kristie_larsen Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 I am planning on buying the new Nikor D80. I didn't realize there are so many different options is lenses. Can you tell me which one is the better? Does one lens do something better than the other and vice versa? I've been told the Nikkor is the better one...but does the Quantaray offer options that the Nikkor doesn't? Is there a better one than the Nikkor? Thank you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drj Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Nikon makes lenses, Quantaray is Ritz Camera's house brand, they put their lens brand name on Sigma lenses. Do yourself a favor and stick to Nikon lenses. It isn't as bad these days with the APS crop using basically the center of the image circle, but a Nikon lens is still a better lens. Having now said that, the "kit" lens that came with my wife's D50, the 18-55 probably isn't much better than any aftermarket lens. Be careful of a "kit" lens, it is menat to be a way to offer the "outfit" at an attractive price. Buy the body only, then look for a decent used Nikon zoom here on photo.net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd peach seattle, washi Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 The sales-dude who is telling you the Quantaray offers other options is likely looking to pocket a $15 commission for pushing the Quantaray over the Nikkor. That isn't the same as saying the Quantaray is crap, it just might be illuminating to you as a consumer. I sold camera equipment retail to work my way through college, and the 'higher margin' items generally put money in my pocket if I could move them along. Each individual sales-dude had to find his own 'balance point' for pushing profit vs. perceived quality. Most of us tried to figure out if a customer was a 'one shot' (never see them again) or if we could develop a relationship that might be profitable over several years. If they were clueless and seemed like 'one shots', you pushed them on the high margin (cheap) stuff. If they seemed more discerning, you led them to the better quality stuff, regardless of profit. An 'ongoing relationship' with a customer is profitable in a different way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_ Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 For the non-Sigma users:<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramon_v__california_ Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 kristie, get the D80 with the 18-135mm kit lens. it will be worth your money. jerry, i'm happy with my sigma 10-20mm also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john schroeder Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Quantaray is to optics like Velveeta is to cheese. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericreagan Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Kristie, <p> I'm assuming if you didn't realize that there were several lens options that you are new to the SLR/DSLR world. If you're just getting started, please get a good book to go along with it. Try <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?link_code=ur2&tag=cyclingshots-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&location=%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2F0817463003%2Fsr%3D8-1%2Fqid%3D1156044966%2Fref%3Dpd_bbs_1%3Fie%3DUTF8">Understanding Exposure</a> by Bryan Peterson. Additionally, consider purchasing you gear from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?link_code=ur2&tag=cyclingshots-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&location=%2Fs%2Fref%3Dsr_nr_i_1%3Fie%3DUTF8%26keywords%3Dnikon%2520lens%26rh%3Di%253Aaps%252Ck%253Anikon%2520lens%252Ci%253Aphoto%26page%3D1">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/">B&H</a>, or <a href="http://www.adorama.com/">Adorama</a>. I've never been to pleased with the prices and advice I've received from my local Ritz Camera folks. If this is your first DSLR there's no reason not to go with the kit lens, learn your camera, learn photography, and decide what you need later when you know what you need. <p> Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbs Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 If you decide to get a Quantaray lens and then change your mind, be aware of their very poor resale. Just check eBay to see for yourself. I will say however that Ritz is good about their return policy -- if you buy new and return (in new condition) within 30 days, they will give you a refund. It is a low-risk way to check out these lenses for yourself as long as you are careful to not damage them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mendonphoto Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 My friend got an 28-200mm Quantaray lens almost for free when he bought his first film camera used (tells you about resale value). The optical quality, surprisingly, was not terrible, but the lens was definitely NOT a true 28-200mm. It was more like 28-120mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicaglow Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Hi Kristie, If you're not going to buy Nikkor lenses for your new Nikon, you might as well buy a Canon. Quantaray offers products for that camera as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas_green1 Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Sigma makes some very nice lenses, but they do NOT put the Quantary brand on them. They only put the Quantary brand on their cheaper lenses. The Nikkor will surely be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fk319 Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 When I bought my N80, I have since bought a D70, I bought two cheap nikon zoom lenses. I think I spent about $200 for both. At the time I could not tell the difference between them and a single $1000 lens. It took about 6 months for me to be able to shoot pictures better than the lens. I have replaced only one of the lenses. I am not suggesting that you get the cheapest lens, I already did that. What I will suggest is that you get the kit lens, and the Nikkor 50mm/f1.8 The 50mm/f1.8 is just over $100 US and opticaly one of the best Nikon makes. These two lenses will take you a long way in learning how to take pictures, and to better understand why lenses cost what they do. -- Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristie_larsen Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 WOW... Thank you all for your quick responses. I've definately decided to go with a Nikon, Nikkor Lens. The tough part now is figuring out which type of Nikon lens. For now, I want one that I can take good Macro pictures, as well as have a little zoom. Then later on down the road I'd like to get a large zoom (400mm Plus) for when I go on a safari (ONE DAY!). There are so many different lenses, it's such a tough choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penmachine Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 As mentioned, Quantaray is Ritz Camera's Sigma re-brand. I've had good luck with a couple of Quantaray zooms, one manual focus Nikon-mount 28-200 mm I bought in the early '80s and which was stolen in 1991; and a similar, autofocus 70-210 mm I bought in 1995 for my F601 and still use on my D50. (It is better than the earlier lens.) For the money (quite low) they perform extremely well, and I would recommend them over the low-end lenses from Nikon (or, presumably, Canon, Olympus, Pentax, et. al.), which tend to have a price premium just for the name. The Quantaray/Sigmas, being consumer- grade, are not as good as the higher-end lenses from Nikon and the others, but you wouldn't expect that at the price anyway. I also second the recommendation for the Nikon 50 mm 1.8 fixed (non-zoom) lens. When I first got into photography, cameras came with 50 mm lenses instead of zooms, and I think that was a better idea because they work better in low light (wider apertures) and can be better built for low cost -- Nikon's 50/1.8 is especially outstanding, and extremely well priced. I would actually recommend that instead of a zoom, until you get a sense of which zooms might do you better. Keep in mind that a 50 mm lens is a mild telephoto on Nikon's digital SLRs, rather than a normal lens as it was on 35 mm Nikons, so you might need something else for wide-angle shots. But, compared to the low-end kit Nikkors, the Quantarays are nothing to sneeze at either. I just bought a 24mm Quantaray "Tech-10" (no idea what that designation means) from eBay, and we'll see how that does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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