Advise on Lens for D80


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kzone

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Oct 18, 2004
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Hi guys,

I've been reading around the forums for advises on lens but couldnt find something accurate enuff to enlighten me on this issue...

my questions :

1/ In what circumstances is the aperture on D80's kit lens (AF-S DX 18 - 135 mm F3.5 - F5.6G ED) not big enuff?

I understand that bigger aperture allows for lower ISO & shutter speed when lighting is poor... but under what circumstamces or places would the D80 kit lens be not enuff & a bigger aperture lens wud help?

2/ Wat's the max aperture recommended for a group photo (2 rows) in a badly lit place so dat the the DOF wud still be acceptable?

3/ Wud a big aperture generally more useful in a wide or tele lens?

This wud be my 1st DSLR purchase so wud like to minimise the "risks" of buying the "wrong" lense...
 

just buy it and use it first, upgrade later when you know what you want.

big aperture is used for less dof
shoot hand holding in low light situations

the only non risk lens to buy is right at the top end and that would cost more than the D80
 

get the Nikkor 18-200 VR ^^ works really well for general hand-held photography
 

the only non risk lens to buy is right at the top end and that would cost more than the D80

Wahzzz... your words very harsh but very effective :D. Hits the point.

Actually, you should pick a lens tt suits your shooting style.

E.G. if u love to shoot pictures without flash, you might find a 17-55mm F2.8 very useful. But of course u lose your DOF.

E.G. if u love to shoot landscape pictures, a 10 - 22 mm F3.5-4.5 is great... their sharpness would most likely be better.

Because each lens has its sweet spot and its characteristics.

To start off a kit lens should be sufficient .. as you go on.. maybe u want to excel it certain areas.. and your gear will most likely evolve the the type tt suits ur liking.

But most impt of all.. you must look at ur budget. if not later u just BBB:devil:
 

Yes, i love to shoot pictures without flash. & also wide sceneries. It seems that the Kit lens (18-135 F3.5 - F5.6G ) is like neither here nor there... not wide enuff & aperture not big enuff.. & i dont need the tele length for now. The 2 lenses Prolos3r mentioned seems to be perfect for my needs...

but the $2K+ for the Nikon 17-55mm F2.8 DX is too ex. Can I get a similar spec lens at a cheaper price?

& I cant find the 10 - 22 mm F3.5-4.5 in the Nikon price list. How much is it?
 

but the $2K+ for the Nikon 17-55mm F2.8 DX is too ex. Can I get a similar spec lens at a cheaper price?

There are 3rd party lens available, Sigma / Tokina / Tamron that have a similar range / specs. ;)
 

There are 3rd party lens available, Sigma / Tokina / Tamron that have a similar range / specs. ;)

But their built and quality might be slightly compared to the Nikon.
They also have a lower resale value :thumbsd:

Buy what you can afford ba. Enjoy photography instead of getting pictures tacksharp. :D.
 

17-35, 28-70 and 70-200 are basic lens for your D80...
 

1/ In what circumstances is the aperture on D80's kit lens (AF-S DX 18 - 135 mm F3.5 - F5.6G ED) not big enuff?

sports/action photography, taking pictures of birds. [Edit: oops. i thought you said "not long enough". When is it not big enough? When lighting is poor = indoors. Outdoors, even during dusk, is brighter than indoors (most houses) and at night even a f1.2 won't help. so.]

I understand that bigger aperture allows for lower ISO & shutter speed when lighting is poor... but under what circumstamces or places would the D80 kit lens be not enuff & a bigger aperture lens wud help?

almost all the time when you're indoors.

2/ Wat's the max aperture recommended for a group photo (2 rows) in a badly lit place so dat the the DOF wud still be acceptable?

you need a flash.

3/ Wud a big aperture generally more useful in a wide or tele lens?

always. It's always useful.

This wud be my 1st DSLR purchase so wud like to minimise the "risks" of buying the "wrong" lense...

decide on what you want to shoot, -then- decide on what lenses to buy.

