Nikon 18-200mm lens
The 35mm f/1.8 prime leans is in fact the only one that I own at the moment. Whilst it does a pretty awesome job, I sometimes wish I could own a zoom lens as well, just for the practicality. Whilst the low aperture of the 35mm does wonder for portrait shots/bokeh etc, I find it really challenging to take landscape/scenery pictures with it because of the lack of zoom. I’ve been eyeing at the Nikon 18-200mm lens for a while now because it seems to be the ultimate all-purpose lens out there (you can read a review of this lens at KenRockwell’s website). However, photography, as we all know, is one of the most expensive hobby out there… which is why it is no surprise that the lens alone costs even more than my camera’s body! Oh well, once i land my six-figure pay corporate job and receive my first pay slip, I’ll make sure to get myself this baby hahaha.
3) Use a tripod! This step is perhaps compulsory – unless you manage to find a steady flat surface to support your camera. It is very difficult to hold a DSLR for a long time without shaking it. If you attempt to do so, your pictures might end up looking a bit blurry.
3) There isn’t a fixed measure of ISO or aperture that you should use. It all depends on the way you want your pictures to turn out. However, I usually put my aperture to ~ f/7-8 and try to keep ISO as low as possible. I usually keep it at the smallest value (100) to reduce noise (little blurry dots) on the pictures
a. decrease the exposure time
b. increase the aperture
c. decrease ISO
d. a combination of a,b and c :P
5)You don’t need to use flash. Actually, I’m not sure if flash is of any use unless you’re attempting to create some special effect. Personally,I find that the flash make the colour look weird in my pictures.
That’s all! Whilst these are a couple of guidelines that I have set up based on my experience, I’d suggest you experiment with your own camera to figure out new tricks and methods that would allow you to take better nighttime pictures. I hope that this was somehow helpful :)
Finally! After a long wait, my baby has arrived at my door this morning! You can probably guess what I got myself right? It’s a new Nikon DSLR! This is such a big splurge but I think that It’s all worth it… After all pictures and videos are the easiest way to record your memories, might as well have them in HD Quality! I used to own a Nikon D90 and was familiar with the system so it was an easy choice to pick between Canon and Nikon. I opted for the Nikon D5100 and bought a 35mm f/1.8 lens to go with it. I’ll be looking forward to taking lots of pictures with it :)!
