What are the cheapest professional grade zoom and prime Nikon and Nikon fit lenses?

miurasv

miurasv

Messages
339
Name
Steve.
Edit My Images
Yes
As per title. I prefer to buy higher quality items rather than cheaper higher spec products. Applying this philosophy to buying lenses what are the cheapest pro grade zoom and prime Nikon or Nikon fit lenses. Thanks in advance.
 
Put this in the wrong forum. Sorry. Please can a Moderator put it in Talk Equipment. Thanks.
 
What are you planning to use the lenses for - better to decide what focal lengths you need and find the best lens that suits, rather than buying glass just because it's "pro".....
 
Agreed you need to decide your choice of subject, but a general coverage from Nikon would be 14-24 2.8 £1300 24-70 2.8 £1100 and 70-200 2.8 £1400. That covers general use but if you decide to specialise you need to look again.
 
As others have said, you really need to decide focal length first...

primes wise the 35mm f2, 50mm f1.4 and 85mm 1.8 (or 1.4 ;)) are all excellent lenses for the money, all capable of yielding professional results but if the focal length doesn't suit then they are no use to you at all!
 
IMHO there is no such thing as "professional grade" - plenty of Pro's use cheap and cheerful kit, and plenty of amateurs use lenses that are so-called "Pro"

Don't get hung up on labels, and look at the focal lengths you need, not price tags.
 
Thanks for your replies everyone. Most helpful. You're all right of course, I do need to decide the focal lengths. To be honest I haven't got a clue as I haven't really started using the camera yet. After listening to your advice I should buy some of the better value stuff that the pro's use. All the lenses I have at the moment are Nikon zoom 18 - 70 DX, 18 - 200 VR and 70 - 300 VR. Is there a prime lens that stands out as being a top performer that people generally find a lot of use for?
 
miurasv said:
Thanks for your replies everyone. Most helpful. You're all right of course, I do need to decide the focal lengths. To be honest I haven't got a clue as I haven't really started using the camera yet. After listening to your advice I should buy some of the better value stuff that the pro's use. All the lenses I have at the moment are Nikon zoom 18 - 70 DX, 18 - 200 VR and 70 - 300 VR. Is there a prime lens that stands out as being a top performer that people generally find a lot of use for?
Click to expand...

Again, there are short primes and long primes, just depends on what you want to do and depth of your pockets.
 
Then if budget allows 50mm 1.4 AF-s should do you.
 
I will start this by saying everyone has different taste blah, blah, blah, but the one lens I am constantly amazed by in terms of suitability on a crop camera is my 35mm f2. In my eyes the focal length is quite simply perfect for day to day, inside and outdoor shooting. It just seems so effortless to get nice shots from it and is a joy to use. It really is rarely off my camera any more.

A few samples here
 
id go 50mm f1.8. extremely sharp lens and a good cheap starting point. hardly a 'pro' lens, but the image quality is more than excellent and perfectly suitable for professional use.

what do you not like over your current zooms? is it sharpness? build? apeture? speed of focus?
 
So 35 or 50mm. Just rang my local shop and the 50mm f1.8 does seem fabulous value at only £115 new. As I'm so tight I think I might have a look around for a mint and boxed used one. The 1.4 was abut £400? Is there much difference in performance?
 
£400 for a 1.4 is over priced. You'll find for £300 if you try. The 1.8 is as much as you'll need for now anyways

Hugh
 
You know what the best thing to really do is in your situation? Use the lenses you have - they're all pretty decent and when you start thinking "I wish I had a bit more reach" or "I really could have done with another stop of light there" then start looking for new glass.

Otherwise you'll end up spending lots of money on stuff you'll never use....
 
Flash In The Pan said:
You know what the best thing to really do is in your situation? Use the lenses you have - they're all pretty decent and when you start thinking "I wish I had a bit more reach" or "I really could have done with another stop of light there" then start looking for new glass.

Otherwise you'll end up spending lots of money on stuff you'll never use....
Click to expand...

Very good advice Graham.
 
Excellent advice. Thanks a lot, everyone. FITP, you're absolutely right of course. I just want to try a prime to see what they are like as I'm very inqusitive at the moment so will look for a mint used 50mm f1.8 so I don't lose any money. You guys have saved me a bundle so thanks again.
 
If you want to know "what it's like" to use a prime, then why not tape up your zoom @50mm and then the next day @35mm and go or a walk, or wherever you go for most of your photo's.
I sometimes stick the 50mm on the D700 and go for a wander and it's surprisingly versatile. I also use my 17-35 like a 17mm pime :LOL:
You wouldn't get the fast aperture DOF but it'd give you an idea of framing your shots without a zoom.
 
cyclone said:
If you want to know "what it's like" to use a prime, then why not tape up your zoom @50mm and then the next day @35mm and go or a walk, or wherever you go for most of your photo's.
I sometimes stick the 50mm on the D700 and go for a wander and it's surprisingly versatile. I also use my 17-35 like a 17mm pime :LOL:
You wouldn't get the fast aperture DOF but it'd give you an idea of framing your shots without a zoom.
Click to expand...

