What is best lens to photograph kids for headshots and 3/4 to full body shots with the nikon D90? the best lens for between $300-$500?

add some sample images so we can guide you better
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hi there,

i used d3100 a few months ago,
for your information this camera only support autofocus with built-in motor lenses
if you have interest on wildlife, you should use tele-lens whose focal length above 200mm
if Nikon lenses cost you too much, you can choose other lenses from Tamron, Tokina, or Sigma

for family photograph, the kit lens is able to do this (18 - 55mm),
for natural beauty, i myself use nikkor 50mm/f 1,8 which has great power in low light condition

hope this will help

It is a common problem with the lens not the camera. It is a poor quality kit lens with a plastic mount. The lens often fails to communicate with the camera causing the problem you are describing. The best way to solve this problem and get more out of your camera is to upgrade to the very nice Nikon 18-200 lens.

That's like asking what's the best flavor of ice cream.
The best model Nikon for a sports photographer most likely will not be the best model Nikon for a portrait photographer. A photojournalist might opt for a different model.

So many people are browsing for the best D40 lens to take baseball picture i will give you some information about this topic i am not a professional photographer

if it's played on a full sized diamond you'll need 300mm if shooting from on the field/dugout. 200mm isn't long enough to shoot corner-to-corner. Realize though if it's not sunny at that time of day (i.e if it's overcast) you'll be shooting at 1600 to get needed shutter speeds at 5.6

IS is not necessary but USM is. THe 70-300 is the best choice for your needs as long as lighting is good.

hope this information will be help full for you

This is a common problem with this camera/lens conbo. I "solved" it by removing the lens, then reinstalling it - but hold the lens release button down, and rotate the lens a nuber of times (in the camera body) before releasing the button. It appears that the issue is poor electrical contact between the lens and camera body. If there is a poor contact, the camera will not know if thereis a focus and will lock the shutter release. With this poos contact, the camera will only fucntion in manual mode

Hope that this helps

Go into the menu and scroll to "reset"...follow the on-screen instructions. Then, clean the contacts on the camera body and the lens where they meet with cotton swab lightly dampened with rubbing alcohol.

Have you tried cleaning the contacts on the lens with alchoho and a cotton swab? The DX lens will have to tell the camera that it's not a full frame lens, and that happens through those contacts.

Post a comment if that won't work and we can go into more troubleshooting.

Depending on the break, the FZ20 may be enough. But it's a tough sport to photograph from shore. That said, there isn't a comperable non dslr digital. For the best shots, I personally don't think 432mm is enough unless the break is close to shore. The tele-extenders would help and there are plenty of threads here about them and their quality. Most have had good luck. I assume you'd be using a tripod. IS can't handle handheld shots with more than the standard lens IMHO. A fluid head is very helpful for the necessary panning shots of surfing.