woody_martin1 Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 What prime lens would be recommended for a D 300? I presently own a 24-120 zoom and am not real happy with the sharpness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene11664880918 Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 Woody... AF-S 300 f/4! I love it! But you have to be more specific about it. What do you wanna shoot? Portraits, landscape, wildlife, etc. Rene' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody_martin1 Posted May 31, 2008 Author Share Posted May 31, 2008 I use my camera mostly for landscapes and portraits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breogan_gomez Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 Money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 Which 24-120, the VR or earlier version? For the D300 you should treat yourself to the best you can afford. Got a budget in mind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter_in_PA Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 50mm 1.8 or 1.4 is great for portraits. Landscapes could be anything from 10mm to 200mm. That lens is not the greatest "standard zoom" for that camera I suspect. You should consider looking at the 16-85 VR. All indications are that it is super-sharp and very versatile. If you go with primes, you will be going with a number of them I suspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two23 Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 The 24-120 original version was not known to be sharp. What tripod are you using? If the answer is none, that's your problem right there. As for recommending a so-called "prime" lens, I generally don't. Unless you are talking about shooting macro (105mm VR) or wildlife (300mm f4 + 1.4x) or landscapes (24mm tilt/shift.) You gave NO clue about what you photo or how, so any really specific advice would be totally meaningless. Kent in K.C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rarmstrong Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 For a general walk around lens for my D300, I have the 18-200 VR. This has been a great lens for general use but has some limitations which I've learned to live with. You will hear a lot of mixed comments on this forum about the 18-200. I suggest you take a look at Matt Laur's portfolio and examples with the 18-200. For a "standard" prime I have the Sigma 30mm f1.4. This has been an excellent lens, quite sharp and versatile and very fast. Good luck with your D300...you'll love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyinca Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 Get the new 60mm Macro AF-S ED. If you are not happy with that, your lens problem is else where. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photo5 Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 love my 50mm f1.8 AF-D. It was relatively cheap used at $80, and is sharp and lightweight! Another contender would be my Nikon 28mm f2.8 AIS manual focus prime. It has the equivilant focal length of 42mm in 35mm film terms, and is an excellent walkaround lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicaglow Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 I only have one zoom lens (18-35mm), and use mostly primes: 50mm f/1.8 (I debate which is better, this one or my old 105mm f/2.5 AIS), 60mm Micro Nikkor, 85mm f/1.8, 180mm f/2.8, and 300mm f/4. These are the lenses I use most and are always in my bag with me. I also take my 45 GN, 24mm f/2, and 105 with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene11664880918 Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 If cash is a factor, as everyone says, 50 f/1.8 but I will also suggest another zoom, you can only buy it used but many people consider it to be as sharp as a prime AF 35-70 f/2.8 On a dslr is not wide enough but for portraits it is really good. Rene' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 I'd recommend the 50/1.8. NOT because it's going to solve every problem you might have, but because it's so inexpensive, and so sharp and easy to use, that it's probably the best way to find out if a prime lens is really the way to go for you. Even if you realize that one or two better quality zoom lenses are going really be what you use out in the world, you'll always be glad you have a fast prime. I like Sigma's 30/1.4 as well... but that might very well feel too short for flattering portraits, and at more than three times the price, that's an expensive experiment. <br><br> Since you already have a zoom that covers some decent range, try setting it 30, to 50, and to 85mm and ONLY shooting with it at one of those focal lengths for a while, just to see which seems to suit you, compositionally. Or, you may discover that you're just feeling too boxed in that way, in which case we need to know what your zoom budget might be, and how hard you are on your gear. One of the better quality third-party f/2.8 zooms may actually be your best bet. Can't be more specific without know where your heart lies, focal-length-wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim_knight Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 If I was going to start over I would get the 16-85 for carry around, 50.1.8 prime for portraits, and the 70-300vr for portraits and wildlife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YS2 Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 50mm 1.4D or 85mm 1.8D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_arnold Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 like matt said, the 30/1.4 is a bit wide for portraits, but it's great for almost everything else. i really like it on a d300; for low-light stuff indoors it's hard to beat. if i wanted the best all-around prime for a nikon and i had $1000 to spend, i'd get the 85/1.4. the 50/1.8 will give you the most bang for the buck.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tri-x1 Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 I find myself shooting more and more on the D300 with my 20mm f2.8 AFD Nikkor. I was never that impressed with it on film but it does a great job as a 30mm digital lens and it is very sharp. If I could only keep one prime lens (that I already own) that would be the one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_darnton1 Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 Yes, my 20/2.8 lives on my camera, also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sergio_ortega7 Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 I love using the 35mm f2 AF-D with my D300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shuo_zhao Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 The 50 1.8 is good for portraits and low light; since it's very sharp at f/8, you can use it for certain landscape shots too. I don't know what's your shooting style when it comes to landscape shots, so it's hard to pick a "best lens". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl_becker2 Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 I have had very good success in picking my lenses with the help from this site: http://www.naturfotograf.com/ I have the following Nikkors 20mm f2.8, 28mm f2, 50mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.8. I am pleased with all of them for overall quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wentbackward Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 My 50 1.4D is always with me and first choice for portraits. Still looking for something wider that will be my default lens. The 1.4 is worth the extra. It is not a lot more expensive, it's the 1.8 that's a lot cheaper. You'll have this lens the rest of your life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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