Chosing a New Nikon Lens

[tenex198]

After a year of deliberation I finally bit the bullet and plunked down the money for a digital SLR. I wound up getting the Nikon D80 with a 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G DX Lens, and I would like to eventually pick up another couple of lenses. I am usually shooting a lot of skiing and other action shots, but I also do a lot of landscapes while I am sitting idle. I have shot older Nikon film cameras for years now and have a pretty good knowledge of the manual focus lens line, but I am completely in the dark with the new auto focus lenses. If you guys could possibly point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated.

This is one lens that I have been looking at:http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...o_AF_Zoom.html
Cheers

[cj001f]

I have that lens that I'd sell used with box, yada, yada, for alot less than B&H. I took this picture with it:

It's lightweight and small, great for packing. It's a bit slow to focus and not terribly sharp however.

That said after I bought an 80-200f2.8 I've really never used it again. The 80-200 is so much sharper, much better color rendition. Good glass.

You can get an older 80-200f2.8 from KEH.com for $450. Maybe less used from a private party., I believe hop is trying to sell his. KEH is great for buying used gear from.

[bklyn]

Something to consider -
IMO most digital sensors have less dynamic range than film and your 'digital negative' cannot be pushed as much as the films you may be used to using. I would go with a faster and less expensive set of primes if you can't spring for one of the newer zooms with VR (vibration reduction). 4.0 - 5.6 is too slow for action and I doubt you'd be using the higher 200-300 range for landscapes.

[MeatPuppet]

^^^^Good advice.

The quality of the glass affects image quality in digital much more than it does for film. Go to your local camera store and try different lens on your body. Take pictures with several, including primes. Most smaller stores will normally let you do that. The difference in image quality will be immediately apparent when you get home and look at them on your computer.

The only non-f/2.8 zoom I would recommend is the 12-24 f/4. Other than that, go with primes until you can afford the more expensive zooms.

[Tippster]

Something to consider -
IMO most digital sensors have less dynamic range than film and your 'digital negative' cannot be pushed as much as the films you may be used to using...

I have always felt the same way, then I ran across this....

http://www.clarkvision.com/imagedetail/dynamicrange2/

...hmmmmm..... Could be the fault of the film scanner, tho. I think the only way to compare Apples to Oranges in this case is to do Densitometer readings on a print, but then you're limited to the Printer and it's foibles in the digital image.

Either way, the "faster" the lens you buy the more leeway you have photographically and the more likely you are to get a better image.

[tenex198]

I am having trouble understanding the primes that you are talking about. I have not purchased a new lens in about ten years, so I am a little rusty with the technical aspects. I am just starting to look right now. I need to pay off a large portion of the camera, before I go out and start buying more lenses.

cjoo1f: What would you sell the 70-300 for if I were interested?

[Tippster]

Primes = fixed focal length lenses, not zooms - ie a 50mm lens vs a 30-70..

[cj001f]

cjoo1f: What would you sell the 70-300 for if I were interested?

$150 shipped. Here's a review of it:
http://bythom.com/70300lens.htm

[TeleHoar]

It's pricey, but everyone seems to rave about the Nikon 18-200VR lens.
I just bought one a bit ago and love it! A true one quiver lens. as sharp as a prime and fast with the AF.

check out this thread on the lens:
http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83045

[tenex198]

Can the older auto focus lenses be used on the new digitals?

[cj001f]

All of the older AutoFocus lenses can be used on all of the digitals except the D40 and D40x