low light for D80, and where?

<p>Hello, there, I accidentally won Nikon D80 on ebay - as a replacement for my D40x, that I sold the same day. So, the competitive advantage is .. more available lenses on my plate. Considering money is a concern, what would be a good F2.8 lense? If there are inexpensive F1.4 - I would consider that as well<br>

I already know about 50mm F2.8 for some $105. Is there zoom lens for a low light, that is not going to hit the wallet too hard? I have the 18-55 kit that I kept from D40x.<br>

Also another question. If anyone from NYC know a store where to buy used/older lenses? Where one can hope for some honnesty from the sellers? Not that I have a bad experience, just don't want to buy someone's garbage. Maybe a NJ or Long Island or nearby Connecticut? For a reasonable break in price I can drive some 2 hours. </p>

<p>"what would be a good F2.8 lense?"</p>

<p>That depends on what you like to photograph. Many more choices on the wide angle side, fewer as you get to the tele side. As for an 'inexpensive f/1.4 lens', I wouldn't call any of them inexpensive but cost is really relative. Many, for example, think the 50mm f/1.4 is well worth the extra cost. </p>

<p>" already know about 50mm F2.8 for some $105...."</p>

<p>I think you mean the f/1.8, not 2.8.......</p>

<p>"Is there a zoom les for a low light, that is not going to hit the wallet too hard?"</p>

<p>Don't know what 'too hard' means but the Tamron 17-55mm f/2.8 is about $400US new I think, maybe less. Many manufacturers have rebates going on for certain lenses.</p>

<p>"If anyone from NYC know a store where to buy used/older lenses?"</p>

<p>If I were lucky enough to live in NYC, I would check out B&H and Adorama. Both sell used lenses. However, I would take in my own camera body to test any lens. Each company may use different standards for what they consider EX+, for example.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Low light, zoom, and not expensive are normally not all in the same lens. I think you can have two out of the three, but not all.</p>

<p>It also depends on what you would consider low light, or as many call them, a "fast" lens. For a zoom, you will not see much faster than f2.8. Which is slow, for some primes. I would love to have a 80-200mm f2.8 of any age, but I can't justify the cost. On the other hand, I got a 28-85mm f3.5-4.5 for $110. The 75-300mm is cheap too. I think the older, "one touch" 80-200 AF f2.8 goes for at least $400. But, is f2.8 good enough for the low light you shoot in ?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>From the pictures you publish and supposing that the kind of photography you are in is landscape (urban) it may be better to consider a tripod as a competitive advantage. Not even a f1.0 or larger :-D will give you as much. Learning to live with a tripod will require a lot of time and effort. I forced myself a long time ago to always work on a tripod. Now it is almost natural. Go for a Chinese one, they are almost as good as the more expensive Gitzos and Manfrottos for a fraction of the price and btw a bit less expensive than a relatively fast zoom and the price point is around 200/300$.<br>

But if the pictures you display are not representative of your aims then, well, maybe a nice investment could be to sit down and ponder what exactly you want to do before buying hardware of any kind.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I'm with Bruce Margolis - you are going about this the wrong way. You need to be specific about what purpose you require any lens for, not simply purchase a lens for it's large maximum aperture attributes.</p>

<p>On the D80, try starting with a 50mm AF-D 1.4mm lens - the 'fastest' mid range lens for the price. I always have mine in my camera bag. There are plenty of 2nd hand offerings to be found worldwide. Adorama is a p.net partner so one would surely expect honesty from this particular seller.</p>

<p>KEH is a good place to purchase used lenses. They have a return policy which I have not had to use. The prices may be high but you get more than you pay for IMHO. I suggest you decide on a focal length and see what lens speeds are available. Sigma makes a 30mm f1.4 and 50mm f1.4. Nikon has a 35mm f2, 50mm f1.8 and different 50mm f1.4's available. Bang for the buck would be the 50mm f1.8. For a fast normal zoom I suggest you look at the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8</p>

<p>Funny, .. I didn't even notice that I haven't uploaded any of the actual SLR taken pictures here.<br>

The ones on my profile are taken with a old point&shoon Olympus C5000, many years ago, and don't really show what I want to do now, except maybe the subject itself. But I try a lot of things, .. urban, street, landscape, and a lot of concert photography. So .. this concert shots, is really where I wanted to get an edge on "fast" zoom lens. I think the Tamron 17-55/f2.8 is the one that I was considering and thinking that I will go with it. </p>

<p>Thanks for the advices. Will do some thinking on it.</p>

<p>the tamron 17-50 is an excellent concert/live performance lens, i use that, the sigma 30/1.4 and the sigma 50-150/2.8 for my "event kit" with a d300. you'll need the BIM (built-in motor) version if you want to AF on your d40x.</p><div></div>

<p>used a sb-600 for the above pic but it's pretty good @2.8 w/ no flash too.</p>

<p>The Tamron 17-50 was the lens that I bought when I got my D80, and it is a great lens for the money. My Dad since "inherited" the D80, but I kept the Tamron. New it is ~$400 but you can probably find it used for cheaper. B&H on 34th has some used stuff but they are not super cheap. Look in some local camera stores - I picked up a superb MF 105mm f2,5 for $75 locally the other day, bargained down from $130. But fast zooms (read f2.8) will always cost you. Your best cheap bet would be the 50mm f1.8.</p>