Lenses for Nikon D70

[chong_sung_han]

Ok, I have to buy lenses for Nikon D70. However, I am a beginner in

SLR type of camera. I've only used Point and Shoot and some prosumer

highend cameras. So, in terms of lenses, I have no clue how to buy it.

 

There are two types of objects that I like to take pictures of:

sceneries and people. So, I'm guessing I have to get two different

kinds of lenses (although if anyone knows a decent lenses that works

for both please give me a suggestion). I would like to prefer a lense

with good zoom ability and another lense with good wide angle with

good brightness for both lenses. Any suggestion? My questions might

sound retarded and ignorant but please bear with me. Thank you.

[RaymondC]

your not picky so get the kit lens. substantial zoom from wide to telephoto ish. and its cheap would not blow ur wallet being a learner.

[RaymondC]

u want brightness like in low light then get a 50 f/1.8 together with ur kit lense of 18-70mm DX. remember these become 1.5x on the D70 so the 50 = 75mm. great for portraits! that's a $90 lens. its a steal.

 

if u wanna make it a 3 lens. 18-35 and a 50/1.8 and a 70-300/4.5-5.6 ED is not bad.

 

good brightness on all lenses? hmm.. unless you are willing to invest big bucks consider it out. i am assuming u want brilliant pix? then don't worry about u do fine with the above but if u really want lenses that work in low light. well lets say get the 50mm as said and a wide angle zoom low light and a telephoto low light zoom. the zooms would be $1600 each!

[richard_laepple]

Like everthing in life it depends on the budget you have. Fast zooms (e.g. F2.8) are rather expensive. For a beginner I would recommend the AF-S Nikkor 18-70 F3.5-4.5 which is also sold with the D70 as a kit lens. It's a lens for digital and works perfectly with the D70. You can't use it on a film SLR, but if you don't plan to buy a film camera later this doesn't matter. I also recommend a 50/F1.8 prime for available light an portraits. This lens is cheap and fast. You can't get a faster and sharper lens for the same money. I would start with these two. If you think after some experiences you also need a longer lens, I'd suggest the Sigma 55-200 F4-5.6 which is good, cheap and easy to carry. Nikon doesn't offer a zoom in this range at the moment. If you want a Nikon you'd have to go with the 70-300 or the heavy 80-200/F2.8 pro zoom. Remember 300mm is rather long for a DSLR, you'd need tripod.

[EricM]

I'd look for a used AF 35-70 f2.8, great lens for the d70 for a few hundred bucks.

[akira_sasaki1]

There really is no point in getting the 18-35/3.5-4.5 now that 18-70/3.5-4.5 is available. 18-35's huge front plastic blocks the built in flash which is a great way to ruin your photos.

 

Otherwise, I agree with Ray to just get the kit 18-70 as a general all rounder and possibly a 50/1.8 (or 35/2 at >$200) if you want a fast portrait lens to throw the background out of focus.

[chris_leck]

Your questions are good, certainly not retarded or ignorant.

 

To comment on Akira's post: Choose your lenses without regard for the built-in flash. In my opinion, it's for emergency use only. It might be nice to have, but it's extremely limited. Many Nikkor lenses, especially when used with hoods, will interfere with the output of the built-in flash. If you plan to use flash much, you'll want to get a more capable unit, such as the SB-800.

 

You asked for good zoom, good wide angle, and good brightness. As stated, this is a subjective request. Still, along with others, I'd suggest starting with the 18-70mm kit lens. It should be good for a wide variety of scenics and people. I haven't used one myself, but it sounds like a do-(almost)everything lens and an extremely good value -- and I want one myself. You can augment from there -- if and when you determine that you need something more.

 

The 18-70mm probably is far better than what you are used to in prosumer cameras. It does lack the rediculous, but attractive, zoom range of these cameras.

 

Other lenses will be better for low light, shallow depth-of-field, macro/micro, and architectural (or other situations where you need minimal linear distortion). If these aren't problems that you need to solve immediately, don't.

