marco landini , Sep 01, 2010; 10:38 a.m.
Hello. I have a Nikon D90 and almost always I keep a Tamron 17-50 2.8 mounted on it. It's a great combo for street and events, but I would like some suggestions for landscapes , buildings and industrial photography. I' m interested about the highest possible sharpness for these subjects, so I guess I had better to use tripod, remote and Nikkor primes instead the Tamron zoom. I' m thinking about the 50 1.8 ( ai-ais-af ? ), 28 2.8 ais, 55 2.8 micro at their optimal aperture. What do you think about them in comparison to Tamron 17-50 on tripod ? Any other lens suggested ? Thanks, bye. Marco
Edward Ingold 
, Sep 01, 2010; 10:51 a.m.
Any of the Nikkor f/2.8 zoom lenses will perform as well with a D90 as the Nikkor primes in the same focal length range. While some of the prime lenses may be sharper (most are not), the overall resolution is limited by the sensor when the lens is capable of 200+ lp/mm.
The 55/2.8 AIS "Micro" is very useful for landscapes and, of course, moderate closeups (1:2 without extension tubes). It is a relatively simple lens, deeply recessed in the lens housing. These factors make it highly resistant to flare, so you can shoot with a strong backlight and get good contrast. Needless to say, it is also very sharp.
Zach Ritter 
, Sep 01, 2010; 10:54 a.m.
Remote is good, but not needed. Use mirror lockup mode and allow the vibrations from the mirror to die before shooting the image.
That said, of the lenses listed, the 50mm 1.8 would be my choice for sharpest.
But, I would look at a 35mm PC if you get a chance. This would allow corrections for converging lines, which would greatly aid in shooting any of the subjects mentioned.
Matt Laur 
, Sep 01, 2010; 11:34 a.m.
I don't think you can mount the 35PC on a D90 (not enough clearance from the housing for the pop-up strobe ... you have to go to a D300/700/3 for that). And ... the D90 does not have a mirror lockup mode. Have to move up for that, as well. The solid tripod is indeed critical. If you don't use a remote, use the self timer - at least that way you're not touching the camera.
Peter Hamm , Sep 01, 2010; 11:35 a.m.
optimum aperture? for most lenses, just select f8 on a sturdy tripod. There is no mirror lockup on the D90, but there's an exposure delay mode that works just as well.
How big do you print? My experience is that at f8 my worst lens is as sharp as my best at about 8 x 10 and smaller.
If you need to shoot wider open, the 50 f1.8 is very nice. My 55mm f3.5 is probably my sharpest lens. My 35mm f1.8 is indistinguishable in my own unscientific tests from either of those, too. (edit... at f8 it is).
Peter Hamm , Sep 01, 2010; 11:36 a.m.
I meant indistinguishable at f8...
Zach Ritter , Sep 01, 2010; 11:39 a.m.
What, no mirror lockup on a D90?! Wow, I would have considered that as such a mundane feature that it would be on everything but the lowest tier. I really had no clue.
Jay Poel , Sep 01, 2010; 11:59 a.m.
Zach, it doesn't have mirror lockup but it does have an "exposure delay" you can turn on and off in the menu - mine is set up to easily find in the customizable "My Menu". It basically delays the shutter for approximately 0.5 seconds after the mirror flips up to help with the vibration. Seems to work pretty good IMO.
Zach Ritter , Sep 01, 2010; 12:04 p.m.
Oh, I thought exposure delay was just another name for "time delay". See, I should just stick to my D200 and shut up.
So, the best results for Marco should be using a lens such as the 50mm f1.8, 55mm f2.8, or other such lens, on a tripod and using this exposure delay feature. A remote/cable release would be nice, but not 100% needed. Can you set the exposure delay to work with timer mode? If you can, then you can set the timer for 5 sec or more, and that would kill any vibration from hitting the button on the camera, and the exposure delay should take care of the mirror shake/slap.
Peter Hamm , Sep 01, 2010; 12:09 p.m.
exposure delay works just fine thanks. It does what you're basically doing with MLU anyway. Works great for me.
