Im trying to take some nice portraits of my kids before our big family reunion next month, but Im on a tight budget, hopefully under $200. I shoot with an older Nikon D5300. Ive been looking online and keep seeing the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G recommended everywhere, but then some threads say 50mm is way too tight indoors on a DX crop sensor and suggest a 35mm instead. But then others say 35mm distorts faces for close-ups. Im also seeing cheap Yongnuo lenses but people say the autofocus is super slow. Im just really stuck. Which of these actually works best for backyard and indoor portraits on a budget?
I learned the hard way with kids. Be careful and:
- Buy a used Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G to save cash
- Make sure to shoot outdoors for enough space
I had major issues with the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 F-mount lens, unfortunately. The slow autofocus makes it useless for kids. The Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G is okay indoors, but the face distortion for close-ups is pretty bad. Honestly, just get the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. Its tight inside, but the image quality is way better. Let me know if you need tips on working with the tight crop!
Over the years shooting with crop sensor cameras, I've run into this exact focal length dilemma more times than I can count. Indoor space and fast-moving kids can make things tricky, and autofocus speed becomes really important. Before making a recommendation, I have a couple of quick questions to understand your setup. How much physical space do you actually have indoors for these shots? Also, are you looking to do tight, traditional headshots, or do you want more environmental, full-body portraits of the kids? That makes a huge difference on DX.