 

Fast lenses (which also provide narrow depth-of-field) generally are expensive and there's a lot of product overlap. It's best to know exactly what you need before spending $1500 on an f/2.8 zoom (just as an example). However, for low light and portraits, the Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8 is a bargain at ~$99.

[brettjohnson]

I have had my D70 for about 2 mths now and love it. The 18-70 kit lens, for me, is a terrific multipurpose lens and is designed for the camera, has a fast focus and is sharp enough for the type people & street/travel photography I do. It does have a little distortion at the very wide end but lenses that don't are very expensive. I am looking however for a longer lens as and to compliment the 18-70 I am looking around at a 70-200 or 70-300. The choices for my budget are the Tamron AF 24-135 or 70-300, Sigma 70-300 APO Super II or a Nikon.

 

I will take my camera to a store soon to try the various options.

 

So to round it up the kit lens is probably the one you should start with and after a month or two you will know more about what you want. I found that I need a bit longer lens than the kit, others will buy a dedicated 50mm as suggested because of it?s portrait quality and that is what they want to shoot. I need a bit more versatility than primes provide, but versatile lenses do not provide the quality that primes often can. But that is not an issue for me.

 

Good luck.

[elliot]

I think it might be a little premature to invest good $ on a set of lenses when you don't know exactly what you're looking for.<P>First, ask yourself how you used your P&S and other cameras in the past. What kind of focal length did you often find yourself shooting at? If you don't know, I would suggest that you get one inexpensive or moderately priced lens, use it for a while, learn how to use it well, and then ask yourself what that lens is missing or how you would like to improve on it. At that point, you should know which directions you will want to go in as far as purchasing glass for your camera.

[elliot]

Then again, you could always just go ahead and buy stuff, and if it doesn't suit you or your shooting style, just sell it.

[sm]

Hi

 

I also have a D70 and a beginner. I thought about buying a lens more suitable for portraits and in-house low light situations. The 50mm 1.8 was my first choice, however the it was not available and ordering one will take a while so I bought the 1.4 instead (200$ plus) and don?t regret it. It?s sharp and takes great portraits at almost any low light situation.

[gogoflash]

Chong Sung Han ssi,

 

I have D70 with 50mm 1.8, kit zoom, and 70-300mm ED lens. I like the kit zoom and I love 50mm prime. 70-300mm ED, I can live without at this time. 50mm is a bargain!! The sensor size makes this into 75mm which I like a lot. Try some prime lens - they give you better pictures in terms of sharpness and color. It focus better too. I find myself using 50mm more than any other lens... since I had a new baby I'm shooting a lot of indoor shots without flash unit. I can't get the same kind of pictures with the kit lens.

I hope this helps. :-)

[joenieters]

You might want to consider the Nikon 28-200G instead of the 70-300 that has been mentioned. I keep the 28-200G on my D70 most of the time and so far I am very happy with it. It seems to be a bit sharper than the 70-300 and the smaller range is a little more realistic in my opinion. I passed on the kit lens and in addition to the 28-200G I added the 20mm 2.8D, 50mm 1.4D and the 105mm 2.8D ED micro. I will probably add a 12-24 next (probably Sigma).

[frank_skomial]

I follow Jeo's recommendation. The newly designed 28-200 mm F=3.5-5.6 Nikkor G, ED, AF, D lens has 3 ED glass elements - 2 more than some ED lenses mentioned here, also has 3 Aspherical glass elements, and has close focus correction. You will not get much better optics zoom for less than extra US$1000. This lens is sharp when open wide, has no distortion. It is smaller and lighter than the kit lens. I also make pictures with 85/1.4 and 50/1.4, and frequently have trouble to tell which lens was used, without looking into recorded picture properties data.

[jsbc]

I think 35mm F2 would be a good cheap alternative to 50 F1.8.

 

The 24mm F2.8 is also nice.

[sandcruiser]

I would look at the 50/1.8, the 18-70G lens, and the 70-300 as an excellent 3 lens kit. The 24 gives you a great 'normal' lens, the 50 a great portrait lens, and the 70-300 a nice zoom that is longer than you'll need. All three are fairly affordable. There isn't much overlap.

 

 

Good luck

Steve