Camera Labs

Hi,I'm totally new to all this,but after positive feedback of photos taken on my fuji finepix I decided that I would go for a DSLR.I anticipated on spending £1200-£1500 for body and lenses.My friend at work swears by Canon because of the cmos sensor and its ability to take sharp photos at low iso,whatever iso is.He also pointed out that you can get the lenses cheap on ebay.Of course everyone has preferances,some prefer Canon and some Nikon, what I needed to do was to find out what the cameras felt like in my hands as I have quite big hands,so went along to a camera shop and asked them to show me three models:Canon EOS D30, Nikon D80 and Nikon D200.The canon model was felt good in my hand and so did the D80,though the D80 felt too plastic in comparison to the other two models,which have a magnesium alloy body.The EOS D30 was left behind with the D80 and D200 LCD screen with its clearly displayed information,also the D200 does not have that dial with the action,portrait,night,etc,modes on and the build quality is excellent, you know you have a high quality camera in your hands.Oh,and not forgetting,Nikon offer of free software when you bought the D200 before the 3rd of August (In the UK) valued at £120.

Hello Nikon newbie, and welcome to the Camera Labs forum!
Have you already bought the new gear, if so with what lens(es)?
Or are you still finalising your decision?

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Hi and thanks for the welcolme.Have not got any lens yet,though the obvious one going from what I've 'googled' and what I'm picking up from this forum, is the 18-200mm VR.Basically because this lens offers everything from 18 up to 200 and apparently is a excellent choice for all types of photography.My main areas of photography is 'street entertainers',shows and events,as well as my niece on the likes of a bouncy castle or on a sunny beach.It has been pointed out to me 'Do you really need telephoto ?' as your depth of field goes and also does the quality of your image,and more so when you come to crop it.My friend who had a Canon D30 used a 18-135 and he states that this type of lens would be more than adequate for what I need.Of course with me being totally new to DSLR would a 18-135 be adequate or would the recommended 18-200mm VR be suited for my areas of photography ?

Go for the 18-200 VR as many people find themselves zooming in on faces when shooting people and then you'll need a lot of tele-reach. You'll also find the VR image-stabilization (IS) invaluable when it comes to available-light photography at all lengths of your lens. The shorter Nikon kit-lense don't have IS.

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

I am new to slr photography but I have heard nothing but good stories about the 18-200 VR…would love to get one myself later on

Wayne

These were the lenses recommended to me at the shop where I bought my D200 body.

1. Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 AFS DX G IFED
2. Nikon 18-200mm f.3.5-5.6G IFED AFS VR
3. Nikon 18-70mm f3.5/4.5G IFED DX
4. Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4.5 DC Macro
5. Sigma 18-30mm f2.8 EX DC Macro
6. Nikon 55-200mm f4.5.6 G AFS DX VR IF-ED

I found out that the nikon 55-200mm f/4.5.6 G AFS DX VR IF-Ed won a TIPA award for 'Best entry Level lens'.

If you don't care carrying two lenses and want to save some money go for the combination of 3+6, or 4+6 (with the added benefit of having a 1:2.3 macro-capability).
See a test of 4 here.
Otherwise go for 2.

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

I would have no problem carrying more than two lenses,if I bought the Nikon 55-200mm f4.5.6 G AFS DX VR IF-ED and the Nikon 18-70mm f3.5/4.5G IFED DX the price would be a little cheaper than the 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IF-ED AFS VR. What would be the be the best choice ? The 18-200mm VR offers the practical side of having just one lens for a variety of shooting scenarios,but does its quality and noise levels differ from say the other two lenses ? Because what would be the point of buying two lenses if you can get one lens that covers the range and gives the same quality as what the 55-200mm and
18-70 does with the added advantage of image stabalization ?

In the Nikon kit-lens group-test Gordon favored the Nikkor VR 18-200mm and many people just love this lens (see here). The Nikkor VR 55-200mm seems to come out a little sharper than the 18-200mm from 100mm upwards (see test).
So it's up to your personal preferences. If you don't want to loose a pic because you've left one lens at home or cannot switch fast enough: go VR 18-200. If you want best quality go for combination with the VR 55-200 or even the VR 70-300mm, which gives you more reach.

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Hi there. Nice body you've got there, phwoar phwoar, lol.

Before considering which lens (es) to buy you might take some time to think about what kind of photography you want to do. If, for instance, your thing is landscapes, then you'll want a good wide-angle lens such as the Sigma 10-20mm. If you're thinking of photographing animals in a natural environment then consider a fast telephoto. If it's pics of family & friends you're after I'd think about a fast prime such as the Nikkor 50mm. If you want a good quality lens that will do most things reasonably well the go for the Nikkor 18-200mmVR.

It's really horses for courses.

Good luck.

Zorro

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http://zorrofox4.deviantart.com/



Various lenses, SB800 & Manfrotto 190 with 460MG head

Hi,thanks for the suggestions.As previously mentioned my main interests are events.The majority of the time when I'm attending events I normally try to get up as close as I can,in otherwords, I like to be at the front if there's a crowd with my camera where the action is, so I'm not too clear about the Nikon 18-200mm with VR.As a matter of interest how does VR work when your subject is moving,as say if your subject was dancing or riding a horse towards you ? Sports events is another area of interest where movement is fast and sometimes I cannot get close , so a zoom would be necessary,I dunno,decisions,decisions. Is it the 18-200mm or the 55-200m and the 18-70mm or do I just get the 18-200mm and just have the one lens ?

For fast action, stabilization is of no use. That's why all the sports-reporters have these 600mm/f4 lenses. But there's no-way a non-pro can afford this glass, as it's in the 3k-9k€ area
Best thing you can get for this type of photography is the 70-200mm/f2.8 lens either w/o IS from Sigma for 900€ or with VR from Nikon for 1800€.
Both lenses can be used with a 2xtele-converter yieding a 140-400mm/f5.6.
So if you want specialized lenses for everything you're going to invest serious dough.
Othwise go for the alternatives mentioned above...

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

I was amazed that you bought a D200 and said that lol.

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Nikon D80 | 18-135mm Kit Lens | 50mm f/1.8 | 4GB 150x Card | SB-600
http://flickr.com/photos/antmanisfubar

I know,a little joke of mine .

Jeez, a Nikon D200 with 18-200mm VR a true dream kit for almost everyone, I don't really reqiure that nice of a kit, but I surely wouldn't mind having one! I use entry-level D50 and D70s with 18-200mm VR and a 70-200mm VR, all that I'm ever going to need!

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Assistant News Photojournalist
Nikon and Canon Systems
A variety of f/2.8 lenses from 10.5 to 400mm
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