A new lens for my DSLR

[Densha]

Hey guys,

 

I have been shooting pictures with my Nikon D5100 DSLR and Nikon 18-55 mm kit lens for like three years now and it's time for an upgrade. I believe quite some members on the forums are also into photography, so hopefully someone can help me out.

 

The main problem I have with the 18-55 mm lens is that it just doesn't zoom in very much. For street photography, landscapes and a bit of simple train photography it is sufficient. However, when trains or other objects are further away, 55mm just doesn't cut it. Too many times I have missed the chance to take a photo because I just wasn't able to zoom in beyond what my current lens offers. So I'm looking for a new lens that either supplements and/or replaces my current lens. There's also the thing that I will be staying in Japan for half a year very soon, and that I want to have proper photography equipment to take nice photos while I am there.

 

I have been looking at "superzoom" lenses that are combined wide angle and zoom lenses in one, but I do feel like they have too many compromises to compensate for the convenience of having one lens for all.

 

A Nikon 55-200 mm lens, supplementing my current 18-55 mm lens, is a possibility. However, I feel like I will be getting annoyed at the need to change lenses constantly because most photos I want to take are probably in the 18-100/150 mm range. That opens up the road for the Nikon 18-140 mm lens, but which is just too expensive for me currently.

 

Then there's also the Nikon 18-105 mm lens, which will probably suffice plenty enough for my daily photographing. However, that means I'm missing out on anything beyond 105mm, which I actually do really want for the occasion that I need that zoom. Getting the aforementioned 55-200 mm lens in addition to the 18-105 mm lens is a possibility, but I feel like that would be spending money on an overlap of 50mm, while not having the convenience of zooming in even further. Although I do not believe that I will want to zoom in beyond 200 mm any time soon. There's also tons of other zoom lenses available, but the Nikon 18-105 + 55-200 together fit right into my budget and seem to offer the best picture quality vs price, while the other options just seem too expensive for now.

 

I have been looking at so many lenses now that I feel like I just don't know what I should go with any more. Should I get one or two new lenses, should I get a more expensive one now and save up for another expensive one later or will two more affordable lenses suffice for now, etc. I hope someone can help me out with that.

[velotrain]

Back when I was shooting analog slides (much later than most people, and I still have some Fujichrome in the fridge - although at this point I don't know why) I kept a 24-200 on my SLR as I had found that the need to change lenses would often mean that I didn't bother to take a shot, and I would afterwards regret it.  In your case it sounds like you mostly want the long lens for train photography, but there are surely to be situations where you want the long lens for a train as it approaches the station, but then might want a shorter lens as it arrives, or perhaps for details while it is in the station.

 

Unless you're insistent on getting a Nikon lens, you might look at wide-range zooms from other manufacturers.  Read reviews and check prices online.  Regarding prices, I don't know if you could get a better one in Europe, or Japan when you get there.  Or, perhaps some place like Hong Kong on the way.  You could get a non-Nikon lens for now, and then trade up later if you don't find it totally satisfactory. 

 

You mention you partly want the long lens for travel in Japan, and I would say that travel is exactly the time that you don't want to waste time changing lenses.  Most of my travels were bicycle tours, and the camera occupied the main compartment of my handlebar bag.  Unlike someone in a car, I could stop, whip the camera out, get my shot, and be on my way again in 5-10 seconds, and I didn't waste time looking for a parking place - or changing lenses.  I can also say that at least 50% (probably much higher) of my images were taken at one end of the zoom range or the other.

 

One last thought - there is likely a high-end camera shop in Utrecht where you can rent a wide-range zoom lens with Nikon mount, so try out a lens for a day or weekend and see what you think.  Don't worry about the make, but try to decide if you're really willing to constantly swap lenses, or prefer the ease of never needing to.  Unless you're planning on getting high-resolution, large size prints from your images, I suspect you don't really need to pay for a Nikon lens.

[cteno4]

Densha,

 

Other thing to remember is you have 16mp which is a good resolution that you dont have to fill the frame with your shot. Its been super hard retraining folks from film to digital to not worry about perfect framing or filling the frame as now with digital cropping is so much easier and usually (unless you are going poster size) you have plenty of MP to do the job. I see so many folks fly on the wide range zooms too much and end up just a tad too close on one part and if they just had a bit more! or at times you may want to pull out an odd aspect ratio bit for an interesting presentation and that usually needs the extra space around things to do that. some think this lazy photography, but its something that lets you play more in post which was a lot harder with film and can add some new creativity to the mix.

