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Question from Melissa: “i have a nikon 3100 and want to take some pictures of my son and for his birthday what is he best lenses to get? also what lenses give the blurry background?”
Colleen: 50mm 1.8….inexpensive and crisp (or the 35mm 1.8 might be better…it will ‘act’ as a 50 since the 3100 isn’t a full frame camera).
Jenni: I don’t shoot Nikon, but photos for of single people aka a child or model, i would recommend a 50 mm fixed lens! 1.4 or 1.8 f stop. I just bought one for my canon and it is amazing! They don’t zoom in or out, but it’s totally worth it for the quality. The wider the fstop, the blurrier your backgrounds will be. 🙂
Bob: Don’t get the fixed length 50 or 35. Your camera won’t autofocus them because it doesn’t have a built in autofocus motor. You’re probably best getting a cheap telephoto like the 55 to 200 zoom.
Heather: I have the 3100 too, i havnt bought any lenses yet
Katrina: http://shop.nikonusa.com/store/nikonusa/en_US/pd/productID.213468400 Only $121 for the 50mm 1.8… I bought this exact lens and love it. I don’t know about the 3100 so you will have to look into it, but at least with my D60 this particular lens does not have an autofocus motor so it’s all manual focusing. $70 more will get you the autofocus no matter what body you have.
Mollie: Blurry background has to do with aperture. You want a camera that can give you a very low aperture and a little telephoto ability, which is what a 50mm is. Go for the 50!
Vanessa: there are auto focus fixed lenses. i got my 50mm 1.8 for like $130 and its all i use now. its great. but honestly, you do have to know how to use the camera to get the effect you want. if youre just going to keep it on auto, it doesnt really matter what lens you get. but if you want the blurry background, with any lens you get, just set the f/stop to the lowest setting. if its a lens that can zoom, set it to the lowest f/stop and then zoom all the way in, that will create a shallow depth of field. and if its a fixed lens, which will have a lower aperture option than other lenses, just set it to the lowest and thats it. make sure though that if youre going to do that, you have a fast enough shutter speed so that your photos arent all over exposed.
Addie: I own a D3100 and love my Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens. It’s a lens created for non-full-frame cameras, like the D3100, so it works well. I use it almost exclusively for portraits, and it creates nice creamy backgrounds, even in low light. Though it is a fixed lens, so if you need zoom, it’s not your guy.
http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-35mm-1-8G-Digital-Cameras/dp/B001S2PPT0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pdT1_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=21B32TKF77CXD&coliid=I5KWG1M5U6WJ4
Pat: I have a 3100 . One thing I’ve learned was that it is imperative that you use an AF-S lens…unfortunately, they seem to be pricier. I have the kit lens and I have a 70-300 mm zoom lens. They both work pretty good, but I miss my 50 mm 1.8 fixed lens I had with my Nikon D50. I can buy an AF-S version of it, but I am contemplating a different one. There’s a 40mm 2.4 fixed lens that is also a macro. It is fairly new and has gotten great reviews. All I’ve read said that the $279.00 asking price is a steal for the quality. I have a AF-S 55-200 mm zoom lens, brand new in the box that I am selling for $160.00
Jen: I love my 18- 105 lens , I use it for everything ! was about $450 when I got it about 2 months ago 🙂
Tabitha: I also have a 35mm 1.8
Jenn: I just took pics of my son this afternoon for his 3rd bday…used the 50mm 1.8.
Kimberly: a 35mm is a great 1st prime lens! Then move up to a 50mm when you can afford it and then 85mm!
Denise: the Depth Of Field is what gives the ‘blurry background’ also known as ‘BOKET”. I use 70-and I just chose my focal points carefully. I have my subject at least a foot in front of my background. The background will be more blurry if its further behind your subject.
Kimberly: HOnestly, the lens its self doesn’t give the “blurry” background. It’s called bokeh. Look it up and study it 🙂
Kimberly: OH i forgot to put. Buy AF0-S lenses. Tweedle Dee Photographee I use a 35mm alot. So don’t let people steer you away from what you want to do. 🙂
Melissa: Thanks everyone
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