Nikon D90 Glass/Lenses/Primes?

Krydel

Krydel

Messages
112
Name
Ollie Adams-Liggins
Edit My Images
Yes
Just under 2 weeks before i go out and buy my D90 for my birthday :D (very big hole in my bank account on its way, but im sure the debt will be worth it :naughty:)

Few things before i go ahead and buy it though.

Obviously, it comes with the 18-105mm VR lens, which, judging by the price increase from body to bundle, they add £150 on top of the body for.

For this £150, can i grab an alternative lens than the 18-105mm?? I'm a bit of a VR fanatic so not sure if i can get a better lens for this sort of price.

Whilst im here, does someone mind explaining to me what the term "Glass" means when referring to photography, and of course, why a Prime lens is any better than a zoom lens. Can't be the most practical thing known to man?
 
It's six of one and half a dozen of the other - they seem to do around £160-170, secondhand on Ebay, so you wouldn't be losing out if you bought the kit and decided to sell the lens later on.
 
Also, as a prime lens is built around a single focal length compromises have not had to be made in the design process when taking into out the zoom range. This usually means that even without the added bonus of low-light abilities and DoF, image quality should be superior to a zoom. This is questionable however in some of the big brands top end zooms at present (Nikon 14-24mm, 24-70mm being two examples).

Also some believe, and I have a tendency to agree, that primes have some way of improving your photography skills as you are more often looking for different compositions due to a primes restricted focal length.
 
CyBeRkId2002 said:
Also some believe, and I have a tendency to agree, that primes have some way of improving your photography skills as you are more often looking for different compositions due to a primes restricted focal length.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I have a 28mm prime and I love it. Some of my best photos I've ever taken have been with that lens.
 
I'm using the D90 too and well the question is what do you plan to use the camera for? For £150 the choices are limited. The 18-105 is a great lens to use on the go, as it gives you a good range for landscape, streets and people alike. Also, I love VR, so that's a plus.
Because it's a consumer level zoom lens, you cannot expect the same image quality that you would get from a prime (fixed length) or from much more expensive fast zooms. But I find the picture quality to be pretty good indeed. And the VR gets you shots that you might have missed with a non-VR prime.

That said, if you are after the best image quality _and_ like the challenge of having to move around to frame your subject, you could sell you lens and go for a prime. There are two you could get for that money, the 50mm/1.8 or the 35mm/1.8 DX. Personally I catch myself having the 35mm on my camera most of the time, even though I lug around five other lenses. It's a good frame even on DX, the picture is sharp and at f1.8 very fast too. No VR though, but that's not so bad at 35mm. The 50mm is very nice for headshots I find, but if you want the whole body on the shot I find you have to move too far back, so I prefer the 35mm. I think you get it for around £180 new. The 50mm goes for something like £110, so is even cheaper. Both are excellent, with the 50 being a real bargain.

Now if what you are after is _one_ lens to do it all, and you don't mind a bit of distortion at the ends, you could save up a bit and get the 18-200 VR (VR II soon).

The possibilities to empty your wallet are endless :)
 
I also like the 18-105.....its a great lens and I think produces very good quality images....its not up to a prime standard but I dont think there is much to beat it at this price point considering its features.
 
Yup if in doubt definitely buy the kit. Like the others said you can sell it later for the price of the kit, plus a similar lens new would set you back something like £250 i'd say, so it's a good deal.
 
The 18-105 VR is a good everyday lens, I was happy with mine, but then got the 18-70 - no VR but sharper and can get to f3.5.

A good kit lens though and you wont lose much if any money if you decide to sell a month or 2 down the line.
 
The 18-105 vr is an ok lens, but I do find the image quality just ok as well. I find I am using my 50mm 1.8 and my 70-300 vr more at the moment. Looking to get a 35mm prime or a tamron 17-50
 
whitevanman said:
The 18-105 vr is an ok lens, but I do find the image quality just ok as well. I find I am using my 50mm 1.8 and my 70-300 vr more at the moment. Looking to get a 35mm prime or a tamron 17-50
Click to expand...

Just "Ok" oh, what is wrong with it?

Btw, does the D90 Body from a retailer JUST the body or does it have straps, software, leads etc.
 
Ok well i figure its a no brainer if i can basically make my money back on that lens later if i wish to sell it so im going for the kit.

problem is, where is cheapest? :/ Camera price buster says currys with that £50 off deal, i tried that today but it doesnt apply because its for home deliveries only and the d90 isnt available for home deliveries. Phoned up to ask why and they were like "it just isnt" :bang:
 
The D90 has been on my list too, it looks like it's just gone up in price though by about £50. Amazon, Argos and a few others were doing it for £750 with the 18-105 a couple of weeks ago, not anymore though!
 
Northstar100 said:
The D90 has been on my list too, it looks like it's just gone up in price though by about £50. Amazon, Argos and a few others were doing it for £750 with the 18-105 a couple of weeks ago, not anymore though!
Click to expand...

I know!

I can't think why it would suddenly go up like that. Obviously, the current financial/economical climate doesn't help the situation, but come on! banks are making profit now! (news 4tw)
 
I have had the D90 for about 6 months and its a great camera, I had initiallly the kit lens off a D40 which was very good to say how cheap they are ( i think it was a 18-55mm) I then got the 70 -300mm vr lens which is excellent , I have since bought a faster 17-55 lens, and to be honest they have all been good.....got mine from park cameras by the way. So really a lens/ lenses that cover up to 300mm means your equipped for most situations. Next purchase will be a prime.
 
I recently entered the world of photography with a D60 (body only), bought a 55-200mm and an 18-55 mm. The naivety in me meant I never saw the point in buying a fixed lens, zoom was always going to be better.

Two months of learning and reading later and my two prime lenses mean that my zoom lenses rarely get a look in. I love them. Having said that, the 70-300mm Nikkor lens is great, I tried it last week. The kit lenses are nothing more than adequate in my own opinion.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top