Megan
i am buying a slr, but not sure which lens to get?
Answer
Figure out which camera you want to buy. The kit lens isn't something you should dwell on too much though. Any of them will get you a decent shot.
A 35mm f1.8 prime lens would be a great addition to whichever lens you choose. It will give you the ability to play with depth of field a bit and allow you to shoot in lower light.
If you plan on taking shots with high zoom, you might want to consider ditching the 14-42 or 18-55 and getting an 18-200mm.
In fact, I used to have three (35mm prime, 18-55 kit, 55-200 zoom) and replacing my kit and zoom lenses with one lens is the best thing I've ever done. I now carry two lenses which cover almost every situation and I don't have to change lenses as often.
Figure out which camera you want to buy. The kit lens isn't something you should dwell on too much though. Any of them will get you a decent shot.
A 35mm f1.8 prime lens would be a great addition to whichever lens you choose. It will give you the ability to play with depth of field a bit and allow you to shoot in lower light.
If you plan on taking shots with high zoom, you might want to consider ditching the 14-42 or 18-55 and getting an 18-200mm.
In fact, I used to have three (35mm prime, 18-55 kit, 55-200 zoom) and replacing my kit and zoom lenses with one lens is the best thing I've ever done. I now carry two lenses which cover almost every situation and I don't have to change lenses as often.
Looking for new Digital SLR Camera/Lens.?
rebatrip
I am looking at the Nikon D40x camera and I think I definately want to get it after looking at the reviews. I am just getting into amateur photography and was wondering if anyone could steer me towards a good lens to purchase with it. It comes with an 18-55mm lens. Mostly my husband and I will be taking snapshots and nature, landscapes and sports shots. Any reccomendations?
Answer
Your desires are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Landscapes typically demand a wide angle lens while sports usually required a telephoto.
As a primary and first lens I'd suggest the Nikon 18mm-200mm as your best bet. (You don't have to buy the lens that comes with the camera, you can subsitute it for any other but of course that will cost you a bit more). In 35mm terms that gives you a range from a 28mm wide angle which it pretty good to a telephoto of 300 mm which is also pretty good. What's nice too is that you won't have to constantly change lenses. This lens has an image stabilizer built in too which helps in low light situations.
Later if you really need a wider angle lens you can add that as you have the money, wider angles tend to be rather expensive. And later you can also add a longer telephoto if you really need that capability beyond the lens above. Usually telephotos aren't quite as expensive as wide angles.
Your other alternative is to buy two lenses. Get the 18mm-70mm which gives you that same 28mm wide angle and extends to 105mm in 35mm terms. This is great for landscapes and parties and portraits, stuff like that. Add to this lens the 70mm-300mm zoom with the image stabilizer. This then takes you from 105mm all the way up to 450mm a fairly lengthy telephoto. This combination will cost you more of course and will necessitate changing lenses all the time, but it does allow a much larger telephoto range.
Nature photography demands all kinds of things but either lens recommendation would meet your needs. However, if you're into little things - small bugs for instance - then the Nikon 105mm Macro lens is ideal. It goes to life size, has an image stabilizer and is very fast at f2.8 while stopping down all the way to f32. However, this lens is not practical for every day photography, its strengths lie in photographing little things.
I have all four of these lenses and have been very happy with them. I do a lot of macro work so the macro is priceless to me. When I first bought my D70s it came with the 18-70 and I added the 70-300. However I found it a pain to constantly change lenses so when I bought my D200 I got that with the 18-200 lens. Now I never use my 18-70, it's unnecessary, but once in a while I will use the 70-300 when I need that extra telephoto length which isn't too often. If I were starting out again, Iâd get the 18-200 as my primary lens and add a 200-400 later on. Unfortunately the 18-200 didnât exist at the time I bought my D70s.
In terms of your camera choice, the D40x is an excellent, exceptional entry level SLR that will allow you to accomplish quite a bit and will give you an opportunity to really learn photography if you have a serious interest. Later if you want more sophistication look at the D80 or whatever replaces it at the time, Nikon has built in a lot of features into that one that are usually reserved for the professional line. I use the D200 personally. This model is almost identical in functionality and reatures to their professional camera but at one third the cost. As you get ever more sophisticated this one is a real bargain for what it delivers to your hands.
I hope that helps a little.
Your desires are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Landscapes typically demand a wide angle lens while sports usually required a telephoto.
As a primary and first lens I'd suggest the Nikon 18mm-200mm as your best bet. (You don't have to buy the lens that comes with the camera, you can subsitute it for any other but of course that will cost you a bit more). In 35mm terms that gives you a range from a 28mm wide angle which it pretty good to a telephoto of 300 mm which is also pretty good. What's nice too is that you won't have to constantly change lenses. This lens has an image stabilizer built in too which helps in low light situations.
Later if you really need a wider angle lens you can add that as you have the money, wider angles tend to be rather expensive. And later you can also add a longer telephoto if you really need that capability beyond the lens above. Usually telephotos aren't quite as expensive as wide angles.
Your other alternative is to buy two lenses. Get the 18mm-70mm which gives you that same 28mm wide angle and extends to 105mm in 35mm terms. This is great for landscapes and parties and portraits, stuff like that. Add to this lens the 70mm-300mm zoom with the image stabilizer. This then takes you from 105mm all the way up to 450mm a fairly lengthy telephoto. This combination will cost you more of course and will necessitate changing lenses all the time, but it does allow a much larger telephoto range.
Nature photography demands all kinds of things but either lens recommendation would meet your needs. However, if you're into little things - small bugs for instance - then the Nikon 105mm Macro lens is ideal. It goes to life size, has an image stabilizer and is very fast at f2.8 while stopping down all the way to f32. However, this lens is not practical for every day photography, its strengths lie in photographing little things.
I have all four of these lenses and have been very happy with them. I do a lot of macro work so the macro is priceless to me. When I first bought my D70s it came with the 18-70 and I added the 70-300. However I found it a pain to constantly change lenses so when I bought my D200 I got that with the 18-200 lens. Now I never use my 18-70, it's unnecessary, but once in a while I will use the 70-300 when I need that extra telephoto length which isn't too often. If I were starting out again, Iâd get the 18-200 as my primary lens and add a 200-400 later on. Unfortunately the 18-200 didnât exist at the time I bought my D70s.
In terms of your camera choice, the D40x is an excellent, exceptional entry level SLR that will allow you to accomplish quite a bit and will give you an opportunity to really learn photography if you have a serious interest. Later if you want more sophistication look at the D80 or whatever replaces it at the time, Nikon has built in a lot of features into that one that are usually reserved for the professional line. I use the D200 personally. This model is almost identical in functionality and reatures to their professional camera but at one third the cost. As you get ever more sophisticated this one is a real bargain for what it delivers to your hands.
I hope that helps a little.
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