Advice wanted - which lens for D3200

Hi,

I am new to DSLR's and after a lot of research, I have finally decided on the Nikon D3200. But I need help with what lens to buy. The main photograph's that I will be taking are holiday and family photo's. Ideally, the lens won't be too large, and I want to be able to zoom in a decent amount. I have looked online, but there are far too many to choose from. Jessops currently have a deal on at the moment: Nikon D3200 + 18-55mm VR II Lens + Tamron 70-300mm Lens for £369, will these lenses suit my needs, or am I better off buying the camera body only, for £225 and spending more on one lens that will suit my needs. Jessops chat recommende the Tamron 18-270mm, but at £329, this seems a bit expensive to me as a beginner.

On a seperate note, my friend took photographs at a Christening using the Nikon 35mm 1.8 prime lens (with a D3200) and the photo's looked amazing. Is this a good lens to buy?

Thanks

Emma

The 35mm f/1.8 is a truly great lens; it's a prime though, meaning the focal length is fixed: you'll need to "zoom with your feet" as we say. It's fast (f/1.8) and very sharp. If you don't mind zooming "old school", this is your lens and one of my personal favorites (not that that should sway you).

The 18-55mm VRII lens is quite good and will give you some flexibility over the 35mm f/1.8 mentioned above. It's not very fast with it's maximum aperture of f/3.5 and it won't be as sharp as the 35mm f/1.8, but it's a very good choice for your stated needs and a very good lens overall.

In all honesty, I'm *not* a big fan of the Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD, which is, most likely, what's be offered along with the 18-55mm VRII; I'd advise you to put your money elsewhere.

I suggest you look at the Nikon 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6 VR for your camera. It will go wide like the 18-55mm but give you a lot more zoom. It's fairly compact and light weight as well. I think this would be the perfect "one lens solution" for you needs, personally. It's not an inexpensive lens, but good glass is simply not cheap and cheap glass is typically not good. If the 18-140mm is out of the question, fall back on the 18-55mm or the 35mm prime.

....

Welcome to the forum Emma! Horoscope Fish has already given you some good advice to think about, but I'd add that depending on what you'd like to shoot, the 55-300mm is a good, cheap lens that is great for learning with during trips to the zoo etc. This, paired with the 18-55mm would see you pretty well set while you find your way around the camera and learn. That being said, I own the 35mm too and it is certainly one of my favourite lenses.

Also, Jessops is great to go in and look at the cameras etc... But they tend to be a bit expensive, so shop around before you flex your credit card! There are plenty of us here who can vouch for different stores if you need help.

One thing you need to understand when searching and choosing a lens is that around 50mm is what you see. Meaning at around 50mm the image doesn't appear closer or further away when looking through the view finder. So when using say the 18-55, shooting at the 18mm end of the lens. Your going to be in peoples faces while shooting. I'm not putting down the lens, i'm just making you aware of the visual circumstances of any lens. So if wanting to really zoom in on a subject and pull them toward you, look at something above the 50mm focal length. Most new people don't understand this when choosing a lens.

I would advise you to get the D3300 with the 18-55 VR-II lense. That is one sweet package - it is excellent, light and battery lasts longer than in D3200. Here in India the price differential between the D3200 and D3300 is around fifty pounds, and it is not worth getting the D3200 at that differential. If in doubt read up cross reviews of D3200 vs D3300.

For general use, as long as light is good the D3300+kit lens is sufficient. At a later stage when you get familiar with the camera and want to shoot in low light get the 35mm F1.8DX. For longer end - 200-300mm, I would advise that you defer the purchase and save money for a lens which has good performance at the long end. Most of the consumer grade zooms are good at the short end but tend to be pretty bad at the long end.

While the 55-300mm isn't as good as the "Pro" range, I certainly wouldn't call it "Pretty bad". What you get for your £175 is actually a very useful lens that delivers great images for the beginner & hobbyist.

At £369 that is a good price for the camera and both lens, I have the tamron 70-300mm lens and have taken some very good pictures with it, (with the D3200)
And a couple of weeks ago I got a 50mm f1.8 lens, which I'm very impressed with.

Welcome to the forum

I was in your shoes just a few months ago. I'd highly recommend going with the kit lens (18-55mm) and using that for a few months, then deciding if you want the 35mm prime or a more flexible zoom lens. I have both the 35mm prime and the kit lens and they've both gone throughout Europe with me and taken some stunning pictures. I'm just now looking to replace my kit lens with a more flexible 18-200mm lens but am really glad I waited to be sure I knew what I wanted. Good luck with the purchase and have fun with your new toy!