Nikon lens help.

[kenny_cho]

Hello

I?m new at photography and need some help. I?m looking a building a Nikon

system from the D80 and need some help with selecting lenses.

 

1.Is the DX 18-70 f/3.5-4.5 a good kit lens to start with? Or would the DX 18-

135 f3.5-5.6 kit lens be better? Would the quality of the shots be the same

within the 18-70 range?

 

2.For taking shots of my baby girl (having good boken ? blurred background) is

the 50 1.4 a good choice? And is there much of a difference between the 50 1.4

and the 50 1.8? Is it worth the additional cost?

 

3.If I decided to go the 50 1.4 (question 2), how would you compare it to the

60 2.8 macro? A friend suggested that it maybe a more versatile option for

me. It would be great to have the option of taking macros but would I loose

to much in the main reason I wanted the 50 1.4 (good shots with blurred

background)?

 

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[michael s.]

I have and use both the 18 - 70mm AF-D and the 50mm f/1.8 AF-D on a D70. In my opinion, the 18 - 70mm is a very good walk-around lens, and the 50/1.8 is one of the best current $100 lenses available on this planet. (To me the additional light-gathering ability of the 50/1.4 was not worth the extra money.)

 

Haven't tried the 18 - 135mm, but from what I've read it is not thought to be "better" than the 18 - 70; it's just longer.

 

Since you mention that you're just getting started (I was there ... not that long ago), I agree with what appears to be your strategy of getting only a couple lenses at the outset. That will enable you to take many photos and begin to determine where your interests lie.

 

Good luck, and have fun.

[CharlesBecker-Toronto]

I agree with Michael; the 18-70 and the 50mm f1.8 are a good pair of lenses to have. regards, cb

[eye-of-searle]

When I bought my D80 a few months back I tried the 18-135 and the 18-70. I went with the 18-70. Here's why. To me, the 18-70 had a much better feeling zoom and focus rings. Much smoother. The 18-70 also seemed to lock onto focus a lot better than the 18-135. The 18-135 just seemed to hunt a lot more. The 18-70 also has a metal lens mount where the 18-135 has a plastic mount. Overall, the 18-70 just seems to be built better. In terms of image qaulity, the place I tested the two zooms was not really a good environment for image testing so I don't really have first hand knowledge. But, form what I have read, the 18-70 has better image qaulity. I have been very impressed with the 18-70 so far. Especially for the price.

 

50 1.8 vs. 1.4? I don't really think the 1.4 is worth the extra money compared to the slight difference is qaulity. The 1.8 is an awesome lens and a steal at about $100.

[ilya_l]

3. Most lens selection questions come down to what you're going to shoot and your budget. The 50mm and 60mm lens you mention give you different kinds of creative control. If you're into portrait photography then being able to open your 50mm lens to f/1.8 or f/1.4 will be very valuable. I am also an amateur and most of my favorite pictures were taken with 50mm at apertures less than f/2.8. However, if you are more interested in macro photography then 60mm is your lens.

[bms]

Kenny,

I agree that the 50mm f/1.8 is probably the way to go, unless it does not really matter for your budget. I bought the D80 recently and went with the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, which I think is a very nice zoom, a little faster (and more expensive) that the Nikon 18-70 DX /3.5-4.5 kit lens you mentioned, however you may have to conisder something like a 70-200mm later on... I now purchased the 50mm f/1.4, but almost wish I had gotten the f/1.8 and saved the $170 or so....

[henryberkins]

for a bit different approach, if it were me, id go with the 50/1.8 and a telephoto(200-300mm range) then you have a great 50mm normal lens for whatever purpose it would be required for, and a telephoto for long shots/tighter crop/flat perspective/shallow DOF and lots of creative possibilities, andreas feingner emphasizes the use of a telephoto for compositional purposes and its effect on your pictures.

 

dunno just my thoughts

 

chris

[rene gm]

The 50mm 1.4 lens is not a good choice for baby shooting. Babies are three dimensional and you will get a very shallow DOF with that lens wide open. So, you will want to stop down, and as a result, you could as well use the 18-70mm. Actually, I know very little situtations, where this lens is useful, when used at 1.4.