Nikon D90: which lens(es)??

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tirnanog

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I am about to change from an Olympus E500 twin lens kit to a Nikon D90. This comes with a new 18-105 as a kit £150 extra alternative, but I am wondering whether I should buy the body and invest in:
Nikon 18-70 f3.5-4.5 (£165-£170)
or
Nikon 18-55 f3.5-5.6 VR (about the same price)
or
???

I am open to any other suggestions. With the body at about £600, I have a top budget of about £1000, but that to include immediate things like cards (change from CF to SD), filters and a battery pack and hopefully a telephoto at a later date.
Thanks.
 
The 18-105 is garnering praise as a pretty fine image stabilised standard zoom - if you can live without the maximum aperture, I'd say stick with the kit lens. It's a more modern version of the 18-135, also a praised lens; the VR mechanism meant shaving 30mm off the longer end. It's not a 24-105L, but then it's also not £650 either...

Both these lenses, and the 18-70, are related to the 18-200VR in more ways than one - similar initial body designs, same initial length. The major difference is that the 18-105 has a plastic mount, which by camera snobbists is considered somehow inferior [and yet the camera itself is made o' the same stuff, and it doesn't break that easily... go figure..]

If you're after reach, and don't want to go the 'all-in' 18-200 route [which is expensive but worthwhile in Nikon guise], then you'll end up getting a longer tele zoom [like a 70-300] anyway, so I'm guessing every mm past 70 will be ultimately wasted. It's nice to have a little extra overlap; never know when that shot appears, but is just a little further away...

Some options for you, all staying on the cheaper side of mucho-$$$:
18-55VR and 55-200VR
18-70 and 70-300VR
18-105 and 70-300VR
None of these options is 'cheap'; but you're buying a D90, not a D40, not a bridge camera, all of which would do it cheaper..

Alternatively, a more expensive setup...
17-70 f/2.8-4 Sigma [Great lens] plus 70-200 f/2.8

Really just depends on your target interest and your exisiting lens setup, if you have any Nikon gear..

BTW, check out photozone.de and slrgear.com for more lens tests. Also, the oft-controversial Rockwell pages are worth a read. I like the guy, not afraid to speak his mind...
 
Danbroad: thank you for your very helpful reply. I am a relative newby to "serious" photography and do not own any Nikon gear.
I have looked at the photozene and Rockwell web sites and found them useful.
Thanks again.
:)
 
No trouble. I figure that the 18-55 and 55-200 will be about £150 + £119 [check camerapricebuster.com], the 18-70 and 70-300 will be £165 + £275, and the 18-105 and 70-300 will be £150 + £275.

The 55-200 will be cheapest, but if you feel the extra reach is essential, the 70-300's got a great reputation. Always budget for a 'nifty fifty' in your case aswell [let's say £60-ish]...

All in, should be well under budget.
 
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