A lens for each critique section on TP? (Nikon)

[Daysleeper40]

Hi All,

I currently have the following:

Nikon D60
AF-S 18-55 VR
AF-S 55 -200 VR
SB-600 Flash with TTL cord
Raynox 150 & 250 close up lenses
Polarising filter

I received the camera and kit lens (with fliter) as a gift in August 2009 and it has taken me this long to accumulate the rest... I am notoriously bad for dithering and also often feel bad about spending lots of money on myself (and by "lots" I mean more than about £150). BUT I have now got to the point where I really feel I need to expand my kit. I thought it might be an idea to make a wishlist so that when I see something second hand I know whether to snap it up straight away.

I enjoy photo trips to the zoo / wildlife and macro but I'd like to try other things too so I thought a good place to start is list the subjects of the critique forums and lenses that would be advisable alongside... would anyone like to give me a hand?

Nature - I'm thinking AF-S 70-300 VR ?
Birds - as above or a longer zoom?
Landscapes & Scenery - No idea :shrug:
People & Portraits - replacement for kit lens? AF-S 35mm? (see macro)
Transport - No idea again...
Motorsport - Not something I see myself doing but would the 70-300 work again?
Macro & Closeup - a lovely Tamron 90mm... and if I can get one that auto-focuses on the D60 maybe I could use it for portraits too?
Nude & Glamour - I think I rule this out...

So from the above I seem pretty set for the macro and nature stuff but I'm a bit stuck for Landscapes & Scenery and People & Portraits...



EDIT - realistic budget for any one item is approx £300

 

[Flash In The Pan]

You could get away with a 70-300 VR for any of those sections (perhaps with the addition of a close-up filter for "macro" work), but you won't find one for £150....

 

[Daysleeper40]

You could get away with a 70-300 VR for any of those sections (perhaps with the addition of a close-up filter for "macro" work), but you won't find one for £150....

I don't mean that's all I will spend - that's just where my comfort level for "gifts for myself" is... I have to really talk myself into anything more

As per edit to original post - realistic budget for a single lens is £300.

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Still the 70-300 VR then, although you might not notice a huge difference in reach between the 200m you already have and the 300mm...

 

[Daysleeper40]

Still the 70-300 VR then, although you might not notice a huge difference in reach between the 200m you already have and the 300mm...

Ah... I might be looking for something a little longer then - or would a teleconverter be a good idea?

 

[Nawty]

I have the 55-200VR and the 70-300VR and they are both nice lenses but £300 is a LOT of money for an extra 100mm in anyone's book. Image quality of both is similar (70-300 is a bit better but not massively so).

The only obvious thing you're missing is a lens for low light, on the D60 your choice is basically the Nikon 35mm 1.8, which isn't long enough for portraits...

Alternatively, you could look for a UWA, my Sigma 10-20 is my favourite lens.

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Ah... I might be looking for something a little longer then - or would a teleconverter be a good idea?

I don't think you'll find anything much longer either new or used in with your budget (I could be wrong though).

As for putting a tc on the 70-300 VR, yes, you can do it, but unless you're working at high isos (1600+) and in bright sunlight it'll be a waste of time. The viewfinder will be almost black and you'll probably lose autofocus.

 

[Daysleeper40]

I don't think you'll find anything much longer either new or used in with your budget (I could be wrong though).

As for putting a tc on the 70-300 VR, yes, you can do it, but unless you're working at high isos (1600+) and in bright sunlight it'll be a waste of time. The viewfinder will be almost black and you'll probably lose autofocus.

That ISO just isn't going to work with my D60 - I hardly ever go above 400 and that is pushing it a bit.

Hmmm... am I now over-thinking the 70-300 too much. Will it give me enough reach for "proper" nature photography or am I going to have to up the budget (I can - just means I will have to save up for longer)?

(Thanks for the help btw Graham - I appreciate it)

 

[Nawty]

For printing normal size shots I'm happy to use ISO1600 on my D60 (just make sure you expose it properly). That said, for critical birdie shots you do lose a bit much detail.

"Proper" nature/bird photography requires fieldcraft as much as kit, that said 300mm is probably the minimum you'd ideally want but you can get perfectly decent results with 200mm.

 

[Suvv]

The problem with this is that you need different lenses for each category depending on what you want to achieve.

Take portraits - do you want head shots? head & shoulders? 3/4 length? full length? environmental portraits?

See what focal lengths you normally set your existing lenses to and take it from there.

 

[Adey]

Seems like with your current kit, all that is missing is the long end and as previously mentioned - a low light lens. I dont think you'll find both features in one lens for your budget though, so i think you are going to have to decide between the two tbo.

But unfortunately its all down to you really, it depends on what you want to shoot. Its hard to decide though when your not sure what you want, people who dont know tend to have what you have (and me too) so they can shoot almost anything with reasonable results. But you are now at the stage where if you want to improve quality, you need to be sure about what it is you want to shoot. Or at least what aspect of your photography is the most important to you. Only then can you decide what focal length you need and whether you can afford the 2.8, 4 or the 4-5.6 variant. But like previously said, over 300mm is pricey even without a wide aperature.

Ade