Cheat cards for 55-200mm lens

bucsheat

I was wondering if you have cheat cards for the D3200 with a 55-200mm lens. My daughter is in gymnastics and I was told this lens was good for the distance .

ohyeahar

I’ve written about the limitations of this lens elsewhere on this forum before. I’ll highlight them again here so you can manage your expectations.

I’d imagine that when you photograph your daughter’s gymnastics routine, you would like to have shots of her in motion. This means you’ll need to use a relatively fast shutter speed like 1/500 or 1/1000; otherwise, she’d just look like a blur.

If the performance is outdoors in daylight, then you’re in luck. Just set your shutter to 1/500 or 1/1000 and shoot away. You just have to worry about nailing the focus.

If the performance is indoors (more likely), you may be in trouble. There may simply not be enough light and even if you max out your ISO, you may not be able to hit those shutter speeds without underexposing. If that’s the case, lower your shutter speed until your ISO becomes manageable. Then just try to capture posed shots or the stick-the-landing shots.

bucsheat

Thank you for the info.

Moose

Hey @bucsheat - The cheat cards for the D3200 and 55-200mm lens will be out soon. @ohyeahar offered up some great advice. In order to capture fast action in low light, you'll need a bright/fast lens. Something like the 70-200mm f/2.8. This keeps noise levels down, while increasing shutter speeds to ensure sharper images of fast moving subjects in low light. All the best!

bucsheat

Moose, thank you for the info. I'm going to wait on cards for the 55-200mm lens. Should I stick with Nikon flashes for my D3200?

Moose

Hey @bucsheat - Nikon flashes are the way to go in my opinion. I have some friends and family that use third party options, but most of them aren't overjoyed with their decision. For beginners, TTL metering is a must have feature. Some third party flashes have this, but Nikon flashes seem to more accurately read the situation and fire the right amount of light without a lot of fuss. Just my two cents. All the best!

bucsheat

Thanks for the info on Nikon flashes; I'll stick with Nikon flashes.

Bsav

Hi! I'm also interested in the cheat sheet for the D3200 55-200mm lens. ;)

tbk

Hello! I picked up a 70-300mm lens for my D3200. Would the cheat sheet for the 55-200mm be pretty much the same? Thanks in advance!

Moose

Hey @Bsav and @tbk - I'm still putting the finishing touches on the D3200 and 55-200mm cheat cards, but they should be out soon. I'm also creating a set for the 55-300mm, which would work well with the 70-300mm lens. Happy shooting!