[BigBird]

I'm just a amature photographer, my setup is pretty basic
-Ancient Nikon D70
-usually a 60mm Micro Nikkor Lens or Nikkor 24-120mm lens
  Like i said I'm no expert but is it just me or to anyone who has owned the AF-S 24-120 lens. Its TERRIBLE in my opinion the build quality is flimsy to say the least and no aperture ring.  The only thing good about it is the fast and silent Auto Focus and VR.

 

[marko93101]

I'm not sure what I need because I'm new to this. Alot of people suggested a nifty fifty..
Quote:

Anything you buy to replace it will cost at least twice as much as you paid for it. The 18-55 is a remarkably sharp lens. It might be easier to suggest a replacement if you could articulate what you're looking for.

 

 

[bigshot]

When you are looking for new lenses, it's important to figure out what you want to shoot with it. A 50mm lens is useful for portraits, but it is a short telephoto, making it not very useful for landscapes.

Your 18-55 VR is an excellent lens. Don't underestimate it. It isn't the best at shooting in the dark, but under daylight, it can do an awful lot. Before you buy another lens, you should think about what kinds of things you want to shoot and use your 18-55 to see if you would like a lens that is more of a telephoto, or more of a wide angle. Better to supplement what you have with something different than to replace what you already have.

 

[rexg]

if you are using the digital format, the 35mm f1.8 is actually better. I use one myself and it is like a 50mm in full format.

 

[bigshot]

That is a great lens for low light. The other option is to get the 55-200 VR to complement the 18-55. It all depends on what he wants to shoot. The 18-55, 55-200 and 35 1.8 are all most people will ever need. Great kit of lenses.

 

[Towert7]

Quote:

I'm not sure what I need because I'm new to this. Alot of people suggested a nifty fifty..


 

 
If you want to experiment with what a really nice lens is, get the Nikon 50mm F1.8 for starters.  Best 100$ you can spend for image quality.
That should whet your appetite for wanting better and more expensive lenses!
 
 

 

[Butler]

Quote:

When you are looking for new lenses, it's important to figure out what you want to shoot with it. A 50mm lens is useful for portraits, but it is a short telephoto, making it not very useful for landscapes.

Your 18-55 VR is an excellent lens. Don't underestimate it. It isn't the best at shooting in the dark, but under daylight, it can do an awful lot. Before you buy another lens, you should think about what kinds of things you want to shoot and use your 18-55 to see if you would like a lens that is more of a telephoto, or more of a wide angle. Better to supplement what you have with something different than to replace what you already have.

 
The 18-55 is considerably slower. You're going to have much better luck in average to low light with a fixed 50mm. I use my fixed 35mm 1.8f much more than even my 18-200 because of the aperature. 
 
 

 

[mbriant]

Generic, non-Nikon, Nikon EN-EL3e batteries
 
Sorry if this has been covered here somewhere, but I was wondering if anyone has any actual experience with these batteries.  They're much cheaper to buy than genuine Nikon batteries.  Are their advertised specs true?  Can they damage my camera.  Is one brand better than another?  Has anyone actually purchased and used these batteries?
 
I have a D700 and D300s, both with battery grips.
 
Thanks

 

[jude]

 
Quote:

Generic, non-Nikon, Nikon EN-EL3e batteries
 
Sorry if this has been covered here somewhere, but I was wondering if anyone has any actual experience with these batteries.  They're much cheaper to buy than genuine Nikon batteries.  Are their advertised specs true?  Can they damage my camera.  Is one brand better than another?  Has anyone actually purchased and used these batteries?
 
I have a D700 and D300s, both with battery grips.
 
Thanks

mbriant, I have a D300, and I only use Nikon batteries with it.  My decision to do this has nothing to do with any specific experience with this camera, but with aftermarket third-party batteries for PDAs (back when PDAs weren't our phones or tablet computers).  Many would advertise higher mAh ratings, but I've never had a so-called high-capacity PDA lithium-ion battery outperform the stock batteries, with a couple performing substantially worse.
 
If you already have the Nikon battery grips, spring for at least one Nikon EN-EL4a.  It's expensive (in combination with the charger you need to buy for it), but, with it, I'll use my D300 for extended periods without having to recharge.  I've gotten away with just that battery through a whole CES with charge to spare when I got home.

 

[mbriant]

Thanks for the input Jude. This is just as I suspected. I've owned several other digital Nikons and have never used anything but genuine Nikon batteries in any of them...not because of the likelihood their specs were bogus (when you can buy 5 generics for the price of 1 Nikon, I could live with a shorter charge) but because I'm concerned about them somehow frying my camera's circuitry or catching fire during charging. Guess I'll stick with the expensive Nikons.

 

[Towert7]

Just purchased the nikkor 24mm F/2.8D.  I've been lusting over this lens for years, and it finally stayed in stock long enough for me to order one.
 
Just took a few tests photos, and it's reputation as one of the sharpest nikkor lenses is well deserved.
 
This was handheld:
 

Full Size: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5200/5892041672_89c95801f8_o.jpg
Taken with an old 6mp D50.  I can't imagine how much sharper you can get with a full frame 24mp camera like the D3's.
 
I'm so excited! 

 

[marko93101]

That is one nice photo!

 

[Szadzik]

I have to ask you guys for advice.
 
I have had a Nikon D90 and Tamron 17-50 f2.8 (old non-VC version) for over 2 years now and have wondering about buying an additional tele lens forever. 
 
I do lots of photography inside, portraits and stuff like that, but twice a year I go on a -city-trip. I have been to Rome, Florence, Paris, etc., etc. 
 
My question to you is - how much would I benefit from buying a tele and using it while I am visiting those nice cities? Soon I am going to Amsterdam and Paris and will be doing a lot of photos architecture and keep thinking about getting the additional lens. 
 
The problem is, I prefer to carry only one lens with me and I am not sure if carrying only something like 70-300 will be good enough.
 
If I decided to buy a tele lens, what would you recommend for my D90 in a resonable price? I am just an amateur who si still learning and would prefer not to spend $2000 on a lens I will use twice a year.
 
UNLESS that something is really good.
 
I can always buy a 70-300 f4.5-5.6 VRII Nikkor, but maybe there are other lenses I am not aware of that would be better than this one - it is not the fastest lens I have seen and my f2.8 Tamron got me used to a lot of light
 
P.S. About that reasonable price - I would say $1200 would be my price range, but it is just a figure and can change depending on circumstances. I live in Europe, and will be buying from there.

 

[Towert7]

Quote:

I have to ask you guys for advice.
 

Reading your post the lens that jumped to mind was the nikon 18-200mm VR.  I'm surprised you didn't mention this as one you were considering.
 
It is not the last word in optical clarity, and at the wide end it has a little spherical distortion, but these are pretty minor things all considered.  Color distortion is quite minimal, and the VR is nice.  It also does pretty ok closeup photography at the 200mm end (but again, not the last word on macro photographs).  Flare control is good.
 
When I go on vacation, and I only want to bring one lens, it is the 18-200VR and a polarizer.  It has enough range that I can get all sorts of images.  From wide angle views to telephoto closeups.
 
Being stuck at 70mm would be way too limiting for the vacation photos I do (though you may be different).
 
I'm not sure if you have already ruled it out, but I would recommend considering it.  It is also easily within your budget.

 

[Towert7]

dbl post