Beginner upgrading lens advice please

jordanogrady

jordanogrady

Messages
881
Name
Jordan
Edit My Images
No
Hi all,
I have a nikon D40 camera, and i'm looking to upgrade from the stock lens.
I currently have 18-55 on at the moment and use this as an all round lens. I also have a 55-200 VR for zoom, and a 35mm for messing with too.

So its just the 18-55 that I could do with swapping really. I was looking at the 16-85mm lens, but not sure if this is a good purchase or not, http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/73720/show.html

I would just like a decent lens, but i'm no pro so nothing megga bucks! £300 ish.

The 18-55 doesnt have a massive amount of zoom and feel's a little cheap.

Any advice would be fab.

Thanks in advance.

Jordan.:)
 
Honestly? keep what you've got.

The lenses you have make a perfect partner for your camera and offer a good all round combination of specs that should cover most situations.

If you want to upgrade then IMO you should really be looking at something with a constant 2.8 aperture.
 
Nawty said:
Honestly? keep what you've got.

The lenses you have make a perfect partner for your camera and offer a good all round combination of specs that should cover most situations.

If you want to upgrade then IMO you should really be looking at something with a constant 2.8 aperture.
Click to expand...

Cheers for that, but its the standard stock lens that doesn't seem to be good enough, most of the time I dont want to carry all the lenses with me, so just wanted to get 1 that will cover most bases.

I know what you are saying that I have a good set, and I do agree that if i took all my kit out with me I'd be able to cover most situations... Hmmmmm
 
Well...

If you really want better build quality and a bit of extra reach then the Nikon 18-70 is a cracking lens, as is the 18-105 VR, both of which you can pick up for £120ish 2nd hand. In fact, since getting a 18-105 I hardly use my 55-200 at all.

Be aware though that these lenses are much heavier than your others and will compromise the balance of your camera. That's why something like a Sigma 18-50 f2.8 would be good.
 
I just bought an 18-105 from this forum. Can be had for less than £150 and offer twice the zoom of your current lens. I did have an 18-200 once but sold it when I realised that I virtually never went over 100mm. I always thought that the pics from my 18-55 (non vr) were sharper anyways but that's a different story.

Other options include Tamron 17-50 and Sigma 18-50 /17-50. I'd say don't agonise over upgrading decisions too much. The difference between the pro glass and the amateur/hobbyist is far greater than the difference between the lenses at the lower end of the price scale. Have you thought about perhaps a flash or other types of accessories? A tripod or filters instead?

I was seduced by the upgrading bug until I got the lenses I was after and quickly realised that my photography skills didn't improve!
 
Thanks for all your comments.

Yeah I was also considering a flash, and maybe a gorilla pod, then I can go out and try some long exposure shots if I find a fence or something!

I know what you mean about the upgrade thing... I've just got it in me head that the standard lens could be better, thats all. I dont need loads of zoom, just a decent all round lens. I only picked the 16-85 because it seems to have a large scale, to be able to take shots at 16mm then also zoom a little more than the kit lens that was all.

Choices choices!

Jordan
 
Although a little flimsy, the kit lens has great optics so I wouldn't worry too much about that (at 18mm it's better than the 18-105, for instance).

If you're ever going to take photos indoors then a flash is a great idea - once you've tried bounce flash you'll want to use it all the time.

£350 (going rate for a 2nd hand 16-85) is a lot of money for 2mm at the wide end - if you want wide angle then get a proper wide angle lens.

Be aware that with anything other than a lightweight lens a Gorilla pod will be useless - you'd be better off using your bag or a jumper to rest the camera on.
 
Nawty said:
Although a little flimsy, the kit lens has great optics so I wouldn't worry too much about that (at 18mm it's better than the 18-105, for instance).

If you're ever going to take photos indoors then a flash is a great idea - once you've tried bounce flash you'll want to use it all the time.

£350 (going rate for a 2nd hand 16-85) is a lot of money for 2mm at the wide end - if you want wide angle then get a proper wide angle lens.

Be aware that with anything other than a lightweight lens a Gorilla pod will be useless - you'd be better off using your bag or a jumper to rest the camera on.
Click to expand...

Ok so i'll be better off with the kit lens to use a gorilla pod..
What flash do I want to be looking for then as a beginner.

And i've no idea what bounce flash is. suppose i'll have to have another read lol

All the gear no idea! That's me!

Jordan
 
park cameras have the 16 - 85 at £399.......

Been looking at this lens as an upgrade for my 18-105 kit lens, wish it was a bit cheaper
 
StevenFullerton said:
what about an 18-200mm ? saves you having to carry around multiple lenses.
Click to expand...

Was gonna say the same - sell your kit lens and add the dosh to your budget & you should be able to get one for around the £350 mark give or take (early version that is & not the VRII)
 
StevenFullerton said:
what about an 18-200mm ? saves you having to carry around multiple lenses.
Click to expand...

This does sound like an option.... Could this replace my kit 18-55 and my zoom lens? That way it could be more affordable...

Would it cover the range of shots i'm likely to take. Holiday portraits and so on...
 
jordanogrady said:
This does sound like an option.... Could this replace my kit 18-55 and my zoom lens? That way it could be more affordable...

