How do I pick a new lens

[papasmurf]

hey Gents


as always I seek your advice before I make a camera purchase or any thing related to the camera .


I am thinking of getting a better lens for my wifes D40.
Every time I try to zoom in on something that is in the distance it is not strong enough . what are some things I should look for when picking a new lens?

also how much should I be looking to spend for one?




Nick

[gugi]

oh-oh, i don't know how much you should be spending, but it can be a lot. i haven't looked at these things in a while, so others will have better advice.

however, what do you mean by not strong enough? Not enough zoom?

What is your current lenses, I forgot. may be 30-100mm or sth (I know it's digital, but I guess the equivalent to 35mm).
I'd say 200-300mm (the equivalent of those for digital that is).
I'd usually prefer fixed focal length, but again, others will know what's best in various price ranges.

Also remember that a tele- captures much less light, so your fastest aperture will probably be 5.6

[rickw]

I would think that what you might want would depend on what you have. Better can mean improved resolution or a different magnification. If you have the standard 18 - 55 kit lens then you might want to go to the Nikon 55 - 200.

[sadowsky]

I have a D40 and a D80.
I would recommend the 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED AF-S DX Nikkor.
It is very inexpensive ($168.57 at Amazon) and light as a feather.
That is what I use with my D40.

The 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX is amazing but is it quite heavy.
I only use it with the D80. It also costs $700.

Roger

[papasmurf]

oh-oh, i don't know how much you should be spending, but it can be a lot. i haven't looked at these things in a while, so others will have better advice.

however, what do you mean by not strong enough? Not enough zoom?

What is your current lenses, I forgot. may be 30-100mm or sth (I know it's digital, but I guess the equivalent to 35mm).
I'd say 200-300mm (the equivalent of those for digital that is).
I'd usually prefer fixed focal length, but again, others will know what's best in various price ranges.

Also remember that a tele- captures much less light, so your fastest aperture will probably be 5.6



yes that is exactly what I mean the zoom is not strong enough .


My current lens is the "AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 GII ED"

thanks guys I am not trying to break the bank here just trying to way out my options


Nick

[Rorschuck]

I know nothing about real cameras/lenses, so let me parrot what my shutterbug buddies say: get Nikkor or Leica glass.

[SMG]

As you are using a D40 do keep in mind that there is no AF motor built into your camera body, you need to buy a DX series lens which has one built in. Currently there is only Sigma AFAIK who has an AF motor built in to their HSM series lenses for aftermarket lenses. They do make an 18-200 OS lens, but it is about $600US I think.

I would suggest either the 55-200 VR or the 70-300 VR. If the VR version of the 70-300 is too much then look at the next step down in that range. Nikon has actually made three lenses in 70-300 which give alot of reach. Personally, I thought that the 70-300VR was going to be my next lens, until I found a 80-200 f2.8. I would go with the most reach that you can afford, but do be aware that these are alot slower at the long end and you will need arms of granite to avoid blur. Either that or a tripod. The VR helps, but it is not magic.

If you want to get Pro glass, look at the Nikon 70-200 AFS VR f2.8 (about $1100-1200) or the 80-200 f2.8 ED (can be found around $800 or so). Also look at KEH.com or Adorama. They have some used lenses which will fit the bill and are really nice. Also there is a 70-200 f2.8 HSM Sigma that is really sharp as well. These faster lenses are awesome but they are pricy and heavy. BTW you will need either a tripod or monopod with these for extended shooting sessions.

My suggestion is to go to a local camera store and try a few out, they should have most of these lenses that I have mentioned in stock. Look for the lenses ability to focus fast, try focusing on something far away and then focus on something as close as possible. This will tell you how fast the lens focuses. Also, look at what the max aperture is when the lens is zoomed out, unless it is a constant aperture like the pro glass I mentioned. Try hand holding at full zoom and shooting a couple of shots. See if you can get any to come out clear. Check for zoom creep, the lens will zoom out if carried face down if it is worn (only on a used lens, new ones should not do this at all).

Finally, don't pooh pooh a used lens if it focuses correctly, does not have any marks on the glass and the aperture is nice and snappy.

Cheers,
Sean

Nikon D80 with battery grip
Nikon 50 f1.8
Sigma 28-135 f3.8-5.6 Macro
Sigma 105 f2.8
Nikon 80-200 f2.8

[ratcheer]

Here is a reasonable rule of thumb. If you want greater telephoto power, double the focal length. If you want wider wide angle shots, half it.

I have found that a very effective set of lenses would cover 28 mm, 50 mm, 100 mm, and 200 mm. A good 400 mm lens would probably be quite expensive, so if you wanted even longer telephoto shots, a 300 mm would probably have to do.

These could be either zoom lenses that cover this range, or single focal length "prime" lenses. Don't worry much about gaps in the range. If you have both a 50 mm and a 100 mm, there are not many shots that would be "ruined" because you didn't have a 75 mm at your disposal.

I also agree with the above statement about Nikkor glass. IMHO, it is much more important to have high quality lenses than a high quality camera body.

Tim

[papasmurf]

thanks for all the info guys as always every one here is very helpful it looks like I have to start doing some home work .

[rickw]

I worked for Vivitar in the late '70s. At that time, most variable focal length lenses had a ratio of about 3 as the 70 - 210. They were generally used at the two extremes. Very few people actually used the variability to frame the shot.

