Telephoto

<p>I just got a Nikon D3000 I would like to buy a telephoto or zoom lens for it. I need some advice and details and what kind of price I should pay. Thanks</p>

<p>You may check prices and what is available at</p>

<p>www.keh.com</p>

<p>or the B+H Photo or Adorama camera store web sites.</p>

<p>Without knowing how much budget $$$s you have, it would not be useful to suggest a lens that you might find good. You also need to explain what you generally shoot or plan to with a longer-reach lens. [And your D3000 instruction book will let you know if you need a AF-S lens for auto-focus, or if your new camera will take a older Nikon AF lens.]</p>

<p> </p>

<p>the 55-200 VR lens is a good companion to the kit lens you got with your D3000. good quality, not expensive -- it makes a good first telephoto zoom. if you're feeling a little more adventurous, the 70-300 VR lens is another worthy candidate, IMO -- and one i use myself.<br>

both of these are "slow" lenses, however. they aren't particularly well suited to photographing in low light. if/when you decide that has become a priority, you're taking about a lot more $$$.<br>

good luck!</p>

<p>You can get 55-200 for quite a low price on ebay (150 bucks) you can also check out Nikon 70-300 for 300-400 dollars.</p>

 

<p>Thank you for the help. I would like to take wildlife photos. I went to keh.com they have many lenses. I am thinking i'll spend about $400.00 can anybody recommend a lens at that web site?</p>

<p>You will need at least a 300mm lens for what you want to do. That's about the minimum. See if you can find a used Nikon 70-300mm VR somewhere like KEH or E Bay.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<p>For wildlife, I would go with the <a href="http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Camera-Lenses/2161/AF-S-VR-Zoom-NIKKOR-70-300mm-f%252F4.5-5.6G-IF-ED.html">70-300mm/f4.5-5.6 AF-S VR</a>, which is more like a bit over $500. By no means that is an ideal lens for wildlife photography, but it is good enough and more or less fits into your buget.</p>

<p>There are seveal versions of the Nikon 70-300. Make sure you get the AF-S VR version. The others will not AF with your D3000.</p>

<p>If you check B&H's web site. that lens is $540 (Nikon USA version) when you add that to the shopping cart.</p>

<p>I found the 70-300mm VR on ebay thru Cameta Camera for $479. New US version in Oct.</p>

<p>I bought a refurb 55-200mm VR from Cameta on ebay for $150 and it's a very nice compact lightweight lens with a good zoom range. Might be a good place to start.</p>

<p>Your autofocus options are EXTREMELY limited since you can only autofocus with AF-S lenses on your camera. You may as well start with the Nikon 55-200 VR AF-S. Practice manual focus to see if you can get good at it. Then you could consider a used Nikon 180/2.8 ED for under $400 at keh.com or a used Nikon 300/4 non-AFS for around $500. Another good option for manual focusing on a tight budget is the Nikon 70-300/4.5-5.6 ED (non-VR) available for under $120 at keh.com.</p>

<p>A nice little research tool is the list of lenses at Nikonusa.com. It very clearly lists which current lenses are AF-S and which are not.</p>

<p>As an amateur (I surmise that from your selection of an excellent lower-end amateur --not pro-- camera), you should most likely ignore all advice that suggests a non-AFS lens for your camera. It is unlikely that you will be satisfied with manual focus, few amateurs (including myself) are that happy with a lens like that is only Manual Focus.</p>

<p>So... If you can stretch your price range, you want the 70-300 AF-S VR, or for much less, the excellent DX 55-200 AF-S, also the one with VR. You might be very happy with either lens.</p>