 

with that in mind i would go with thinking of having the better low end on the wide angle as you cant crop back in post past what is in the shot! you can always crop in in the top end though if not quite enough in the lens. a decent 2x converter can also help the few times you need a more extreme zoom and also there is digital upres software that can get you at least a decent 2x enlargement if needed. i know many pros sneer at 2x converters but i had got some great shots when young using them and pro friends loved the shots and were none the wiser they utilized a 2x converter. they are smaller to pop in a side pocket and not too hard to pop on/off. takes a bit off the f stop but not horrid unless doing action shot.

 

the digital sensors can be a bit more forgiving in sensitivity and thus you can get away with slightly higher f stop lenses than film so that helps the pocket books some as well. ive had great and not so great both cheap and expensive lenses over the decades. Ive found if it works for you great, dont get caught up in the name or specs or what the pros might think as what counts is it does the job well for you and in your price range so you can just take pictures! i did pro work with weddings, yacht races, animals, etc and a lot of it was done with what pros would not consider pro gear as it was older gear but quality and not always the top name. but it got the shots that were pro level and pro friends would always comment they didnt know how i could get that with my gear! that taught me it was not so much about the gear past a certain point! yes high end gear is really nice and at times easier to use (other times the bells and whistles can be an issue), but its knowing what you are doing that counts the most.

 

I agree with charles that not changing lens tends to make for more time spent taking pictures more often and more time doing other things other than photography and keeping rack of where your gear is etc! I grew up in the analog days when zoom lenses were only for the rich or pros, so i got very use to swapping lenses all the time, but it was something that required you to think a lot to plan ahead while shooting or just looking around, but in some ways that helps make you a more thoughtful photographer, but maybe not something you want to do while enjoying travel and just taking some fun shots to remember and not being the pro photographer all the time. It got so engrained in me to think this way that after a few decades i got very tired of photography and have not done very much in the last decade because of it. im hoping if i back off for long enough that the loop will die and i can shoot more fun wise and with less thinking!

 

the idea of taking out a bunch of lenses like that is super great and i think well worth doing! that allows you to see what speaks to you the best. great if you can do it and try to ignore the price tags and names as much as possible and just see what works best for you! my wife's flute teacher did that with her at the music store when she got her new flute, just play them with no price tags or names. she ended up liking the middle of the road one best, not the top end ones! teacher said it usually worked out that way! ive found similar things with camera/lens names as well...

 

jeff

[Densha]

Thanks for the replies!

 

Let's start off with saying that I have absolutely no bias against third party lenses. Reading through reviews I found out that all manufacturers, either first party or third party, make both good and bad lenses. I just mentioned these Nikon lenses because they are rather good lenses that offer a lot bang for buck, especially if I get them used.

 

As I said in my first post, I have also looked at superzoom lenses. The Sigma 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 for example is apparently a rather good lens on the higher zoom range, better than Nikon's alternative, but rather average on the (approximately) 18-55mm range. In the case of street photography for example, my current 18-55mm kit lens will probably do a better job at it than the Sigma 18-200mm will. But just like what happens now already, when I have the 18-55mm lens on my camera I often suddenly feel the need to zoom in just a bit beyond the 55mm, at which the Nikon 18-105mm lens will do a better job to replace my 18-55mm as a street photography lens. Yes, like Jeff says, that can also be fixed by cropping with computer software, but my experience is that cropping a lot just doesn't look pretty, even with 16mp. In the sense of having a proper street photography lens and an all-around lens to go with it, getting both the Nikon 18-105mm and the Sigma 18-200mm might be the best choice. I don't mind carrying around two lenses, but at the same time two is also the maximum I decided on. Still, even getting both last mentioned lenses used is just outside my budget now.

 

I have also taken a look at the Tamron 18-270 F/3.5-6.3. This lens has a huge range, which is really convenient, but from all reviews I read it is very clear that this lens is such a compromise of everything that the overall result is really disappointing. I decided that I rather would have two separate proper quality lenses or spend more money on a better lens than go with a poor picture quality that is worse than my current lens.