[Aneurysm]

I would suggest the Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED if you are looking for more "reach" and it complements your existing lens. The other lens to think about is the 70-300mm f4-5.6 G but I'm not sure if it works with the D40 (if my memory serves me right the D40 requires AF-S lens for the AF to work) maybe someone else can shed some light on that. The digital "crop" also helps to add more "zoom" compared to that of the 35mm film cameras/full frame digitals

The 80-200mm f2.8 is a great lens as well although more costly and weight a ton compared to the above 2 lenses. Although again you gotta check if it works with the D40.

[letterk]

Are you willing to buy used?

[Roman414]

18-55 is "wide" to "normal", approximately. You really have no telescopic ability to bring objects closer than "normal" with that with that. The longer lenses require more light, as someone pointed out. They also magnify any camera shake or tremor. You get up around 300mm you need a tripod or a very steady hand to avoid blur.
An inexpensive solution would be a "doubler" that would convertl your present lens to 36-110. Me, I would probably be looking at something like 70-210 or so.

[SMG]

I would suggest the Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED if you are looking for more "reach" and it complements your existing lens. The other lens to think about is the 70-300mm f4-5.6 G but I'm not sure if it works with the D40 (if my memory serves me right the D40 requires AF-S lens for the AF to work) maybe someone else can shed some light on that. The digital "crop" also helps to add more "zoom" compared to that of the 35mm film cameras/full frame digitals

The 80-200mm f2.8 is a great lens as well although more costly and weight a ton compared to the above 2 lenses. Although again you gotta check if it works with the D40.

Like I stated above, all Nikon DX series lenses will work with the D40 as they have AF motors built in. The 70-210 I need to check on, I don't think it has an AF motor. DX means that the lens is built for digital and has the digital crop factored into the lens design as well as a built in AF motor. Sigma again has this capacity as well on all their HSM lenses.

Regarding doublers, not worth your while on the 18-55 lens, they add at least a stop to the lens so it would be exceedingly slow and only get you up to 110mm. I would go for the 70-300 Nikkor lens, any three that are on the market currently. Order of preference is VR, non VR and then the G version, basically the same order as price in a descending fashion. I had a 70-300 Sigma and loved it, but it was soft at the long end.

I switched to the 80-200f2.8 and it is stunning, but it weighs more than your current camera body by about a factor of 2. It is very heavy and I believe it has an AF motor built it, so it should work with the D40. I don't know exactly, never had to worry about it with the D80.

The 70-300VR lens will help with camera blur at the long end, and surprisingly well I might add. The only reason that I did not buy that lens is that I wanted to have the speed of the f2.8.

Check out pbase on the 70-300VR you might be surprised.
http://www.pbase.com/cameras/nikon/af_s_vr_zoom_70_300_45_56g_if_ed There are 7700 photos there from this lens alone to decide from. :smile:

Also, don't worry about the perceived drop in coverage from 55-70mm if you went with the 70-300, it is exceedingly rare that you would need a 65mm focal length and not be able to frame it with the 70mm.

[papasmurf]

Are you willing to buy used?

I would buy used as long as it came from a trusted source .

John do you have one for sale?or that you may consider selling?

To be honest Currently I am just weighing out my options and do not think I would buy another lens until after the holidays unless I find a price that is right of course .



Nick

[papasmurf]

oh and thank you all for all the help. some great information here but I must admit I still feel pretty lost about this









Nick

[SMG]

Used lenses, go to KEH.com or BHphotovideo.com both are trusted in the camera world. KEH's ratings on lenses are usually way worse than the actual lens itself will be when it arrives.

What photography are you looking to do?? Do you want to image wildlife at a distance, sports, candid portraits, spy on the neighbours?? Looking at what your goals are and discussing it with others will help those with the experience to point you in the right direction. You say you still feel lost, all the jargon is a bit intimidating, so I would suggest that you hold off on a lens purchase until you have invested some time learning what it is that the terms mean. Once you understand that it is like being able to know the difference between best badger and Mountain White Silvertip, just by looking at them.

The local camera shop here has a 1/2 back guarantee within a year. If you purchase a lens, and it doesn't suit you or your subject matter preferences shift, then you can recoup 1/2 the cost of the new lens when traded in within a year. Good deal if you ask me, heck I have used it a couple of times already. Do go to your local camera shop, don't be embarassed to ask questions and ask to try different lenses. That is the only way to know what suits you and your budget.

If you have specific photography questions you would like to ask, feel free to email me or pm me. There is no such thing as a stupid question:smile:

Cheers,
Sean

[letterk]

I had typed up a nice long post on a variety of lenses, but just realized you're talking about the D40, which only works with the newer lenses. i.e. there is no internal motor drive in the D40.

[mpakosta]

In reading all the previous posts, I think you need to ask yourself what are you going to use the lens for. After answering that question, you can begin to define your search. Lenses that are great for portraits are necessarily suited for nature photography or vis versa. I think its important that you identify your need first and then look for the lens that will meet that need.

[2bits]

This is not exactly an answer to your lens question but ...

Look into the Fuji S6000fd camera (under $300 ?)
It's a 1 lens camera but it goes from wide angle to 10x
and will take great pictures of (almost) anything but the back side of the moon.

You can compare the performance of the Fuji lens with the more expensive SLR's -

here ...

http://www.imaging-resource.com/DIGCAM01.HTM

[-Devil-]

which ever you decide to go with i reccomend checking out the price here

http://www.keh.com

they sell new and used equipment ... for great prices ... never have gotten a bad piece from them ... and they are honest on their rating of the quality of used pieces ...