Lens question for new, expecting, or veteran dad/mom photogs

Hi all,

My wife and I are expecting our first child in a couple of months - a little girl. I have some mad money set aside to pick up a couple of new lenses to document our new addition, and this is outside my normal shooting so I'm looking for a bit of advice from those who have been down this path before.

Presently I have flashes, full frame and crop cameras, and slow wide and telephoto zooms. What I'm looking to add are a couple of fast lenses for low light and indoor use, and lenses more geared towards infant/toddler portraits.

What lenses and focal lengths have you found most appropriate? I've been toying with adding a couple primes in the 35/50/85/135 range (could use some advice here) but m also wondering how useful a standard 24-70 zoom would be?

If I'm completely truthful I've had the 35/135 combo in my head for a long time, but I worry that 35mm may be too wide, and that the gap might be too much. Paralysis by analysis.

Dorman wrote in post #13122813
Hi all,

My wife and I are expecting our first child in a couple of months - a little girl. I have some mad money set aside to pick up a couple of new lenses to document our new addition, and this is outside my normal shooting so I'm looking for a bit of advice from those who have been down this path before.

Presently I have flashes, full frame and crop cameras, and slow wide and telephoto zooms. What I'm looking to add are a couple of fast lenses for low light and indoor use, and lenses more geared towards infant/toddler portraits.

What lenses and focal lengths have you found most appropriate? I've been toying with adding a couple primes in the 35/50/85/135 range (could use some advice here) but m also wondering how useful a standard 24-70 zoom would be?

If I'm completely truthful I've had the 35/135 combo in my head for a long time, but I worry that 35mm may be too wide, and that the gap might be too much. Paralysis by analysis.

Dorman -- congratulations on your first child !

ed

My advice, save your mad-money for after the kid comes. Use what you already have, bounce the flashes. Your wife will appreciate your thoughtfulness. Buy your wife and kid something nice... Congratulations.

Thanks Ed and Wayne, we are certainly excited.

I will add that the funds are not an issue and baby and mama will be comfortable and well taken care of outside this purchase and Capturing the memories is a priority for both of us.

Cheers!

Congratulations! There is nothing better.

I second the suggestion of bounce flash. I would add a bounce card, like a Demb flip-it, to get a little direct light on the face. This setup allows you to get decent lighting any time indoors. It also allows you to shoot around f/4 or so, which gives you a lot more room for error in focusing when a kid is moving.

I do most of my candids indoors, with a crop, in the range of 45-75mm. It would be 1.6 times that with full frame, of course.

Have fun!

My first is now 8 months old and my go to lens for him on my crop so far has been my 100mm. The macro capability is really useful on such a small subject plus it is tack sharp for portraits and decent in low light. I have a 50mm as well that I really don't find useful at all for someone his age. Once they are mobile it comes in handy tho and so does the 70-200 when outside. It is easiest to keep up with that type of action from a distance.

Oh, and congratulations!

For my 10 month old daughter, it's been the 7D with a 35L for indoors, and adding a 70-200 mkII for outdoor stuff. Perfect for us, especially when you want those shots of them sleeping with no flash and limited lighting. My wife has a T1i with a 17-50 non-vc which she loves as well.

Congrats on the kid! Mine will be two soon and I've made sure to get as many pictures of her as she grows everyday. Using flash (Indoors) is going to be huge since you won't be taking your kid outside much at first. Honestly I find that my 50 1.4 is on alot of the times when I'm getting pictures of my little girl. The framing is great close ups and full body shots and the fast focusing helps alot because once your kid starts to walk it can be a task because they tend to keep moving NONE STOP lol. The good thing about the 50 1.4 is you won't have to stand too far away to get your shots..... I don't use the 70-200 much because it requires me to be pretty far from my kid and I like to be near to help my wife in case she runs around, safety first right lol.

Another thing to consider is weight, it's pretty easy to use a 50 1.4 while holding other random items needed to have with you for your kid. Congrats again!

