Which zoom

JayJay

JayJay

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Jon
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I'm looking to add more reach to my D5100 kit.

For similar money I'm undecided between the Nikon 55-200 VR or a Tamron 70-300 macro.

I don't know whether to go for the longer length and macro facility of the Tamron or the vibration reduction of the Nikon, albeit it with less reach.

The third option of course is to wait and save a little longer for a 300 zoom with VR but that means being stuck with my 18-55 for longer when I want to be out getting shots.

I gues what I'm really asking is, if I go for the Tamron, will I find myself really hampered by lack of VR? I know it's nice to have, but how essential is it?
 
Hello Jon,

What are you shooting? This would help us with what lens would suit you and if or not you would need VC or VR.
 
Hi Aaron,

Erm as I'm a bit new to SLR photography, I haven't really pinned down a particular kind of subject yet. Ptobably try and shoot all sorts for a while. Sorry I know that's not very helpful!

I might use it for a spot of wildlife but the first use I have in mind is for a day of motorsport in about 3 weeks, which is why I want to get a lens sooner rather than later.
 
Oh I should add, I do have a decent tripod, and will probably take a monopod to the motor racing.

I also fancy taking some moon shots - I've seen some others at 300mm which look pretty good. Obviously VR or VC won't be needed for that.
 
That's ok, welcome to The DSLR world.

If you are going to shoot Motorsport I would rule out the Tamron, you want something that will focus fast.

If you budget allows or you can save for abit I would get the Nikon 70-300 at around £420 it's abit more but that way you have the extra reach for your wildlife shooting and Motorsport.
 
Aah I hadn't factored in speed-of-focusing.
Thanks Aaron, that's given me some more info to help me decide.

Unfortunately with holidays and stuff coming up, the 70-300 is out of my range for a while - certainly for the rest of the summer and I don't want to restrict myself to the kit lens for that long.

The Nikon 55-300 VR is quite a lot less than the 70-300 - that might be a more realistic option at the moment; how do the 2 Nikons compare?
 
I've had the 55-200 vr and I've now got the 70-300 vr

the 55-200 is an excellent lens and produces excellent results

I wanted the 70-300 purely for the extra reach and waited till I saw it on offer, IIRC I paid about £280 for it new on the Argos ebay site, full warranty etc

TBH the IQ on the 70-300 is slightly better but they're not miles apart in my opinion
 
I might be wrong as I'm a Canon user but I think the 70-300 has a bigger elements and IF- internal focus

I should think the 55-300 would be fine for what you want.
 
I'd go for the 55-300mm and start a little pot growing to fund something when you /if you find anything you can't do with the 55-300mm. VR definitely worth having at this length.
 
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