 

All in all, I agree that it is all down to which lens you feel comfortable with in practice. I think having a lens with a huge zoom range is convenient, but I have noticed that most of these lenses just don't have a good picture quality (sharpness is just one of the many factors), which I am rather whiny about. I'm not someone who demands pro gear quality, my photography skills are far from making good use of that anyway, but I hate spending money on stuff that I'm not satisfied with in the end.

 

I absolutely also thought about getting a new lens in Japan, but before leaving I want to have at least one lens that has more zoom range, so that I don't need to worry about getting a new lens the first thing in Japan. Buying used lenses in the Netherlands is also easier for me than in Japan.

 

I am not sure whether there is a store nearby that is renting lenses. The only remaining dedicated photography store in my city closed three years ago after all. But I might be able to do some indoor testing in an electronics store in a nearby town.

 

I am now leaning towards getting a lens such as the aforementioned Sigma 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 used, and bringing my current 18-55mm lens with me in case I find that the 18-200mm doesn't suffice for wide range photography. When I get to Japan and find out that I want an additional lens after all, I should always be able to get it there as well, but I actually doubt that I will find the need for that soon.

[cteno4]

Yeah the more zoom the more the compromise or the more money to get around the compromises! Again I think getting the normal range of stuff in the sweet spot of the lens is important (i.e. The lower end). Unless you are doing a lot of wildlife distance stuff then just digitally zoom later and/or check out a 2x converter.

 

I forgot about bulk, you are so right having a really bulky lens can mean trouble in cracking against things (I've seen this too many times by pros in Alaska on the boat) and jsut being a weighty/bulky drag to lug around your neck.

 

Always a tough decision! I've liked the bang for the buck of a some of the sigmas, especially the fixed. I had 400 that was a decent f for the canon years ago that did very well against the similar nikons and canon lenses friend had when we were shooting side by side. I gave it to a friend in Alaska like 8 years ago and it's been on the boat doing fine all these years (i.e. Salt air and getting bumped around a lot.

 

Jeff

[Ochanomizu]

Hello,

 

I would suggest: Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens

 

You should be able to get it for less than $300.00.

 

I have been using Nikon for over 30 years and have accumulated a collection of 8 lenses, right up to 500mm which I purchased especially for Africa.  You will find the 200-300mm end of the suggested lens very useful for photographing wildlife, zoos, aircraft, ships, and also candid photos of family and friends.

 

Finally, the act of swapping lenses comes with the territory when taking good photos.  

[Kb4iuj]

All of those are slow lenses... Consider buying the Coolpix P900 by Nikon.... 24-2000mm. Or what I bought, the Fuji 9900 it cranks out great photos but the selector rotatable button on the back just might drive you nuts too. But, it also a long lense camera 24-1400mm. The Nikon is more expensive.... But look at that range. 2000mm... Watch some YouTube reviews on it.

 

Nikon costs about $500, Fuji about $199 at B&H

 

The other day I zoomed in on a A380 flying over mid-America, my guess it was probably at 35,000.

It's a shame Airlines don't put their names on the bottom of their birds.

Edited July 21, 2016 by Kb4iuj

[Alemino]

I had same problematic like Densha

 

18-55 and then?

 

i ended up with a Nikkor 18-200 lens (AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II)

and since them i don't change lenses anymore

 

probably a 18-300 would have been better ( for the zoom) but for what i take in pictures and my skills is more than enough

[Densha]

Ochanomizu,
 
As I said in my first post, I don't think a 55-300mm lens is necessary for me, because most pictures I (want to) take are between 18-150/200mm or so. A 55-300mm lens will do very well for the uses you describe, but I barely take nor intend to take many pictures of those subjects, so I don't need such an enormous zoom. At least for now. A used Nikon 55-300mm fits right into my budget, however.
 

Alemino,
 
That's also an interesting lens. I believe the picture quality of the Nikon 18-200mm lens is slightly better than Sigma's, but the Nikon is also twice as expensive. I think the Sigma will be plenty enough for me.
 

To all,
 
I think it's now down to making a choice. The first option is getting the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR for now, and buying a tele lens, such as the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR, Nikon AF-S VR Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED or Tamron SP AF 70-300 F/4-5.6 Di VC USD, at a later point in time. The second option is getting a Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II or Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM C, to have an all-around travel lens that is also less expensive than the total sum of the 18-105 and a tele lens together. However, the 18-200mm lens does come with a picture quality trade-off compared to getting two separate lenses.