Good idea. I want a prime to see the better image quality over a zoom lens.
 
miurasv said:
Good idea. I want a prime to see the better image quality over a zoom lens.
Click to expand...

Not all primes have better IQ than zooms. It really is best to do your research once you've decided what focal lengths are for you.
 
sdb123 said:
Not all primes have better IQ than zooms. It really is best to do your research once you've decided what focal lengths are for you.
Click to expand...

But wouldn't generally a good prime offer better IQ over a good zoom?
 
miurasv said:
But wouldn't generally a good prime offer better IQ over a good zoom?
Click to expand...

Depends what you define as 'good'. :)

I'm not being difficult however as mentioned earlier in the thread, you really have to mention specific lenses as opposed to generalising.
 
sdb123 said:
Depends what you define as 'good'. :)

I'm not being difficult however as mentioned earlier in the thread, you really have to mention specific lenses as opposed to generalising.
Click to expand...

I do need to try one so I can take on board the pluses and minuses to know what focal length I really want. When I have learned (a lot) more I can come back and ask about more specific lenses then.
 
If you like quality kit, how about a Nikon 17-55 2.8 and just ditch the 18-70 and 18-200? It will be a good partner to your 70-300 VR and with a decently big aperture you might never want for anything further. I have sold all my fast primes as I never used them, prefering to increase the ISO a notch if needs be, or use flash. But that's just me.

Playing with primes is an expensive game, and don't expect a massive hike in image quality with them (or even a small hike). The main point of buying primes these days is to get a very low f/number, like f/1.8 or f/1.4 - those extra two stops of light really stretch lens design. That is their great virtue but unless you intend to use them wide open, there is really little point in having them.

If you want to have a bash with a prime, a 50 1.8 is a very low risk choice, and they make good portrait lenses on crop format (if not much good for anything else IMHO). More generally useful is 30-35mm on crop format with is about the same field of view as you'll remember 50mm was on your film cameras. Nikon have recently introduced a 35 1.8 which seems to be very good, and reasonably priced.
 
Thanks Hoppy. Under what circumstances do you need the low f number? Please excuse my ignorance. The 50 1.8 and a 35 1.8 sound interesting as they are well priced. How much roughly does a mint used 17 - 55 f2.8 go for?
 
miurasv said:
Thanks Hoppy. Under what circumstances do you need the low f number? Please excuse my ignorance. The 50 1.8 and a 35 1.8 sound interesting as they are well priced. How much roughly does a mint used 17 - 55 f2.8 go for?
Click to expand...

Don't know bud, but not cheap. It's a quality lens ;)

The only thing that a low f/number can do which cannot be done in any other way, is shallow depth of field. If that's what you want, fast primes are the only way.

Of course a low f/number is also very useful in low light, but you can tackle that with higher ISO, or with the help of image stabilisation, or by using flash. However if these options are not appropriate, as is often the case, then a low f/number is essential for low light also.

Primes are also really nice to use, with a bright viewfinder image and more accurate focusing (due to their shallower depth of field). You change framing using the time honoured 'foot-zoom'. If this way of working appeals to you then you will love primes, but for me they're just a PITA. For most other folks too, but some people swear by them and each to their own :)
 
Jeez, just looked up the price of 17-55`s..........:eek::eek::eek:


Glad I got mine a while back...."smug".
 
Yep they've been steadily rising for a while.
That's why I went with the Tamron, but I only get f/4 at the 'long' end. :crying:
 
Glad I got the Siggy when I did, £3000 more now........:eek:

I firmly believe that we are having our trousers taken down by the manufacturers,the price of lenses is ridiculous now.Even the prices on the bay are OTT. Picked up a good,reasonably priced 120-300 though.

Guess i`ll stick with what I have now.
 
HoppyUK said:
Don't know bud, but not cheap. It's a quality lens ;)

The only thing that a low f/number can do which cannot be done in any other way, is shallow depth of field. If that's what you want, fast primes are the only way.

Of course a low f/number is also very useful in low light, but you can tackle that with higher ISO, or with the help of image stabilisation, or by using flash. However if these options are not appropriate, as is often the case, then a low f/number is essential for low light also.

Primes are also really nice to use, with a bright viewfinder image and more accurate focusing (due to their shallower depth of field). You change framing using the time honoured 'foot-zoom'. If this way of working appeals to you then you will love primes, but for me they're just a PITA. For most other folks too, but some people swear by them and each to their own :)
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for taking the time to explain the above to me, Hoppy. There's a lot to take on board. As I am an admirer of well built products, this is why I asked what the cheapest pro grade prime and zoom lenses are as the ones higher up the pecking order, and more costly versions, are going to be (even more) wasted on me, at the moment, but I will try and learn.
 
As others have posted the Nikon 50mm 1.8 is a cracking lens for the money. Argos are selling them for £87.99 which is nay a bad price for this lens! 2nd hand examples go for not much less, another beauty of owning this lens is that it's value never really goes down all that much so if you come to sell it you won't lose a packet - http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5560466.htm
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top