Would it cover the range of shots i'm likely to take. Holiday portraits and so on...
Click to expand...


Yes it would replace the two kit lenses you have....
 
have a look here pixelpeep and this will give/should you an idea.....
 
Thats great info! Looks like this could be the lens I need! Trade in my other two, and put some cash towards this one!

Jordan
 
jordanogrady said:
Is it a far better lens than the 2 I have?
Click to expand...

Yes.... As it will do exactley the same job (but a whole lot better) as having both but without having to change lenses....
 
Last edited:
Cheers mate, I will do some searching for a 2nd hand one now....

Is it a heavy lens? Will it be too heavy for a gorilla pod?
 
jordanogrady said:
Cheers mate, I will do some searching for a 2nd hand one now....

Is it a heavy lens? Will it be too heavy for a gorilla pod?
Click to expand...

It will be around the same as the 55-200mm you have... If you look on the joby website it will tell you which gorillapod you will need by inputting your camera & lens....

I would doubt it... But like I said above have a look on their site & input the details....
 
jordanogrady said:
Cheers mate, I will do some searching for a 2nd hand one now....
Click to expand...
Good decision! The 18-200 is a great general purpose lens that will match up well with your D40 and will probably be a keeper if you upgrade to another body.

jordanogrady said:
... Is it a heavy lens? Will it be too heavy for a gorilla pod?
Click to expand...
Not paricularly ... but you might go for the gorilla pod SLR-Zoom, which will also stand you in good stead for future upgrades.

Good luck ...
 
Trig's said:
It will be around the same as the 55-200mm you have... If you look on the joby website it will tell you which gorillapod you will need by inputting your camera & lens....
.
Click to expand...

No it won't, the 55-200 weights naff all - the 18-200 is a beast and totally unwieldy. To be honest, the 18-105 is too much for a D40 (well, it was for my D60) and I really think an 18-200 would be way too much.

Also, on pure image quality, you'll get better results from your current lenses - the 18-200 is about convenience, not IQ.
 
The 18-200 is a good lens in terms of not having to change, but not sure its that great sharpness wise. The best IQ lens for your budget would be Tamron 17-50 2.8 or 28-75 2.8 or the Nikon 18-70 which is a cracking lens and around £120 SH.
 
In defence of the 18-200; review.

I can think of many lenses that deserve the description 'beast' but the 18-200 is not one of them. I've used it happily on a D40 and it still does a job on a D5000.
 
There seems to be some quite mixed ideas with the 18-200 lens....

Not sure what to do!
 
jordanogrady said:
There seems to be some quite mixed ideas with the 18-200 lens....

Not sure what to do!
Click to expand...

As a travel or all in 1 lens, cant be beaten. But you should get better IQ with the 2 Tamrons, or the 18-70, plus the Tamrons are better if you need to go with a higher shutter speed or have low light or just be more creative.
 
Lots to consider huh?! Remember at least that whatever you buy secondhand, you will be able to sell on here for not much less than what you paid. Makes choosing less worrying (incase you are worrying).
 
The answer is, go to a shop and try them. Any photography shop will let you take your body and take some shots - that way you get a feel for the handling and can see if the IQ is up to your standards.
 
Nawty said:
The answer is, go to a shop and try them. .....
Click to expand...

VERY TRUE......tried a Nikon 70-300 VR yesterday on my D5000

>personally< found it too long/heavy for me [with Dupuytren's contracture in my hands] pity as a cracking lens

If you ever find the zoom you do choose makes the camera front-heavy,
i fitted a cheap but efficient Hahnel battery grip to my D5000 and it balanced the camera well - plus added some weight which helped me hold the camera steadier
 
No i'm not worrying, i'm just not very good at making decisions! LOL

I was thinking the same, nipping to jessops and trying the lens out! BUT with my knowledge at the moment, I probably wont have much of a clue to be fair, thats why i thought i'd ask the experts on here :-)
 
jordanogrady said:
I was thinking the same, nipping to jessops and trying the lens out! BUT with my knowledge at the moment, I probably wont have much of a clue to be fair, thats why i thought i'd ask the experts on here :-)
Click to expand...

to be honest, with manufacturing R&D all about the same level, whichever zoom you buy - at a reasonable price - will do the job

but "feel" may indeed be the deciding factor as I found with the 70-300
 
Yeah thats why I thought i'd nip into the shop to have a look at these lenses. I'm not after loads of zoom, just a little more than what the kit lens offers. If the 18-200 feels like a good quality lens, then that may be the way forward. If it has a plastic light feel, I may not bother.

Jordan
 
jordanogrady said:
....If the 18-200 feels like a good quality lens, then that may be the way forward. If it has a plastic light feel, I may not bother. .....Jordan
Click to expand...

let me know what you think as I cannot find one locally to try ....:thumbs:
 
Nawty said:
Did you try them?
Click to expand...


I went to pc world, curry's and comet and they didn't have them in, the 18-55 vr looks better than my 18-55 lens.

Like someone said earlier, if I get a 2nd hand lens to try, I can re sell it later without losing too much.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top