Beginner Newbie lenses

Froggi

Froggi

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Chris
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Hi all.... SWMBO kindly gave me a combined birthday/Christmas pressie of a chunk of cash and with her mothers (The Dragon) cash gift and some from myself, I managed to get myself a D7000 after a little advice from my talented cousin..... Now I'm seking advice re additional lenses.... I got a Nikkor AF 50mm 1.8 D to start off with.... On a fairly strict budget so looking at used items more than likely.... Any fairly sensible input is welcomed... Cheers in advance
 
You need to decide. The prime lens that you have will no doubt be nice and sharp and have good bokeh. You're next lens, depending on what it is probably will compromise in certain ways.

There are 4 types of lens that you could get;

Another prime (35mm maybe)
Standard zoom length (say 18-55mm or similar)
Zoom lens (70mm - 200/300mm)
Super zoom (18-270 or similar)

What do you want to use this other lens for?
 
Looking at doing a bit of a mix of stuff really..... Some action stuff (bike track days), bit of wildlife, shooting (guns etc), landscape, some family shots (new grand kids you see).. so as I say, a real mixed bag... Cheers for the swift response... I'm impressed as it's my first photography forum
 
It's a busy forum froggy!

The classifieds are a bit away for you yet though. Minimum post and time frame on the forum.

Apart from the bikes you could cover the other subjects with an 18-50/55 or similar (don't know Nikon though) you'd want something longer for the bikes I'd imagine, so a compromised super zoom or 2 lenses. Welcome to the world of buying camera gear!

Are you new to photography I.e do you know what apature is for example and what the 1.8 on your lens means?
 
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Yeah I guessed that Welsh..... and I understand re the min posts etc so willing to wait and get stuck in.... The 18-55 option is what I was looking at for the next addition anyway but needed a little confirmation I guess.... The other lens options are worth looking at now I know what to look for.... And finally (phew!!!) yes I am a total numpty when it comes to photography.... I'm trying to find my way around this camera but getting nowhere fairly quickly... got the manual and Nikon D7000 for Dummies to help nurse me through as far as I can without further input.... I might be looking at a basics course to get me somewhere up towards speed even using the auto function
 
Wow - a new camera user who's actually going to read the actual manual. I'm genuinely impressed. Seems to rarely happen. Ask as many 'stupid' questions you want on here, there are lots and lots of very knowledgable people to answer them (it's just un fortunate that you managed to get me, the 10th least knowledgable person on TP answering your thread!)

As you're getting started I'm sure the cheap and plentiful kit 18-55mm kit lens will get you going for starters. The canon version 2nd hand is cheap as chips.

Just remember the jump isn't from Auto to Full Manual. There are lots of other shooting modes in between that will give you lots of control.
 
You are learning to use a camera. Calm down about lenses for the moment. Learn to judge light, both in terms of 'seeing' it and in terms of the mechanics of how a camera records it, and the limitations of that. Or you can just take snapshots, but a compact camera would've sufficed for that, wouldn't it?

The parameters of exposure come first. For subject and framing, a fixed focal length lens is a good discipline. Take it slowly (ie don't get carried away with the fantasy that more shopping will make you're pictures better .. shopping can so easily become a form of task avoidance).
 
Hi

Welcome to TP.

As above posts use what you have and learn the basics before buying more lens.

When ready for the mid zoom option I was suggest saving up for a used Tamron 17-50 non vc as opposed to getting the 18-55. For a cheap zoom the 55-200 is a good value for money lens, if you want to spend a bit more the 70-300 is better but is also heavy.

I have had the Nikon 18-70 on the D90 but since I have bought the tamron it is always on the camera.
 
Morning people.... Many thanks for the responses... Man, I am impressed.... I've taken what's been said/posted, onboard and will keep my more serious cash in my wallet until I've gained a lot more experience/shots under my belt.... It's maybe time to get some ancillaries I think cleaning/care kit, camera bag (the camera doesn't like being stuffed into the little bag I got for my Fuji bridge camera), maybe even a filter or 2 to play with at a later stage and maybe a flash of some description... Once again people, thank you and any other comments re beginners kit would be welcomed unless there is a section relating to this.... Oh and I forgot to mention previously, I'll be doing some video capture too, single person subject talking to camera... Cheers
 
Hi Froggi. Welcome aboard. Kev mentioned a couple of nice lenses there. The 17-50 Tamron is great but might be more than you want to spend right now. If so, go for the 18-70 Nikon used. It's a gem among kit lenses in that it's quite fast aperture wise, good build quality and very decent IQ. Shouldn't cost much more than £70 for a nice used one.

Alternatively, just play around with the 50mm for now, some never take that lens off their camera.
 
Your 50mm is a great lens, but fairly restrictive in terms of focal length. On a crop body like yours it doesn't give you much room for framing subjects. Since your just starting off I think you just need practicality, nothing that over complicates things. Id recommend buying a Nikon 18-135mm, it'll give you great framing freedom and once you spend some time with it you will be able to see what you want out of a lens. An 18-135mm shouldn't cost more than £100, and if you want to stretch your money a bit further try pick up an 18-200mm VR, which has the added benefit of extra reach and image stabilisation.
 
Hi Froggi,
Lenses can be expensive things, so I'd recommend you play for a while before you spend. Find an understanding mate, try your local camera club, who may have some you can borrow/beg, or you can hire them - plenty of places rent out lenses for the weekend. Or for a really cheap option, nip into your local camera shop and try a few out. It's just an opinion, but personally I don't think you should buy a lens until you can say to yourself "I want this kind of lens, and this is why I want it".
 
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