a sample shot I took with said glass:
wejvWc4.jpg
 
The 35 1.8g is a perfect prime for your D3100 - you're going to get some outstanding photos with it.

It looks like in the above photo that you shot with flash?
The detail and sharpness is very good - and for $50 !!!
 
CuriousMike said:
The 35 1.8g is a perfect prime for your D3100 - you're going to get some outstanding photos with it.

It looks like in the above photo that you shot with flash?
The detail and sharpness is very good - and for $50 !!!
Click to expand...

Yup, flash, I think i set it to manual at 125, don't quite remember the aperture.

It was a great find for sure, has some dust specs on the inside elements but they haven't shown up in pictures, gonna see if i can get it professionally cleaned, would attempt to do it myself but my hands are getting really clumsy
 
robvp said:
Yup, flash, I think i set it to manual at 125, don't quite remember the aperture.

It was a great find for sure, has some dust specs on the inside elements but they haven't shown up in pictures, gonna see if i can get it professionally cleaned, would attempt to do it myself but my hands are getting really clumsy
Click to expand...

Talking of dust specs, I bought my Nikon 35mm f/1.8 G brand new, and it had a couple of dust specs inside the lens already. Drove me crazy, had to return it for another lens, which also has a single dust spec inside the lens. I've had Nikon lenses which are 40 years old or older which are dust free inside. Dust outside I can clean.
 
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