And - since you're new to this, why the D80 in particular? ;)
 

17-35, 28-70 and 70-200 are basic lens for your D80...

Not very basic.... :sweat:

These are the best of lenses around for Nikon. When you really want basic, then get the 18-135 (kit lens) start with it... and learn with it before you decide to get other lenses
 

And - since you're new to this, why the D80 in particular? ;)

Thanks for ur answers... I was open to only Nikon & Cannon initially when I started to look for an SLR after using a prosumer for abt 2 years.... Handling wise I prefer to Nikon to Cannon. So cannon is out. Looking through the Nikon range, I targetted the D70s few mths back. Then the D80 came out, went to have a feel of it, feels nice in my hand & I luv the big viewfinder. After reading about it, I feel that the selectable auto ISO & adjustable Noise Reduction is nice to have. The in camera retouching is no big deal but a nice feature over the D70 especially since I'm used to having that in my Nikon 8400. Other than that, reviews says the D80 is capable of producing better pics than the D70 (but whether I can do so is another matter ;) )

I also considered Pentax K100D & the eagerly anticipated the K10D. But after looking at the pics of K100D & lately, K10D I prefer the d80 ones...
 

Thanks for ur answers... I was open to only Nikon & Cannon initially when I started to look for an SLR after using a prosumer for abt 2 years.... Handling wise I prefer to Nikon to Cannon. So cannon is out. Looking through the Nikon range, I targetted the D70s few mths back. Then the D80 came out, went to have a feel of it, feels nice in my hand & I luv the big viewfinder. After reading about it, I feel that the selectable auto ISO & adjustable Noise Reduction is nice to have. The in camera retouching is no big deal but a nice feature over the D70 especially since I'm used to having that in my Nikon 8400. Other than that, reviews says the D80 is capable of producing better pics than the D70 (but whether I can do so is another matter ;) )

I also considered Pentax K100D & the eagerly anticipated the K10D. But after looking at the pics of K100D & lately, K10D I prefer the d80 ones...

Good reasons. Go for it!

The only thing i will say is that unless you want to buy now now (and it's reasonable to want to do that) it might be interesting to wait for k10d reviews. There are also quite a number of k10d sample shots out - see if you like them: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1036 Note that both pentaxes also have auto ISO and selectable NR.
 

When you really want basic, then get the 18-135 (kit lens) start with it... and learn with it before you decide to get other lenses

Let's say I get just the D80 body. With the money I saved vs getting a kit lens, are there better lens out there? especially those with bigger aperture? I dont mind sacrifising on the tele aspect
 

Let's say I get just the D80 body. With the money I saved vs getting a kit lens, are there better lens out there? especially those with bigger aperture? I dont mind sacrifising on the tele aspect

If i was going to get a nikon, the lens which I find REALLY attractive is the 18-200. It's slightly better than the kit and will work pretty well (and has a great range) for all conditions except for low light shots where there is movement, where it's probably best to complement it with a 50 1.8 or 50 1.4.

In low light with no movement, the 18-200 still does pretty well - you gain 3-4 stops because of it's VR...
 

Let's say I get just the D80 body. With the money I saved vs getting a kit lens, are there better lens out there? especially those with bigger aperture? I dont mind sacrifising on the tele aspect

as mentioned...can try these 3 lens...17-35, 28-70 and 70-200...cannot go wrong one...
 

as mentioned...can try these 3 lens...17-35, 28-70 and 70-200...cannot go wrong one...

no point buying so good lens and dun understand the meaning of aperture size and the technicalities and theories behind it.

:dunno:

buy and use the kit lens first. understand the theories and decide later.
 

Actually I'm hoping that the price of D80 will have a similar drop.. Will only get the cam in Jan/Feb so still got time to wait...

as mentioned...can try these 3 lens...17-35, 28-70 and 70-200...cannot go wrong one...

Yeah, these wud be really good but too ex ah. will prob reach 8K for these. Hmmm... good things are never cheap... sigh...
 

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