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      12-15-2011, 11:56 AM   #57
Aries326
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dcstep View Post
Yeah, on your crop sensor the Sigma 10-20mm would be good for scenics.

If you're getting serious, and considering that you've already broken one cheap lens, you might think about moving into the higher end of Nikkor lenses, with less extreme zoom ranges. Something like a 16-85mm and then later an 80-200mm.

Your interest in primes is understandable, given the zooms that you have. Go for higher quality lenses and you'll be making "investments" that you can use on various camera bodies for years to come.

Also, particularly with zooms and super-wide lenses, use the geometric correction modules in Lightroom, DxO and other RAW conversion softwares that correct from geometric distortion, CA, softness, etc. at every focal length and every aperture. This will elevate the sharpness of good zooms up close to the best primes. Really!

If you're not shooting in RAW and you're serious about photography, then you should start. It'll give you an extra stop of dynamic range and seriously increased ability to enhance your images.

Let us know what you decide to buy.

Dave
Thanks for your advice. I was checking out Adorama and it looks like the Nikon 16-85mm is the lens I will be getting next. I looked at the type of photos shot with this lens on Flickr and I was impressed. This is more practical at this time than the Sigma 10-20mm. I can still take great portraits with this lens. With a baby on the way this March, we won't be going away to any beaches anytime soon.

I still have to read up on post-processing. Right now, I am taking shots in RAW but usually, all I do is use the Nikon D3100 RAW preset and other plug-ins for Aperture. I don't know too much about correcting geometric distortions, CA, how much softness I should use in portraits, etc... I still have a lot to learn.

Henry
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