zoom lens for Nikon D80

for roughly about 6 months, i have been into photography trying to learn about

this and that, but for me, the hardest thing to learn is what makes a good lens

good?

 

i'm still a beginner in the world of photography but i was hoping that someone

would be able to help me find a good/nice zoom lens for my D80.

i currently have a 50mm 1.8/f Nikkor lens but i'm in need of a zoom lens.

thanks.

What do you want to shoot? http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2139

i want to shoot scenary, portrait, landscape, basically, if there is an overall good zoom lens for generally everything, that would be nice. if not, i'd also be interested in leaning to one specific area with a nice zoom as well.

thanks for responding so quickly.

Well then I believe the one I showed you is a good one.

Good lens...

 

1. Sharp enough at most apertures to do justice to the capture medium (whether digital or film) and output medium (whether print, projection or screen display).

 

2. Accurate color rendition.

 

3. Resistance to flare.

 

4. Low distortion (a necessarily flexible criterion for budget zooms).

 

5. Usable without needing a 50 page instruction manual.

 

6. Affordable.

 

A good midrange zoom lens for the D80 that meets all of the above criteria is the popular 18-70/3.5-4.5 DX Nikkor. Quite a bit of barrel distortion from 18-24mm, but acceptable for many purposes.

 

There are better midrange Nikkor zooms, but they cost more. There are faster midrange zooms in this price range, but not Nikkors.

what's wrong with one of the nikon kit lenses?

the 18-70 is highly regarded for its relatively fast aperture, clean optics, metal mount, and dust seals.

the 18-135 adds more reach and some praise its sharpness

the 18-55 has crisp optics and good close-up focusing and easily delivers the most bang for the buck out of any of thexe

and the 18-200 Vr is perhaps the ultimate all-in-one lens

 

looking past the basics, for landscape, a wide angle, ie. 12-24 or 10-20 is nice

for portraits, a 28-70 or 28-75 is about the optimal range on a DSLR

and then there are dedicated portrait lenses, like the 85/1.4 and 85/1.8. but for a beginner with only one prime lens, i'd look at a zoom starting at 17 or 18, like the 18-70. if you're not shooting action or sports or a lot of low-light, it's not bad.

 

ask yourself first, what do you want to shoot. ask yourself second, what's your budget?

I say just buy everything you can and justify it later.

Eric is correct. I have a 50mm prime, and a 70-300zoom, but my Nikkor 18-70mm is the one that lives on my D80. For a general 'work-horse' it is difficult to beat.

.

Surprisingly no one has mentioned the 17-55 or 17-35 2.8

 

I don't think zoom lenses get better than that but they are very pricy. If you are willing to

pay what a good lens costs those 2 are great. I think it would be nice the 17-35 f2.8 (In

case one day you want to go FX) It would pair really nice with with your 50 and if you want

more range later on the 70-200 VR 2.8 that Shay showed you. With those 3 lenses you

would be almost done.

 

Rene'

Joseph,

 

I decided to purchase the 18-200 AF-S f3.5-5.6 Nikkor zoom for my D300 and it has been an excellent choice for a versatile lens. I have had other zooms on my previous film cameras and this one is by far the best for it's sharpness and rapid autofocus. Good luck! This should do fine on your D80.

 

Dick

A beginner? If you can afford the 18-200 VR you'll LOVE it.

 

If you can't afford it, and you can get the 18-70, you'll LOVE it.

 

Wait on expensive lenses like 2.8 zooms till you're no longer a beginner.

Lex has given some very good points. I would add that a good lens allows you to capture what you want to the level of quality you desire. In general that will mean different things to different people. That is some place priority on price or convience or ultimate quality of the image produced. Build quality and speed are other areas to be considered. IMHO the 18-70mm is a very high value if build quality is considered. The 17-55mm f2.8 is better but much more expensive and for me less of a value.

First decide on your needs, wide standard or tele and lens speed. Then set a budget and do some research. www.bythom.com or http://www.naturfotograf.com/ may be helpful. If one of the expensive Nikkor zooms suits your needs and you can afford and want to carry it then there is a very high likelyhood that you will be very pleased. You may want to check out a lense at your local camera store and purchase it there if they provide good customer service. I buy form all sorts of places but I do rate my local camera store highest for service and returns. If you want high quality at a lower price and can change lenses then you might look into a wide or tele prime to pair with your 50mm f1.8. If so consider a 20mm to 35mm prime or maybe the Nikkor 85mm to 180mm tele. Just as an example I use two zooms, 18-70mm and 70-210mm f5.6, and seven primes 20, 24, 28, 50, 85, 180 and 400. YMMV.

Just throwing it out there, but my "ultimate" versatility setup I've just started using is 2 bodies. a D40 with a 10-20 sigma, and a d80 with a 18-200 on it, with a 50mm 1.8 in the pocket.

If I need more portability i just leave the 50 on the D80 and that with the sigma is usually enough for carry around shots. I also have the cheap 28-80G that I put on the D80 if I want portability but still feel I'll need a zoom.

I'll be trying this setup on it's first vacation next week in Disney World.

I don't know what your budget is, but a D40 and 18-200 is a very nice carry around setup. and you have the D80 if you need the AF with the older lenses.

I would recommend the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. It's very sharp, focuses fast, and is a f2.8 lens for slightly more than the 18-70mm Nikon. I have the 18-70mm Nikon, and the 50mm f1.8 Nikon, but my Tamron gets used most.

Nikon 18-70 or

 

http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2143

 

at 1/5 price of the 70-200, and you will take about the same quality pictures and save a $1300.

Joseph.

 

What makes a good lens sometimes veries from person to person. A lens you can't afford isn't good for YOU, because you'll never have one. What everyone seems to want in a good lens, are the things listed in a reply a few posts up.

 

1) Sharp and as little distortion as possible, are my top measuring sticks. The really nice lenses, do this.

 

2) Quality construction. The good lenses work very well and smoothly. They also can take more of a beating than the less than good lenses.

 

3) Speed. It's almost always the case that the lenses that come with f-stops of 2.8 and less, have the 2 items above. ( In the "normal" range, the number is lower. Like f2 and below. But even then, there are exceptions, like the 55mm f2.8 )

 

If you read lens reviews, like the ones listed above, you will see the really good ones show little distortion and can produce VERY sharp images.