Lenses for Child\baby photography

[Jeni Williams]

My daughter has a Nikon D200 body and needs to buy a lens that is suitable for child\baby photography.
Please could the togs advise which lenses would be suitable?:confused:
Thanks in advance!:)

[Alfred Forns]

Jeni I would get a zoom with a good range for versatility. Starting with a wide opening is important, extreme wide angles will look good, with lens selection being more a factor of price.

Besides the lens I would have a high quality point and shoot with the zoom starting at (at least) 28mm !!! Will grab shots nothing else will !!!

[Jeni Williams]

thanks Al, are you thinking of a 70 - 200mm f2.8?

[Ian McHenry]

Hi Jeni
I second Al's suggestion about a point and shoot.
Although the Canon S2IS is less than ideal for bird photography, if set on automatic I have found it ideal for family pictures.
Cheers: Ian Mc

[Alan Melle]

For general baby/child photography I would recommend starting with a standard zoom start in the 18 to 24mm range at the short end to 70-120mm at the long end. The 18-200 would also be a candidate. My choice would be the 24-70 AF-S, although it is a little pricey.

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Jeni For a 70-200 I would go for the f 4.0 IS not the 2.8

Ideally you want wide. The 18-200 Alan mentions is a versatile lens. Would just choose something that will be available and handy.. never know when it will be needed !!!

[Scott Grant]

Alfred, Jeni is shooting a D200. there is no 70-200 f4, that i know of, available for Nikon mount.

i have two lenses in my collection that i find myself returning to when i want to take photos of my child. those two lenses are the 35mm f2 af-d nikkor and the 85mm f1.8 af-d nikkor. also, both are very lightweight, reasonably priced and i consider both to be gems! i noticed a bit of CA with both, but Capture NX2 takes care of that very well.

the 35mm offers me normal perspective while the 85 offers the opportunity for great portraits. and both offer wide apertures for shooting without flash, if need be.

here's an example from the 85mm shot with natural light from a north facing window.



and another of my niece with the 35mm f2 nikkor


hope this helps your daughter!

all the best! :)

[Don Kates]

I agree with Scott. I disagree about wide angles for portrait photos. For portrait use the wide angles tend to distort too much. My wife's child portrait studio uses 85mm, 50mm, 35mm, and 70-200 f2.8

[Jeni Williams]

Thanks so much ,appreciate the advice. Scott, those baby pics make me want to "Aaaaaah!!" Can't wait for my daughter to produce next year - all going well!!!:D

[Scott Grant]

thanks Jeni! i'm sure your daughter will fare very well!

all the best!

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Scott Your right .. forgot I was shooting Canon now :) Agree with your lens selection

I was thinking having a camera accessible all the time will make the best images? Would also have a G10 by my side !!!

[Tony Whitehead]

For portraits I love my 70-200 2.8 but there is no way of getting away from it's size and weight. What I find very nice on D200/D300 is a 50mm 1.8D which is cheap and bright and light and gives an equivalent 75mm 1.8. New babies are not too mobile so you can easily zoom with your feet:D

[Scott Grant]

i love my 70-200 for portraits also Tony! agreed about the 50mm. it makes another fine option for shooting children!

here's another of my daughter with the 85mm f1.8 AF-D nikkor...finished with Capture NX2.

[Ryan Marshik]

Jeni,

As Tony suggested, consider the nikon 50mm 1.8 or the Sigma 1.4 . A 50mm lens on a D200 is a fantastic focal length for portraits. They are super fast lenses keeping the pop up flash from doing its usual harm. They also allow the super shallow depth of field I really enjoy in portraits. In my opinion the 50mm in either speed (1.4 -1.8) can't be beat in terms of price to performance. Having a versatile zoom is great, but unless its a 24-70 or a 70-200, keep it in the bag for portraits. I would disagree with the wide angle recommendations for portraiture. It can be a creative choice, but anything wider than a 35 is less than ideal in my opinion. The Sigma is relatively new but reviews would suggest its better wide open than the nikon.
Be well
Ryan

[Jeni Williams]

Thanks so much for all the advice! As she's discovered she's expecting twins I think she'll want to save a bit now so will have to wait for the 70-200 f/2.8. I've suggested she start with the 18 - 200mm for general and the basic 50mm f/1.8 for low light. Thanks again - much appreciated.