35mm Lens for Shooting Indoor Family Functions

Sils13

I goofed on my register and registered for the D5100 body only. I went to my local photo shop and told them I was a newbie, just beginning to learn, and he suggested to go with the Tamron 18-200mm lens.

After shooting some family pictures indoors, 10 feet away, with lots of outside lighting, I was kind of disappointed with myself. I realized I have a lot to learn!

I'm also in the budget for another lens and was wondering if a smaller range (35mm) may better for indoor family functions. I'm starting to read the dummies guide for the D5100, so I expect that to help. I'm also shooting more in my free time. Thanks for your time and I hope to hear back!

Moose

Howdy @Sils13 - The Tamron 18-200mm is a lens designed for general outdoor subjects and scenes under bright sunlight. It's not designed to be used indoors or in low-light as a 'hand-held' lens for portraits and family photos. So don't fret! Your issues are related to your lens and not necessarily your settings.

While it may seem like there was plenty of light when shooting indoors, cameras see light very differently. In order to get good results indoors (low-light) you'll need a bright lens, much like the 35mm f/1.8G that you mentioned.

The bright f/1.8 aperture will give you faster shutter speeds and lower ISO's when shooting indoors. This translates to sharper subjects (less motion blur) with less image noise.

I recommend checking out my visual guide and review for the 35mm f/1.8G. It should answer most of your questions about the lens. Hope that all makes sense and happy shooting! :)

Sils13

Thank you @Moose, I really appreciate the feedback! I'm leaning towards getting the 35mm. Thanks again!