D3100 - Travel Lens - What to get.

Hi All,

Whilst I am a new member, I have been a lurker on this forum for quite some time, and love the tips and help everyone provides.

Okay, I received a Nikon D3100 as a gift last year, single lens only 18-55mm, the person who bought the camera thought the sales assistance was trying to upsell them with the additional 55-200mm lens – bless!

I took this simple set up with me during my backpacking trip in Thailand, as the gift was for this trip and I didn’t have much time to prepare and purchase additional lenses. I found that the lens was lacking with landscape and obviously long range shots.

I have a Europe winter trip planned and have been thinking of adding some additional lenses. My photography style is more landscapes and architecture.
My current thoughts are to get:

AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G, or
AF-S DX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G, and
AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR


Also on my list to buy is:
Hoya UV and Polarised filters, and possibly
SB-400.

Any thoughts or feedback on the above list would be much appreciated.

I am not a beginner, however my skills are VERY rusty, and it is taking me some time to adjust to the D3100. Aside from the manual are there any great books I can pick up to assist me? A friend of mine mentioned the ‘Dummies Guide for D3100’ book, I normally steer clear of the ‘Dummies’ books, but anyone have it and could recommend it? Or any others?

Thanks again guys, sorry for the long post.

• Z

The 18-55mm Lens that probably came with your camera is a very good all purpose lens.

I'd get the 55-200mm DX VR zoom. I'ts a better all around lens then the 55-300mm. I have both and when I'm not sure what I'll be doing the 55-200 gets the nod.

I have the 35mm f1.8. So far I'm underwhelmed but I haven't done much shooting with it. Until I get a handle on the 35mm I keep putting the 18-55mm back on.

Filters. I use Hoya multi coated.
A decent UV filter
A Grad filter. A grad filter is half clear and half shaded. It helps at sunrise/sunset and anytime the light is really uneven.
Two ND filters. I have two 1.2 Hoya ND filters and one Tiffen .6 ND filter. Those filters will give you several combinations.
Hoya 52mm DMC PRO1 Digital ND16X (1.2) ND Filter XD52ND16 This series from Hoya is thinner than regular filters. You can stack more filters before it shows up in the corners of the image.

A circular polarizer
The SB-400 flash is great lightweight flash. Get it. Worry about one of the heavy duty flashes later.
Amazon.com: David Busch's Nikon D3100 Guide to Digital SLR Photography (9781435459403): David D. Busch: Books

I'll catch h**l for this. Best cheap tripod out there. If you don't have your camera on a tripod 24/7 this is a good choice.
Dolica 62 inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head AX620B100

Last but not least a cable shutter release. Nikon makes a good one. I'm not sure of the part number at the moment.

I've had my D3100 for just over a year. This is the gear I use all the time. YMMV

Good luck and post pics.

get one lens and leave it on the camera ....18-200mm Sigma VR mk 1 or Mk 2 .
No contest have 2 of these on two D7000 bodies and shoot thousands of shots a week at weddings ..no contest

Well I too have the D3100 and have the kit 18-55, the 70-300VR and lastly my favorite, the 35 1.8. The 35 1.8 is super light and awesome for low light photography. I suggest you read the reviews from Amazon on this lens. Super fantastic! Also, I found this to be very helpful Nikkor Lens Assessment by Thom Hogan . He has thoughts on the ultimate combo's but most important the travel combos. I really think the suggestions of filters etc is hogwash. Your traveling and really you want to go light and have the right tools. While the suggestion of the Dolica Tripod is good, do you really want to carry a tripod while traveling? I think if you go with the really light weight lenses and think about composition, your gonna be very happy with you kit lens, the excellent 35 1.8 and maybe one zoom. I personally like the 70-300 VR the best. I found my for around $350 and I think if you shop right, you can find a similar deal. Tom and even Ken Rockwell (DX Dream Team Lenses) both suggest at least the 35 1.8 and maybe the 18-200 (or better the 16-85). I think the build quality is much better in the 16-85 as the 18-200 has creep issues. So, my thought is the 16-85, definitely the 35 /1.8 and maybe one zoom. That's plenty! You said you wanted to do landscapes and such, well the 16-85 is a little closer to the wide you might need plus extending out to 85 for good portraits. Good Luck,
Jason

The best actual all round lens for Nikon DX is still the 16-85mm 3.5-5.6
It produces great image quality throughout its range and the VR is actualy fairly effective on this one.
With an efective focal range from 24-127mm its not likely to be removed too often.
Cheaper lenses with simlar IQ would be the 18-70 3.5-4.5 which is has very fast focus, metal mount and a degree of weather proofing.
The other two are the 18-105 and 18-135. Even though they have plastic mounts and cheap, the image quality is very high indeed.
If you are after high image quality then this is the way to go.
A fast prime to supplement any low light stuff, and your laughing.

I don't carry the Dolica around much. It lives in the trunk just in case I need a tripod.
If I need a tripod and I'm going to be trudging around all day I take a GorrillaPod.

My personal choice for travel is the 18-200 Nikkor, the 35 1.8 and my sigma 10-20. It's what I find the most practical for the weight and size.

I have the same travel lenses as Marcel. The 18-200 Nikkor, the 35 1.8 and a sigma 10-20. You pretty much cover it all with that grouping.

westmill said:

The best actual all round lens for Nikon DX is still the 16-85mm 3.5-5.6
It produces great image quality throughout its range and the VR is actualy fairly effective on this one.
With an efective focal range from 24-127mm its not likely to be removed too often.
Cheaper lenses with simlar IQ would be the 18-70 3.5-4.5 which is has very fast focus, metal mount and a degree of weather proofing.
The other two are the 18-105 and 18-135. Even though they have plastic mounts and cheap, the image quality is very high indeed.
If you are after high image quality then this is the way to go.
A fast prime to supplement any low light stuff, and your laughing.

Click to expand...

^^The 16-85mm is my walk-around lens. It's on my camera 75% of the time.