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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> Storm season brewing ... need lightning advice.
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02/25/2007 08:11:00 PM · #1
I apologize if this is posted elsewhere, I did check

I will have three lenses soon, and I was wanting to know what would be the best to shoot lightning ...

18-55mm D50 kit lens
70-300mm VR
50mm 1.8

From everything I have gathered, the sharpest lens would seem the best choice. Should I even bother with the 70-300 VR?

On a side note to shooting lightning, is it normal that I find the sharpest results while focusing to infinity NOT with the lens locked all the way. I have to turn it back every so slightly to get the best result. This is on the 18-55mm D50 kit lens.

Thanks for any help!

02/25/2007 08:39:48 PM · #2
Where are you going to find a 70-300 VR?

edit to add...

You probably mean either a 70-300 or the 70-200VR. There is a big difference in the quality of these two lenses.

I would think that you would have a better chance of capturing a lightning shot with a wider angle lens like the 18-55 kit lens unless you have a severe, localized storm to zoom in on. Even then, lightning often strikes miles from the actual storm.

Message edited by author 2007-02-25 20:43:52.
02/25/2007 08:45:40 PM · #3
These two were hand held at about 50mm, f8 and at 3 seconds with a storm on top of me. The lightning acted as a strobe and stopped the action.

These two were with a tripod at about 200mm, at f5.6-6.8 and 20 to 30 seconds. The storm was approx. 8 to 10 miles north of me (I couldn't hear the thunder). The yellow lights were from Colorado Springs lights 30 miles away.

Good luck,

Van

Message edited by author 2007-02-25 20:49:11.
02/25/2007 09:22:35 PM · #4
Yakatme,

I'm not sure what you mean. There is such a thing as the 70-300 VR. It's a pretty new lens. Or did you mean it's in short supply?

Thanks for the shots, Van! Those first two are incredibly sharp, other than some minor tree blurring, but I know that's hard to control ;)

I think I'm gonna try to compose with my 50mm 1.8 and see how it turns out.
02/25/2007 09:50:42 PM · #5
Originally posted by FloydianS/ip:

Yakatme,

I'm not sure what you mean. There is such a thing as the 70-300 VR. It's a pretty new lens. Or did you mean it's in short supply?


Uhhh, yes! Short supply, huh? Yeah, that's what I meant to say.

I guess I'm really behind on the news. I just looked it up on dpreview, and sure enough there it is.

Prior to my post questioning which lens you meant, I looked for that lens here on dpchallenge and I didn't see it listed. I figured that if this lens existed, then surely someone here already has it. Well, it looks like you might be the first. Let us know how it works out for you.

Message edited by author 2007-02-25 21:58:33.
02/25/2007 10:09:17 PM · #6
FloydianS/ip,
My limited experience -

Start with 50mm or wider, and if the lighting becomes centralized, you can switch to a longer lens and zoom into an area. Tripod is a must.

(vtruan - some amazing shots posted! Well done!)

It's a hit and miss game often, but last summer, I had a storm that was off the coast, stalled out. The lightning kept coming from a direction about 15 degrees wide, so I was able to zoom in at about 60mm. These two examples were taken minutes apart, but the lightning seemed to frame the same street lamp! (Strikes twice?)


My techniques on these two samples were to use a tripod, low ISO, 30 second exposures and f/11 and patience!

Good luck to you on your upcoming season.
02/25/2007 10:22:21 PM · #7
Yeah, there are a few people that have it, not many. It's getting really great reviews, and I needed a tele zoom, so it seemed like a good choice.

Cool shot, ralfw! Looks like capturing lightning, while not in a bottle, is going to be pretty tough. I live in tornado alley, so hopefully I'll get plenty of practice.
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