Edited July 20, 2016 by Densha
Fixed typos

[katoftw]

Hello,

 

I would suggest: Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens

 

You should be able to get it for less than $300.00.

 

I have been using Nikon for over 30 years and have accumulated a collection of 8 lenses, right up to 500mm which I purchased especially for Africa.  You will find the 200-300mm end of the suggested lens very useful for photographing wildlife, zoos, aircraft, ships, and also candid photos of family and friends.

 

Finally, the act of swapping lenses comes with the territory when taking good photos.  

This I would agree with.  One thing I will note about said lens is the past 250mm it does take a little longer to focus on objects if they are moving.  See below regards motorsports.

 

Ochanomizu,

 

As I said in my first post, I don't think a 55-300mm lens is necessary for me, because most pictures I (want to) take are between 18-150/200mm or so. A 55-300mm lens will do very well for the uses you describe, but I barely take nor intend to take many pictures of those subjects, so I don't need such an enormous zoom. At least for now. A used Nikon 55-300mm fits right into my budget, however.

You'll be surprised that if you have it, you will use it.  There is an various array of usages, we are not just talking about trains from 100 meters away.  But say an animal close up or signage from 20-30 meters away.  I'm not saying "do" get it, but just think about if you may use it once or not.

 

Before I worked in the railways, my previous job was photography in a zoo.  My passion was motorsport photography, (mainly rally cars), so I needed a large array of gear to go into different situations.  You don't need an large array of gear, but at least get one of something to fit all situations.

Edited July 20, 2016 by katoftw

[Kb4iuj]

What do you guys take photos of ? If you want to improve your photography with strobes & flashes. The guys at "Shootthecenterfold dot com are having a seminar in Bali in October. All the girls are in bikini's and there's no foolery.

[Ochanomizu]

What do you guys take photos of ? If you want to improve your photography with strobes & flashes. The guys at "Shootthecenterfold dot com are having a seminar in Bali in October. All the girls are in bikini's and there's no foolery.

 

Trains, planes and architecture.

 

When I can, it is lions in Africa ... but tigers in bikinis could also work!

[Kb4iuj]

You might check out the Nikon P900 for the long lens. Just pick one and learn it.

[utrainia]

 

 

i ended up with a Nikkor 18-200 lens (AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II)

and since them i don't change lenses anymore

I have the same lens on my D90 and love it. It is my travel lens and railfan lens. It isn't perfect, but once you learn how to drive it, it can crank out some stunning shots. Not having to change lenses while travelling is well worth the money in my book. Highly recommended for railfanning.

[westfalen]

I have just bought a Sigma 18-250 lens for my next trip and from playing around with for a couple of days it seems to give good results.

[Densha]

I'm also thinking about getting an 18-200mm lens now. I can get the Nikon AF-S DX 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR used for about 200 euros, which is both in my budget and is probably perfect for the job. It's not the VR II, but I believe the only difference between the first and second VR versions is a zoom lock on the VRII that can only be used at 18mm, which doesn't seem very useful to me any way. I think superzoom lenses perform a bit worse for wide angle shots, but for that I will keep my current 18-55mm around for now.

[velotrain]

The last time I was in the Netherlands I had a 28-200 zoom (film), but was planning a visit to Keukenhof in tulip season, so wanted something wider, and bought a used 20-35 lens and made good use of it.  My opinion is that you can usually predict when you'll want extreme wide angle, but it's better to have moderate wide angle to a reasonable tele (200 in 35mm terms) available all the time.  I think there were more Japanese than westerners in Keukenhof, and every one of them had a quality camera.

[Densha]

Haha Keukenhof is famous for being crowded by Japanese. That being said, as a Dutchmen I still haven't ever been to the Keukenhof at all...

 

I found multiple used Nikon 18-200s for a good price on Dutch online marketplaces, so I'll think I'll get one of these.

 

Because my current 18-55mm kit lens doesn't really have a that good picture quality and and the aperture is rather high for a relative wide angle lens, I also really want a better wide angle lens with a lower aperture, but I think I'll save that for later. It's just too expensive to get two new lenses now.