-Chris


Oh and get ready for the 3ft rule...... might as well start moving things not, also babies/toddlers seem to love camera bags.... Some thing about all of the random objects and all the things that can be opened that really appeal to them = )

Dorman, I have a 3.5 year old.
there was a thread on dpreivew, about documenting your family with fast wide primes, and I am a believer in that. I took a lot of portrait style pictures when my daughter was born, but am actually trying to use wide more often.
I am not crazy about 135L. one of very few people, I know. I have owned along side 70-200 2.8 is I, and preferred the zoom. the lens is too long of indoor shots usually.
I was primarily using a tamron 28-75, which I loved b/c of its close focusing distance, and very good image quality, and price. eventually upgraded to a 28-70L, for its more confident focusing in low light, and color an contrast. I think 24-70 makes and excellent lens, along a 35 1.4. you can also go 35 1.4, 100 IS L macro, for those cute close up shots., or 85 1.8 to save some money, or the sigma 85 1.4, canon 85 1.2II if your budget allows. though if your budget allows the 85 1.2, I would buy a 70-200 2.8 IS first, version 1 or 2, over 85 1.2II, and I have owned all 3 lenses.
also keep in mind that your wife will be taking many of the pictures, so a 2.8 zoom (tamron 28-75, canon 24-70) might be easier for her to use.
Congrats on the baby. It was the happiest day of my life. your life and outlook on the world will for ever change.

I use a crop and the 35f2 gets lots of use. It also gets pretty good close shots for hands and feet. I also have the 50f1.4 and 85f1.8. The 50 mm focal length would be perfect on full frame, with 35 fine on a crop for newborns. The field of view of the 85 can be useful later, especially outside or for school performances. I am not a fan of flash, and so fast primes get my vote.

There are times during the day when you can shoot at f2.8 or slower, but this depends on lighting in your house. I should point out that f2 is always good for kids, since it gives you more depth of field than f1.4. I use my 50f1.4 at f1.8 to increase depth of field.
On full frame, the 85 will get more use than on my T2i, but the issue is that you always need enough shutter speed for babies. They move and get excited. I like to use 1/60 or 1/80 with the 35f2, and I can get by with 1/80 with the 50, but this is pushing it.
If you want an excuse to spend more money, the 35f1.4 is a great lens, and better at f2 than the 35f2 wide open. I happen to like having one crop camera body set up with the 35f2 and another crop body with the 50f1.4. I can grab a camera with the preferred lens for the situation - quickly to get those special moments.

I usually use my 24-70, 50 1.4, or 85 1.8 and off camera flash (580EX II + 1 or 2 430EXs) when I'm at home. In the hospital I just used bounce flash and it worked fine with the same lenses I already listed. Have fun and Congrats!

Congrats

I shoot with a 7D. When our first was born (just over 9mth ago) I mostly used a Tamron 28-75. I bounce the flash quite a bit, and the results were great. Maybe not award winning, but that's only because of my creativity and not the gear. The only thing that I did find was that occasionally I'd like something a bit faster, but not so much for low light - more for subject isolation.

I have since bought a Sigma 30 F/1.4 and Canon 85 F/1.8. Both have been excellent purchases IMO. I use the Sigma 30 when lying down in front of our son while he is playing with toys, and now that he is standing against furniture a lot I get full-body shots of those moments. The large aperture helps me get rid of the nasty backgrounds which, as things happen with a child, you don't always get to choose when special moments occur and what is behind them.

The 85mm I use both for tighter portraits as well as full length shots for extreme subject isolation. I also have used my Sigma 150 for this a bit, but it's a touch too long in most situations (though when it is appropriate the results are stunning).

If I'd done it all again I'd have purchased the 30 and 85 before he was born. The Tamron 28-75 still would have gotten some use though as the MFD is VERY handy for hand/foot shots etc. Now that our boy is getting more mobile I'm guessing that the Sigma 150 will get a bit more use outdoors and I'll probably start to wish that I had a longer zoom (I currently have primes at 150 and 400, nothing in between).

Practice your flash bouncing, and practice it in your home where you'll be shooting at various angles. It will remove the time it takes to think about which wall to bounce it off etc.

Oh just you wait lol. I see alot of new parents here and I'll tell ya once those kids start moving theres no stopping them = )

Thanks for the input all. I'm thinking a standard zoom and wide-to-mid prime might fit the bill. I've owned a number of these lenses in the past (far too many to list!) but had different applications than the uncharted waters I'm heading into.

Great tips about traveling light and something that my better half would be comfortable wielding as well. When it comes to babies / primes do you find yourselves favoring a wider perspective such as 24mm or 35mm, or something more standard such as 50mm?

Appreciate all the congrats, very excited for her arrival!

Dorman wrote in post #13126828
Thanks for the input all. I'm thinking a standard zoom and wide-to-mid prime might fit the bill. I've owned a number of these lenses in the past (far too many to list!) but had different applications than the uncharted waters I'm heading into.

Great tips about traveling light and something that my better half would be comfortable wielding as well. When it comes to babies / primes do you find yourselves favoring a wider perspective such as 24mm or 35mm, or something more standard such as 50mm?

Appreciate all the congrats, very excited for her arrival!

here is the thread about wide primes with links and examples
http://forums.dpreview​.com …rum=1029&messag​e=38762824