The NIKON Thread (Talk About Nikon Stuff here)

[Edwood]

The 31mm and 77mm Limited lenses are the ones to get. The 43mm one is just too close to the much cheaper and excellent 50mm f/1.4.
Although, If I had to pick only one, I'd probably get the 77mm, and pick the 35mm f/2 which is cheaper,

-Ed

[M0T0XGUY]

Originally Posted by Towert7

Sony is not a photography company. Nikon and Canon are.
In terns of lenses in our current age, it seems best to stick with Nikon, Canon, and Leica.

I have a friend who purchased a Pentax and loves the little camera, but the poor guy has no choices in lenses. He can try and find old USED lenses, but I like the feeling and piece of mind I get in owning a brand new lens (I pamper my equipment).

Let's be honest, you're getting a SLR for the lenses. I wouldn't consider any kit other than those 3. For the common hobbyist photographer, Nikon and Canon are the logical 2 choices. I wouldn't touch the sony kit with a 10 foot stick.

Sony isn't a photography company, but Konica-Minolta is; and a damn good one at that. I totally agree though that, at least for now Nikon and Canon's lens lineups are the most comprehensive in the business, even if Pentax has some great primes.

[M0T0XGUY]

Originally Posted by Edwood

Funny thing is I love Pentax lenses more than Nikon or Canon. Pentax's Limited series of Primes are simply awesome. But, that said, Pentax bodies are quite lacking. Even the K10D and the current K20D just weren't enough to keep me from going Nikon.

I do still have my Pentax *ist DS.

-Ed

I'm surprised you hated Pentax bodies so much. I've only briefly used one but it felt comparable to my D200 (if a little slower all around), and they get pretty good reviews on all the camera sites I see. Anything particularly off-putting in the K20D which made you switch?

[Iron_Dreamer]

The only Pentax experience I have is with Ed's, and the main bitch I can see is the very slow AF, even with a fast prime.

[FrederikS|TPU]

I just realized that I need a macro lens for my Nikon for my review shots. The ones with the 24-120 Nikkor are OK but I really miss some detail and it is a pain to setup the shots with the camera at least .5 meter away. So if you guys can recommend me a good (preferably cheap) macro lens that would be awesome.

I have no one else to ask and the you guys here on Head-Fi are always kind enough to help

My camera is a Nikon D80.

[Old Pa]

Originally Posted by FrederikS|TPU

I just realized that I need a macro lens for my Nikon for my review shots. The ones with the 24-120 Nikkor are OK but I really miss some detail and it is a pain to setup the shots with the camera at least .5 meter away. So if you guys can recommend me a good (preferably cheap) macro lens that would be awesome.

I've been pretty happy with my Tamron AF 90mm/f2.8 Macro 1:1 SP Di, which an authorized Nikon dealer recommended over the Nikkor macro offerings. I use it with a D70, a D200, and a D300, so you will have to make sure it works with a D80. Sharp, light, fast, and (relatively) inexpensive.

[FrederikS|TPU]

Old Pa how close can you get with the lens to the object you are focusing of with the 90mm?

[stuartr]

I would dispute that Sony is not a photography company. They may only have made slr bodies in the last couple of years, they have long supplied the sensors to Nikon, Pentax and others. They made the sensor in the D2x and the would-be D3x is rumored to have the 24mp sony full-frame sensor. And as Motox guy mentioned, they took over Konica-Minolta. Konica was one of the oldest photography companies ever....1873...it was older than Kodak! So even if Sony itself is not strictly a photography company, they have a great deal of know-how.

[Old Pa]

Originally Posted by FrederikS|TPU

Old Pa how close can you get with the lens to the object you are focusing of with the 90mm?

I just threw mine on my D70 and closest focus was @10cm off front on lense body. I've also got Tamron's AF 180/f 3.5 Macro 1:1 SP Di for when I want more standoff distance.

[DaMavs]

I think good and cheap macro lenses are mutually exclusive.

I love the Tamron 90mm Macro though & last time I checked it was at least cheaper than the comparable Nikon lens. That is a full frame lens though so there may be a cheaper Dx alternative around...