Which nikon lens

[egor110]

Just got myself a nikon d60 , planning on taking it to silverstone for the gp and air shows.
The d60 has no a/f motor in body so will need a lens with that built in.
Would these be any good?

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-nikon-55-300mm...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-AF-S-70-300-4-5-5-6G...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_13?url=...

[ian in lancs]

Having had both I would say the 70-300 is the better lens. I guess it should be at twice the price though!

For my D300s i use an 18-105 and 70-300 as walkabout kit.

[Simpo Two]

Another vote for the 70-300 VR. I have one as the general purpose alternative to the 70-200 f2.8 for when speed isn't important. Great lens.

[GetCarter]

70-300. Great lens for the money.

[james_tigerwoods]

The 55-200 is a good lens and I read that the 55-300 is a longer version of that lens - I have a 55-200 and it's pretty good as a basic lens. However, the 70-300, which I've borrowed from my friends, is really good and I can recommend it...

[Yellabelly]

My lad has a 55-300 on his D3100 and he loves it, very sharp, a good walk about lens.

YB

[K12beano]

If you want 300mm I'd leave out the old and slow 80-400mm, and head on for a 200-400mm......



No, seriously, the choices for best quality are 300mm f/4 (possibly my next lens choice) or 70-200mm/80-200mm with a TC1.4. This, while not 200-400mm territory, is still serious money, but gets top quality. I've used/lived with the ED version of the 70-300mm as well as the 70-200mm. 70-300mm at a fraction of the cost is NOT a fraction of the quality, or rather it then looks fantastic value for money.


With any of the 70-300mm you might find that just easing back from full length and a stop down is a good way to ensure excellent results (...and polish up your technique as well!!!)

[Cheib]

You might find that the 70-300 might be a bit slow at F5.6 on a typical cloudy UK day ? Not sure what the D60's ISO performance is like though so maybe you can push that a bit.

[Simpo Two]

They're all f5.6 at the long end. I'm not sure what's faster than that without jumping to the f2.8 league which is a different animal and well over budget. Or a prime of course.

[egor110]

Thanks for the replys.

What's the differnce between http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-AF-S-NIKKOR-55-300mm...
and http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-nikon-55-300mm...

also what is a prime lens? somebody suggested i look at a older prime lens.

[james_tigerwoods]

egor110 said:

Thanks for the replys.

What's the differnce between http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-AF-S-NIKKOR-55-300mm...
and http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-nikon-55-300mm...

It's the same lens.

[Simpo Two]

egor110 said:

also what is a prime lens? somebody suggested i look at a older prime lens.

A prime lens has a fixed focal length; ie not a zoom.

Mind you a quick look at www.warehouseexpress.com/nikon-fit/b3078 shows primes to be as much if not more than zooms. So it depends what is more important to you, zoom or speed (max aperture).



70-300 VR.

[Les84]

Is this one any good for a d60 for the likes of brands hatch, good wood etc?

http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Used/Nikon-55-200mm-F4-5...

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-sigma-70-300mm...

Les

Edited by Les84 on Monday 21st May 21:26

[egor110]

I don't think they have a motor in the lens so you'd have to manually focus.

[Simpo Two]

egor110 said:

I don't think they have a motor in the lens so you'd have to manually focus.

The top one does; it's designated AF-S, which is Nikonese for 'motor in lens'.

A Sigma would need to say 'HSM' for hypersonic motor.

[Yellabelly]

Les84 said:

Is this one any good for a d60 for the likes of brands hatch, good wood etc?

http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Used/Nikon-55-200mm-F4-5...

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-sigma-70-300mm...

Les

Edited by Les84 on Monday 21st May 21:26

If you decide on the Sig 70-300 check that the lens zooms freely from a static position, we sent two back to WEX as they were a bit sticky, before my son chose the 55-300 and, as I stated earlier, he is delighted with it. I have the Nikkor AF-S 70-300 VR ED and the quality of the 55-300 image is the equal of the 70-300 IMHO.

YB

[Ali Chappussy]

Cheib said:

You might find that the 70-300 might be a bit slow at F5.6 on a typical cloudy UK day ? Not sure what the D60's ISO performance is like though so maybe you can push that a bit.

I take your point bus isn't that what Photoshop was designed for?

I took some nice shots of the Windsor flypast last weekend and they were 'lifeless' because of the crappy sky. PS bought them up a treat.

I was using a D3100 with a 55-200 zoom and I wondered about a 55-300 when I got the camera. My 'little' zoom covers just about everything I want it to and it cost me £100. I've seen second hand 55-300's on EBay going for well over £260.

[Cheib]

Ali Chappussy said:

Cheib said:

You might find that the 70-300 might be a bit slow at F5.6 on a typical cloudy UK day ? Not sure what the D60's ISO performance is like though so maybe you can push that a bit.

I take your point bus isn't that what Photoshop was designed for?

I took some nice shots of the Windsor flypast last weekend and they were 'lifeless' because of the crappy sky. PS bought them up a treat.

I was using a D3100 with a 55-200 zoom and I wondered about a 55-300 when I got the camera. My 'little' zoom covers just about everything I want it to and it cost me £100. I've seen second hand 55-300's on EBay going for well over £260.

You'll need higher shutter speeds for motorsport than you would for the flypast...that's what I was really referring to.

[Flat6]

Just be careful if buying one of the 55-300 Nikon lenses from one of Amazon's marketplace sellers - I recently returned a lens which was sold as a new item but came in a plain white box, no Nikon warranty card and had a US serial number on it (so no European guarantee). The price also fluctuates almost daily, between £210 and £240 in the period I was looking for one..