Lens ideas please

[freddies_dad]

Hello peeps,

What would your advice be on the next lens to get? For my D70 I currently have:

50mm f/1.8 prime - love it
18-75mm kit lens
10-20mm f/3.5? Sigma lens (good but a bit specialist)
70-300mm F/4-5.6 APO-I Sigma lens (a bit rubbish)

My budget would be about £250-£300. I was thinking of a 105mm f/2.8 Macro lens... but I'm not sure. Similarly I was thinking of getting something faster than the kit lens but with a similar zoom. A LOT of my photography is reportage type portraits (i.e. snapshots!!).

Ultimately I'd really like a big, high quality long zoom lens (80-400 f/2.8 for example) but that's WAY above my budget.

Any suggestions?

Cheers,

[GetCarter]

I have the 105 - t'was used for all my macro stuff. www.stevecarter.com/macro/macro.htm Be warned though the macro DOF is WAFER THIN and so it's really trick to use. Makes a decent medium telephoto.

TBH I think you would only use it as a macro as your 70 300 is more useful.

edit: Just seen that you have the sigma 70 - 300

I'd flog that for a fiver and buy the Nikkor 70-300 ED (not the G) - thats a cracker.

Edited by GetCarter on Thursday 15th February 13:40

[beano500]

GetCarter said:

I'd flog that for a fiver and buy the Nikkor 70-300 ED (not the G) - thats a cracker.

Seconded!

Mr Noble kindly let me take away his Nikkor 70-300 for a small pile of cash about six months ago. It's brilliant, easy to use, lightweight, and I might even let you see some of my shots from Mauritius - it's a great lens for travelling with.


Edit: There you go - so sharp it nearly hurts!!!



(Nikkor 70-300 at 300, f5.6, 1/500th ISO 200)

Edited by beano500 on Thursday 15th February 14:37

[V6GTO]

Or you could buy a set of extention tubes, a 1.4X converter and a filter system

Martin.

[GetCarter]

beano500 said:

(Nikkor 70-300 at 300, f5.6, 1/500th ISO 200)

Edited by beano500 on Thursday 15th February 14:37

He'll never catch and fish that way.

[freddies_dad]

V6GTO said:

Or you could buy a set of extention tubes, a 1.4X converter and a filter system

Martin.

Extension tubes - weren't on my list because the only lenses that could take advantage of it are pretty slow already.

Filter system: It was that or a lens. My 10-20 is very wide and has something like a 77mm diameter thread. I think that this is too wide for all but the more "expensive" filters.

[freddies_dad]

GetCarter said:

edit: Just seen that you have the sigma 70 - 300

I'd flog that for a fiver and buy the Nikkor 70-300 ED (not the G) - thats a cracker

Yeah - I'd probably give the lens to my sister as she'd like it and I don't really like it.

Having said that - about £180 of the budget is in Jessops vouchers (unless anyone wants to buy them off me meaning I can't go second-hand. I couldn't see the Nikkor anywhere but second-hand, is that right?

[mr noble]

beano500 said:

[Mr Noble kindly let me take away his Nikkor 70-300 for a small pile of cash about six months ago. It's brilliant, easy to use, lightweight, and I might even let you see some of my shots from Mauritius - it's a great lens for travelling with.

Glad you're pleased with it, but tbh, my 70-200 VR is still not right. I've been onto Nikon today again as fixation won't touch VR lenses. I have to pack it up and post it back to Nikon again. Another 10 week wait!

Wish I had not been greedy and just kept the 70-300. As you say, its a bl00dy good lens for the cash.

Also, to add that I guess the new 70-300 VR wwill be equally brilliant (plus the VR!) and its only about £80-100 more than the ED one.

G

[beano500]

mr noble said:

Another 10 week wait!

[Furyous]

I missed a 70-300 ed on fleabay the other night.Forgot what night it ended.Only 1 bid, £100 inc delivery.I know it could have been more if Id started bidding, but all the others seem to fetch £150ish.

Its all Carters fault.Id have been happy with a Sigma till he showed off his 70-300 pics.

[GetCarter]

Hey, I lied... they were all taken with the Nikkor AF-S 600mm f4D IF-ED II - a snip at £6k

(feeling better now?)

[VxDuncan]

Do yo actually NEED a new lens? You seem to have most bases covered and appear to want to buy a new lens for the sake of it! Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with this, I'm sure collecting things is a basic human instinct! Do you need the buzz of shopping for something new? Or are you looking for inspiration and hoping a new lens will do this?

Personally I'd say spend the money on a photographic holiday / weekend or on something like a college course or formal qualification (depending on your level).

I hope I'm not speaking out of turn - I just know that many amateur photographers spend more than thinking about new kit than actually taking pictures. If I'm honest I'm probably the same...

..but if you want my opinion an 80-200mm F2.8D. Fantastic lens! VR is great - but you cant freeze action or isolate your subject as well 'cos the lenses tend to be slower.(in my budget at least!) 8o)

[Furyous]

GetCarter said:

Hey, I lied... they were all taken with the Nikkor AF-S 600mm f4D IF-ED II - a snip at £6k

(feeling better now?)

Much better, thanks !


btw,4th Feb is superb, looks like amazonian rain forest.

[nick_bbb]

VxDuncan said:

...some good advice...

[freddies_dad]

VxDuncan said:

Do yo actually NEED a new lens? You seem to have most bases covered and appear to want to buy a new lens for the sake of it! Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with this, I'm sure collecting things is a basic human instinct! Do you need the buzz of shopping for something new? Or are you looking for inspiration and hoping a new lens will do this?

You are speaking my thoughts. I don't know whether I want a new lens at all. I just have the vouchers and they need spending. I can't think of anything I want to spend them on apart from a new lens. My thoughts being I'd like a nice, fast lens for use "indoors" where I take most of my photo's

VxDuncan said:

Personally I'd say spend the money on a photographic holiday / weekend or on something like a college course or formal qualification (depending on your level).

Great idea, but unfortunately they are Jessops vouchers.

A course would be a very good idea for me. My problem is, most courses are still film biased and a lot of the content is focused (geddit) on film development.

VxDuncan said:

I hope I'm not speaking out of turn

Not at all! I'm very grateful for all advice.

VxDuncan said:

..but if you want my opinion an 80-200mm F2.8D. Fantastic lens! VR is great - but you cant freeze action or isolate your subject as well 'cos the lenses tend to be slower.(in my budget at least!) 8o)

Unfortunately that's 2-3 times my budget!!

[VxDuncan]

Phew! Was worried for a bit there! 8o)

Was refering to a second hand 80-200 2.8 - bit I guess that could be an issue unless you can find one S/H at a Jessops store.

If you must spend them (!) then have you thought about a good quality compact? I bought a cheap to take to places you wouldn't bother with an SLR - parties, nightclubs, restaurants etc. Plus I find it's a bonus to have compact rather than a big SLR for street photography.

Just a thought - and the other half will approve too if they can borrow it!

[stuart b]

Just another idea - might be slightly out of budget. 18-200VR and sell the 18-70 (about £140-145 on ebay). Would seem to suit your needs for a walkabout lens if you can make the numbers work and find one.

Stuart

[freddies_dad]

stuart b said:

Just another idea - might be slightly out of budget. 18-200VR and sell the 18-70 (about £140-145 on ebay). Would seem to suit your needs for a walkabout lens if you can make the numbers work and find one.

Stuart

Cheers - very interesting. Didn't think of selling the kit one...

Thanks for the input everyone - much appreciated.

Cheers,
Phil.

Edited by freddies_dad on Saturday 17th February 23:08