What brands to buy/stay away from????

[tyniknate]

OK, so I got my new camera. It's a Nikon. What brand of lenses are decent and which ones should I totally stay away from? Also, is it safe to buy from ebay for this type of purchase or am I just asking for trouble?

Last question.....which lens should I buy first (keeping in mind that I have a tight budget ($200 or less). My camera came with the standard lens. Should i look at lenses, or wait and save some more money?

 

[photo_chick]

My advice is to wait on a new lens. Not only to save up some money, but also to get to know your camera and how you shoot. After a little while you'll notice there are areas that your kit lens will come up short for you and that will tell you what kind of lens to look at for your next purchase.

As far as brands, I think every brand has good lenses and bad lenses. If you want to save some cash I'd look at KEH.com and their used selection before hitting up Ebay. Usually the prices are similar and KEH has a warranty. Looking at refurb lenses is another way to save some cash. As is buying older, used, out of production lenses (but really do your research on those).

 

[HPS3]

I agree with Photo Chick, use what you got for awhile. If you really want to buy a lens, buy the Nikon 35mm f1.8. I think it's a must have lens and it's only around $200. I had it when I shot Nikon and it's sharp wide open. I currently shoot with a Sigma 17-50 f2.8, Tokina 11-16 f2.8, and a Tamron 60 f2 macro. All of these are fantastic lenses. I say just review all of the lenses you're interested in before buying.

 

[reimero]

My advice is to wait on a new lens. Not only to save up some money, but also to get to know your camera and how you shoot. After a little while you'll notice there are areas that your kit lens will come up short for you and that will tell you what kind of lens to look at for your next purchase.

This is excellent advice. And frankly, unless you're doing high-end professional stuff (or you just have a really discerning eye), your kit lens will serve you quite well for a good, long while. I know photographers say the worst photo is the one you don't take, but from a practical standpoint, when trying to decide what sort of lens to purchase, you want a lens you know you're going to get use out of, and the best way to know this is to find yourself saying, "I wish I had XXX." One advantage to your kit lens is you get a little bit of zoom and a little bit of wide angle, so you won't completely lose the shot.

(The above method doesn't ALWAYS work, though... I had convinced myself I wanted a wide-angle lens, but in day-to-day shooting I found myself wishing for more zoom. My wife offered me a (reasonable) lens of my choice as a graduation present, and I chose a zoom lens. We then took a vacation on DCL and, as I had originally predicted, a wide-angle would have been very, very nice to have. But I was able to get a good selection of shots with both the zoom and the kit lens.)

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

nevermind!