Camera Labs

Hi there!

I've just ordered my new D200! I'm new to the world of photography so i'd l
love some help with lenses..

My D200 is coming with a Nikkor AF 70-300mm G Zoom lens, but im trying to decide what would be a good wide angle / standard lens?

I have the choice of the following:

Nikon 18 - 55 mm DX
Sigma 18-50mm f3.5-5.6DC
Nikon24mm f2.8D
Nikon 28mm f2.8D
Sigma 24mm
Sigma 28mm L

I figure I either spend the money and get one good nikon, or get 2
different sigmas?

Thanks!

Hi designport,

I would not buy anything at (or starting with) 24mm. Why? Believe me, there are often situations, where you cannot get far enough away from your subject to get the complete picture (geddit ). Take a lens starting at 18mm like the Nikon 18-70mm which has a recommendation from CameraLabs (see test here: http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Nikko ... age6.shtml)
That would give you a seamless range from 18mm to 300mm.

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

Thanks very much!

Do you know if there's much of a price difference between
the 18-55mm and the 18-70mm?

Am I going to be missing much if I get the 18-55 and have
the 70-300?

Cheers,
Kat.

Yup, Kat!

The 18-70 is almost double that of the 18-55II. Zoom-wise I would not lose my sleep on the missing focal lenght from 55 to 70mm. But please consider 2 points:
1. Buying a D200 certainly shows a commitment to the highest quality photography. From Gordons test it is clear that the 18-70mm is a higher quality lens than the 18-55mm
2. Although on paper you are not missing much with the difference of 15mm the 70mm is almost 30% longer than 55mm plus you are less likely in need of changing the lens, which makes you faster and gives dust less chance to get into your camera.

I was even thinking of advising you to invest in the 18-200mm, as you really almost never have to carry around your 70-300mm plus you get the famous VR image stabilization! Or do you already have the VR-edition of the 70-300mm lens?

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

Thanks Thomas!
Ah I see.. yes makes sense to get the 18-70. ..

I don't think the 70-300mm lens i receive with the camera is the VR edition..
well it doesnt say anything in the description about that anyway...
it says - Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G AF Zoom Lens
So i'm guessing not?

Is there a great price difference between the 18-70 and the 18 -200?0

Thanks again for your help I really appreciate it


** I've just had a look and the 18-200 is twice the price of the
18-70.. Although the 18-200 is the VR edition.

Or I can get a nikon 18-135mm for less than the 18-70..
that seems strange though.. am i missing something?

Yeah, that seems confusing!

But Gordon has it pretty much sorted out. You pay for the visual quality of a Nikon lens, plus the features. E.g. The standard (1) AF 70-300mm G (without VR) is around 160EUR, the (2) AF 70-300mm D ED is around 400EUR wheras the (3) AF-S 70-300mm IF-ED VR lens is at 500EUR.
So there is a huge gap alone for the better optical ED glasses in (2) vs. (1) and another premium for VR and AF-S in (3).

As to the price of the 18-135mm: It costs almost 20% more than the 18-70mm in my favourite price-engine - which would make sens, as the optical and bould quality are comparable...

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

Hi Kat, welcome to the Cameralabs forums!

I'm not sure if you've seen our Nikkor kit lens group test article, but it'll answer most of your questions concerning differences between the lenses you're discussing. The article is here and there's prices at the bottom of each page:

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Nikko ... roup_test/

Basically, the Nikkor 18-55 and 18-135mm are both budget lenses. They're good for the money, but they are budget models and you've gone for a high-end body, so you should really couple it with something decent.

The Nikkor 18-70mm is a great choice to go with a 70-300 and the one I'd recommend for your 'standard' general purpose lens. I did however notice your comment on the skateboarding photos in our Action section - if this is something you're into, then you might want to consider a lens which is faster both in terms of brightness and focusing speed, especially under low light - it's pricey, but the Nikkor 17-55mm f2.8 would be great for this kind of photography, especially when coupled with a decent flash gun! But I digress!

Back to the 70-300mm... The VR feature is well worth having on the 70-300mm, so if you have a chance to reconsider or change the one you've ordered, I'd strongly advise upgrading to the Nikkor 70-300mm VR version.

Just to confuse matters, there are currently three different 70-300mm lenses in Nikon's range!

Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G AF
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR

The last one is the only one with VR and I'd strongly recommend it unless you have a very steady hand of course!

Or as Thomas suggests, perhaps go for the 18-200mm VR instead of the 18-70 and 70-300mm.

Cheers!

Gordon

Thanks Gordon!

After watching your video on the 18-200 I think i'm going to go that
way with my D200. It was so helpful.

Action photography is definately an area I want to get into... skateboarding and horse sports mostly. . I think though i'll save my pennies so I can get a faster lens when i'm more up to speed on my photography. U

Thanks again you guys are great