Nikon Lens help

Hey Everyone

I am kinda new to photography. Just got a Nikon D3000. I know it is nothing super awesome but it does the job for what I like. I am getting tired of the 18-55mm stock lens that is on there and have been looking around for other lenses to get. I have been having a tough time with it, just trying to find lenses that i want that have the Nikon mount and all. So, i figured i would turn to you guys for some help. I would like to get some sort of zoom lens, like a 55-200 or 18-200 and then a wide angle lens. Would love a 10mm fisheye eventually.

What lenses should i be looking into getting? Any specific brands i could check out? Let me know your thoughts

Thanks every body.

Peace

[ir13]

Check out the Sigma 70-200

[hotreds]

check out www.fredmiranda.com for lens reviews.

[Beagleone]

I use a 18-200 VRII DX for my main lens due to the wide application that is provides and I am not having to swap out with other lenses and it is one lens less that i have to haul around with me. I also have other lenses that I use, but not all of the time. Are you buying new or does used lenses matter to you?

[E.J.]

I would say that every self respecting SLR owner should have a nifty fifty they can attach.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/s...&sort=1&cat=12

...but if I said that, I'd have to admit that I don't have the Canon equivalent.

So I wont say anything.

[The Poet]

It all depends upon what type of photography you are interested in doing, but my 8+ years of selling lenses for Nikons (in a previous life) taught me one rule of thumb:

A telephoto lens is more impressive, especially for the beginner photographer, but a wide angle is a lot more useful for the types of general shots most people take on a day-to-day basis - interiors, groups, scenery, whatever. Most people have little use for a lens longer than a "portrait" telephoto, which is one about 2X more powerful than "normal". This give one a more flattering headshot of a person, due to the slight flattening of perspective (most noticably, your freakin' nose don't look so honkin' big!).

[RUNYYFan]

Originally Posted by The Poet

It all depends upon what type of photography you are interested in doing, but my 8+ years of selling lenses for Nikons (in a previous life) taught me one rule of thumb:

A telephoto lens is more impressive, especially for the beginner photographer, but a wide angle is a lot more useful for the types of general shots most people take on a day-to-day basis - interiors, groups, scenery, whatever. Most people have little use for a lens longer than a "portrait" telephoto, which is one about 2X more powerful than "normal". This give one a more flattering headshot of a person, due to the slight flattening of perspective (most noticably, your freakin' nose don't look so honkin' big!).

Absolutely spot on.

Whether you have a limited budget or you just won the PowerBall, I'd suggest thinking about what you are going to taking photographs of first. Follow this closely with the type of lighting you will be dealing with.

If you are shooting mostly outdoors with bright sunlight to high clouds, then the f-stop is not as much of a factor, but it is still important. If you are going to be shooting the proverbial "black cat at midnight in a coal bin" then you are going to want high f-stops like 2.8 or below.

Most of the kit lenses will have f-stops around 3.5 going "down" to 16 or 22. (Aside: f-stops are ranked inversely; that is a small number is a high f-stop as opposed to a large number which is a low f-stop. Not sure that you need this, but here's a page that helps to explain it: A Tedious Explanation of the f-stop)

FWIW, I currently shoot with a D300. My current lenses are these:

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG APOMacro HSM II

[hotreds]

Yes, it does matter what type of photography you will be pursuing. My ideal lens is the 500f4.0, but that would be worthless if you want to shoot portraits or landscapes. 70-300 is a common zoom, add an 18-50 or so and you have a lot covered. A 50mm prime is best for portraiture; if you're serious you'll get the 1.2.

[J0eybb]

jeez, I feel really poor now.

[hotreds]

Originally Posted by J0eybb

jeez, I feel really poor now.

Welcome to the club!

[stinkie]

back in the OLD days of film. that is before digital. i had 3 lenses 28/2.5, 50/1.4, 80-200/4.5. now that i made the jump to the 21st century. and digital the only lens that i own for my Nikon D50 is a Tamron 28-300 f3.5 AF and that is all that i will ever need. it takes everything from portraits, wide angle , medium range, to telephoto long distance. without much effort. and being an OLD PENTAX guy that's saying alot.



stinkie

[mosesbotbol]

Stick with Nikon lenses.

A close friend of mine is product manager at Nikon, so he'd kill me if I suggested any other than Nikon, lol