Which Nikon lense?

[Tigman_NS]

My fiance bought me a Nikon D70s for my B-day. I am a true novice to DSLR. So I was wondering what I should get for a second lense. I know I should get use to the camera first but I'm planning a trip to WDW for our Disneymoon in April 23-May 7 2007. Everyone takes such great pictures on this board so why not ask the Pros. The camera came with the 18-70mm lense.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Tigman_NS

 

[YEKCIM]

I'm new to Nikon, too, but not to interchangeable lens cameras. I would suggest something with a little longer reach, like the Sigma 70-300 APO (about $190 online) and something for low light situations, like the 50mm f/1.8 prime (prime = single focal length, not a zoom), which can be had for about $120 online. Nikon and third party lens makers offer a virutal plethora of different lenses and everyone has their favorites, based on their individual needs/preferences. What kind of lens(es) you need depends on how/what you shoot. You may also want to check out the Nikon forums over at www.dpreview.com.

~YEKCIM

 

[handicap18]

Which lens did you get with the camera? Once you get past the "walk-around" lens then it comes down to what your interests in photography are. That being said, a long reach lens, ie: 70-300mm (as YEKCIM said), is a very good lens for Disney especially at Animal Kingdom. Nikon makes 3 different versions including one with VR (Vibration Reduction) which is excellent but on the expensive side running about $530. Sigma and Tamron also make version, with Sigma probably being better than Tamron.

I also agree with YEKCIM that the 50mm f/1.8 is a GREAT lens to have whether your going to Disney or not. It is very sharp and excellent in low light, though it's at its sharpest around f/5.6-11. Great for casual candids and portrait or portrait type shots whether used with a flash or with only natural light. At Disney it comes in very handy for the indoor rides that do allow flash photography. For the night time parades it is good as well because you don't have to use a flash and will get much better natural colors. The flash will wash away alot of the lights on the floats of the Spectro parade. On top of all that, this lens goes for only about $120 or so, which is a bargain in lens pricing.

These are a good place to start. Once you get up and running and more familar and comfortable with the camera and your skills there are literally dozens and dozens if not hundreds of different lenses for all different kinds of applications.

Good luck and happy shooting with the new camera. Be sure to post pictures, they don't have to be only of Disney. There are a number of different threads on this particular forum that are for Disney and non-Disney pictures.

 

[Tigman_NS]

Thank you very much for the help. I'm going to check
those lenses out this week and the information you guys told me
is exactly what I was looking for. So thanks again. As soon as I
get some great pictures I will post them.

Tigman_NS

 

[tinksdad]

Actually, the 18-70mm is a pretty nice, light lens that is fairly sharp, focuses fast and is not a bad purchase. As is suggested, you might want a prime, the 50mm f/1.8 is a nice one that can be picked up for about $50 on-line or $200 new.

I have the 18-200mm VR that has been terrific for a travel, walk around lens that has a lot of versatility! It's a bit soft opened up, but is nice and sharp at f/8 through f/16!

Good glass will be a great investment with years of sharp shots, low light performance and general satisfaction. But good glass comes with a nice price tag and it doesn't always fit into the vacation budget. It depends on what you want to do with the shots and your use of the camera.

 

[cryssi]

we got the 18-70 with our D200, and that is pretty much the only lens we keep on the body. I recently wasn't happy with some indoor convention shots because they seemed kind of soft. I don't doubt that it user error, though...lol

We will most likely get the 70-300 for our trip this summer, and as I've mentioned before, per recommendations on this board, the 50mm f/1.8 (although I do want an underwater housing for our sd400...hmm, which to buy??).

I've been thinking about this for about a month now...

 

[jann1033]

no recommendations (canon girl)just wanted to say..nice fiance!...i had to wait for 30th anniversary to get a dslr..course they didn't exist in 1975 but that's beside the point
enjoy your new camera!

 

[handicap18]

we got the 18-70 with our D200, and that is pretty much the only lens we keep on the body. I recently wasn't happy with some indoor convention shots because they seemed kind of soft. I don't doubt that it user error, though...lol

We will most likely get the 70-300 for our trip this summer, and as I've mentioned before, per recommendations on this board, the 50mm f/1.8 (although I do want an underwater housing for our sd400...hmm, which to buy??).

I've been thinking about this for about a month now...

I've been unhappy with my copy of the 18-70mm. Especially since I've gotten a few other lenses like the 70-300mm VR and the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro. The 70-300mm is much sharper than my 18-70. I'm definately going to replace it. YEKCIM recently got the 18-135mm and the images look to be very sharp, I'm leaning towards that lens as its $400 less than the 18-200mm VR and I've been reading a lot of reports over at nikonians.org about people having issues with their 18-200. Though I would really like to have the VR. We'll see what happens.

 

[cryssi]

so...it might *not* be user error?? lol, well glad to see that at least I'm not going crazy (although the pics where I focused on the background behind the people I was taking the pic of...all me, baby).

I did slap the 180mm 2.8 (?, I think it is 2.8) on the other day to check out the prime hype, and was very pleasantly surprised so...

 

[safetymom]

I would look at the 18-200 VR lens. It is the lens that ships on the D200 but I have it on my D70s and love it.

 

[DebºoºS]

I too have the 18-200 VR with my D200 and love it.
Her's a link that might be helpful in steves forum nikon lenses