Beginner Lens advice

Bazz

Bazz

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Barry
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I would class myself as dare I say a holiday time photographer at the moment although when I’m taking photos I always think I should do this more often. With that in mind, I treat myself to a Nikon D7500 this year along with a Nikon 18-300. I had a recent holiday in Alaska looking forward to taking loads of really good photographs but when I took the lens out of the bag, it was coming away at the point of the focus ring therefore I could not use it or the camera. The lens is back with John Lewis to see if it can be repaired or replaced. So as to not be in the position again of not being able to use my camera I bought a second hand Nikon 16-85. Not sure if it was the right lens to buy but there you are. So, mention earlier looking to get more involved with photography in general not wanting to be classed as one who takes certain photographs I’m looking at a Nikon 10-20 which may give me a good range of lens? Any advice for this novice at the start of hopefully a good journey?
 
I am quite impressed with the tamron SP 24-70mm f2.8 DI VC USD G2 ( nikon fit). the image stablisation is amazing , of course it all depends on hoe much you want to spend on a lens as this is not exactly cheap
10mm is a wide angle and if taking a photo of say a building you more than likely find the sides bending in at the top like this

DSC_1712.jpg

that was with a 12-24mm nikon lens so a 10-20 will bend in even more. The 24-70mm range is far more useful and worth considering
 
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realspeed said:
I am quite impressed with the tamron SP 24-70mm f2.8 DI VC USD G2 ( nikon fit). the image stablisation is amazing , of course it all depends on hoe much you want to spend on a lens as this is not exactly cheap
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On APS-C you lose the wide end with that lens. Some wont care but the OP might... or might not.
 
I noticed this on Camera Jungle, about £200.00: Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR Lens Black, second hand
 
Bazz said:
I noticed this on Camera Jungle, about £200.00: Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR Lens Black, second hand
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That's a lens I'd pu on for walking round town, taking pictures of buildings, interiors and scenes, or might use it in a landscape to emphasise a foreground.

Outside of travel, what kind of pictures do you want to take?
 
Type of pictures? Don’t want to take anything specific, just whatever I feel like taking
 
Bazz said:
Type of pictures? Don’t want to take anything specific, just whatever I feel like taking
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I'd be able to live with the range of a 10-20mm but you do realise that you're losing a lot off the long end compared to the 18-300mm and even the 16-85mm? You gain at the wide end though.

If it's a good price and you're happy with the focal length range you're getting then why not?
 
It's easy to spend endlessly on kit, but often better to learn how to use the kit you have than keep buying new stuff. FWIW I usually use a 24-105 on full frame, the equivalent of 16-70 on your camera, when I travel (like now). When I'm at home then usually a fast prime lens (fixed focal length) for a different kind of picture.
 
Bazz said:
Thanks everyone for the advice, I can now move on
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Bazz, one thing to think of: most newcomers to photography look only at the latest Nikon lenses but the great thing with Nikon is the mount has not changed for decades on SLRs and DSLRs. As such you have hundreds of very high quality manual focus lenses that can be bought for peanuts compared to the latest AF offerings. If you don't shoot sports or fast moving objects then you have plenty of time to focus manually and can therefore take advantage of some superb legacy lenses. I own 15+ lenses. Only one is AF. The others would all have cost high hundreds or even 4 figures when new and all are still considered some of the best glass available.
 
I have a 10-20mm for my crop camera but I hardly ever use it, I find the 17-50 or 17-70 far more use. I'd miss the long end too much with a 10-20.
 
A 10-20 is a bit of a "specialist" lens. In experienced hands it can be used to produce interesting and creative images - especially landscapes where you want to emphasise the foreground to give a feeling of depth, or architectural interiors where you need to get a lot in.
The 16-85 you have is an excellent all-rounder. I'd be inclined to stick with that for a while until you know where it's limiting your photography. By that time you'll know whether you want to go for a longer, or shorter focal length - or both.
 
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