Northern Lights Trip

space2ground1

I'm off to Norway in the new year to see the northern lights and to do some dog sledding. The D7000 will be coming with me and I'm hoping to bring home a lot of photos! At the moment I'm using an AF-S DX Nikkor 35 mm f/1.8 G lens all the time. I have a 55-200 that I rarely use.

I'd love to get a new lens that would give me a wider angle but a little bit of versatility to take some good pics of the dogs & gear etc. The budget isn't great, around €400 or so.

Would this fit the bill? Tamron 17-50

Or maybe this Sigma? Sigma 17-50mm

I wouldn't mind getting a second hand lens if it was well looked after either.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Pat Dunne

I been using the Tamron for almost 2 years and its a great step up from the Canon 18/55 kit lens.

The constant f2.8 is a great bonus in poor light. Auto focus is excellent and it has VR vibration reduction which is Tamron's version of image stabiliser. Overall I very pleased with it.

If your budget is tight you could look here http://www.eglobalcentral.eu/tamron-sp-af-17-50mm-f-2.8-xr-di-ii-ld-lenses-canon-mount-a16e-en.html

I also use a Tamron 10-24mm for extra wide shots, hasn't been off my camera in weeks.
http://www.eglobalcentral.eu/tamron-sp-af-10-24mm-f-3.5-4.5-di-ii-ld-aspherical-if-lenses-canon-mount-en.html

All the best and enjoy Norway.

space2ground1

Thanks a lot! I've never seen that website before. Have you good experience of it yourself?

Silva360

I can't recommend a lens for you, but there are some great tips in this article...


http://nikonrumors.com/2015/12/19/northern-lights-chasing-in-iceland-with-the-nikon-d810.aspx/#more-100123

space2ground1

I think I'm going to go with this one. It's on special until Monday and I can't see it cheaper anywhere else.

Tamron 17-50mm

Pat Dunne

space2ground1 wrote: »

Thanks a lot! I've never seen that website before. Have you good experience of it yourself?

Have a look here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057154505
Reviews are very positive.

Going to pull the trigger with them on a Conon 70-200L 2.8 IS II, come the New Year

Iancar29

I use a Samyang/Ronikon 14mm 2.8 . Its a great, affordable lens for landscape.

space2ground1

Iancar29 wrote: »

I use a Samyang/Ronikon 14mm 2.8 . Its a great, affordable lens for landscape.

Cheers for the tip. I could do with having one lens that will do an acceptable job on the low light landscapes along with the usual stuff with enough DOF. Hopefully that Tamron will do the trick.

adox

space2ground1 wrote: »

Cheers for the tip. I could do with having one lens that will do an acceptable job on the low light landscapes along with the usual stuff with enough DOF. Hopefully that Tamron will do the trick.

I have the Tamron, use it a lot for landscapes and as a general lense and I find it great.

Got it from eglobal for around €250.

Homer

Bring a good quality tripod. I was in Tromso last January and there is only a couple of hours of daylight a day if you are lucky so very limited opportunity for handheld daylight shots! Have a ball and hope you get to the see a light show, we did and it was amazing.

space2ground1

My trusty tripod came from Aldi a few years ago. It does the trick very well. I've blown a lot of funds on the trip and now the lens so beyond bringing a rucksack of super noodles with me I better calm the spending now 😄 lol

Homer wrote: »

Bring a good quality tripod. I was in Tromso last January and there is only a couple of hours of daylight a day if you are lucky so very limited opportunity for handheld daylight shots! Have a ball and hope you get to the see a light show, we did and it was amazing.

Pat Dunne

space2ground1 wrote: »

I've blown a lot of funds on the trip and now the lens so beyond bringing a rucksack of super noodles with me I better calm the spending now 😄 lol

Was in Norway a little over 2 years ago (Oslo and Longyearbyen)and it is savage expensive there. Cup of coffee was in or around €6, a pint was €11 in Oslo and €8 in Longyearbyen, so be prepared!

But I'll guarantee you'll have a memorable time for all the right reasons.

kc56

If you want to photograph the Aurora, I'd suggest a very wide angle lens like the Sigma 10-20mm or similar. The 17-50 is very similar to the 18-55mm kit lens though it may be of better quality. The D7000 is a crop sensor so 10mm is quite desirable for Aurora.

Long exposures (10-30 secs) at high ISO (800-3200) are the norm unless the Aurora is very intense.

pwllor

I was using this Sigma with my dx. It's great glass and delivers very high quality images. As I switched to full frame it is for sale in pristine condition.

Co. Waterford.