D70 Kit lens alternative for a low budget?

[dabitz]

Hi everyone. I know I will sound like a despearte man, but boy, I am

in a very tight budget. I have learned to hate the D70 kit lens,

after experiencing the wonders of the 80-200mm AFD, and the 50mm 1.8.

I need a zoom lens I can quickly zoom in and out, but I can't afford

1500 on a lens, as I am planning on getting the D200 as a 2006 Xmas

gift for myself. Can you recommend a replacement for the kit lens. I

reviewed the Sigma 2.8 (forgot the specs), but I am sure some of you

have gone through the same situation, and would love to benefit from

your experience. As I learn more and more, I am getting pickier and

pickier with my camera gear, and the kit lens has become a truly turn

off as I find the images way too soft. If you can send some advice my

way, it will be truly appreciated. I shot mostly models and a prime

lens is not an option as I need the flexibility of a zoom

lens.<br><br>

 

Best wishes. <a href="http://www.juelz.com">Dave</a>

[kenneth_rhee]

I think I need more info before I can recommend.

 

Which kit lens are you talking about 18-55 or 18-70. If it's 18-70, I'm surprised at what you are saying about soft images. How are you post-processing these files? What format are you using (RAW, JPEG)?

[leslie_cheung]

SPAM ALERT on link! TROLL?

[cappoldt]

...Santana's Town, your Hip-Hop online portal designed with you in mind. They are proud to bring you the hottest clothing, sneakers, bandanas, accessories, and much more, all within a secure and reliable environment. They are the official site of Juelz Santana!

 

Totally photography-related;)

 

Agreed, we'd need some more info on your plans as well - what are you primarily looking to photograph?

[walterh]

from the website I assume hot chicks ^^

[douglas_green1]

I'd recommend scrapping the D70 and getting a D2x, and go with the Nikon pro glass. The hot chicks you want to photograph can spot the difference between amateur gear and pro gear a mile away, and the really hot ones only pose for the pros.

[malcolm_farrow]

I think there is no clear cut answer on this one. The 18-70, if that's the lens you

use, is a pretty reasonable performer for a budget optic and I doubt that most competing

third party products will offer a noticable improvement.

 

I don't completely agree with Peter. Optical compromises have been made in the design of

this lens (and the 18-55). Distortion and vignetting are issues at the wide end and, in my

experience, edge sharpness is also a little off. However stopping down to F8 improves

things (though the extreme edges remain slightly soft at 18mm) and chromatic aberation

is well controlled throughout the range. By and large, you get what you pay for and pro

optics are 4x the price for a reason - better glass, better tollerances, better durability,

more contrast and sharpness, better controls, faster focussing and faster apertures.

 

However, shoot at middle apertures, use the lowest ISO setting and, most importantly, use

a tripod, and you'll be surprised how good images produced with an 18-70 can be -

almost indistinguishable from pro glass. This is especially true if you address the

distortion/vignetting issues by post processing. Your images will lack that last ounce of

"bite" but should be pretty good, unless you've been unlucky and bought a 'lemon'.

 

I can confirm this from personal experience, having been able to do direct comparisons

between the 18-70 and 17-55. I don't know if the individual lenses were typical (variability

can be an issue with zooms) but, used at its ideal apertures, the cheaper lens wasn't far

behind the pro glass.

 

Bottom line? Make do or save up for the real thing!

 

Hope this helps and good luck!

[ShunCheung]

Well, if you somehow don't like the 18-70mm DX kit lens, which is very good for a $300 lens, cannot afford the expensive > $1000 pro lenses and don't want primes, you have effectively painted yourself into a corner with no good solution.

 

Unfortunately, that link to juelz is not helpful, either.

[dabitz]

I don't understand all the fuzz about posting a link. That is the kind of work I do, it is all over the site, products, models, etc. So it was relevant to my post. Some people just need to grow up. I also meant the gap between 300 - 1000 is a big one, and i can't find anything more reasonable for 500-600. As I said, there is a Sigma 2.8F can't remember the specs, but I have nothing that would tell me it will do a better job than the 18-70 kit lens, besides giving me an extra stop. By the way, I do post processing in both capture and CS2, but I find the kit lens to be soft and very slow.

 

I recommend before you go off at someone, you check out profiles and history. I have been around for a long time now, and never had an issue before. Oh, and also, not all of us were born in The Hamptons and can justify spending thousands on every single camera toy out there. Some of us have to work with a budget, and get the best tools possible with such limitations. Thanks to those who provided a useful recommendation.

[armando_roldan]

Some people just need to grow up.

 

Look in the mirror, dude.

 

I was born on at home to farmworkers. Not the hamptons. I shoot models too and bands and sports and weddings and anything else that interests me but I learn a long time ago not to think I know more than most people I ASK ADVISE FROM. You basically set yourself up for failure here. And trying to flame an admin here isn't going to make you seem as serious as you are taking yourself.

 

Some people just need to grow up