Prime or 18-55

Streethawk

New member
Hi there All,

I have just upgraded from Pentax k10d to Nikon D5100 standard kit.

I used to have a 70-300 sigma lens with the Pentax but have sold that as well now as I have changed 'stables' so to speak.

The Pentax was too noisy around the horses and I needed the lens so I could stand back. But it's gone now.

I was thinking of selling the kit 18-55 Nikon in order to fund a purchase of a prime lens. Maybe I'd buy a Nikon telephoto up to 200 or 300mm to keep my options open at the longer end.

So my question is - what prime lens would you recommend for general everyday use with the D5100?

Thank you for reading this far. Must say I am pleased with the move to Nikon so far. Love the camera.
 

LensWork

Senior Member
The AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G is a good "general everyday use" lens. It is the equivalent of a 50mm lens for a film camera that was the "standard" lens included with most SLR's for decades. Given that the value of your 18-55mm is only about $80-$100 however, I would keep it for now and add lenses to your kit.
 

Streethawk

New member
The AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G is a good "general everyday use" lens. It is the equivalent of a 50mm lens for a film camera that was the "standard" lens included with most SLR's for decades. Given that the value of your 18-55mm is only about $80-$100 however, I would keep it for now and add lenses to your kit.

Sounds good to me. Thanks alot I'll check out that lens.

Alan
 

fotojack

Senior Member
A wise move switching to Nikon. :) As for a general all purpose lens for everyday use, keep the 18-55. It's one of the best lenses on the market for the money. What I use for every day general purpose use is the 18-105mm VR lens. Love this lens. Great lens for the money. Can't go wrong with it.
If you're not on a budget, well...the sky's the limit, right? :)
 

Streethawk

New member
A wise move switching to Nikon. :) As for a general all purpose lens for everyday use, keep the 18-55. It's one of the best lenses on the market for the money. What I use for every day general purpose use is the 18-105mm VR lens. Love this lens. Great lens for the money. Can't go wrong with it.
If you're not on a budget, well...the sky's the limit, right? :)

Thank you Fotojack,

Just had a look at that lens and it certainly has plenty of support out there. It is about my budget as well.

Is it fair to say then that a 'general purpose' lens is never going to be a prime lens?

KR
Alan
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
Thank you Fotojack,

Is it fair to say then that a 'general purpose' lens is never going to be a prime lens?
KR
Alan

I would say it is quite fair to say that. But…the question you should be asking yourself is what do YOU need?
If I was working around horses, I'm not so sure I'd use primes. Think of the shots you might loose while changing lenses, think of all the dust that can get into your sensor while changing lenses in a stable.
If most of your shots are done outside, you can afford to have a "not too fast lens" since there should be enough light and your D5100 can manage higher ISO than the older generations DSLRs. It also depends if you need more of a telephoto or a medium wide to short telephoto for most of your shots.

Remember that there is NO magic do it all lens. Every lens can have it's niche and do great images if used properly. But if most of your shots are done in a darker environment, a 5.6 lens will not be cutting it for you.

Depending on your budget, I'd try to get a 70-200 2.8. Or an 80-200 2.8. Have a look at the used lenses and shop around. Were you happy with your 70-300 before? Was this range used most of the time? Were you using the 70-200 more than the 200-300 range? All these questions are yours to answer and will help you decide on your real needs. I think that only you can really know what your needs are. And also, make sure you don't get your needs mixed up with your desires, DAMHIK :)
 

Streethawk

New member
I would say it is quite fair to say that. But…the question you should be asking yourself is what do YOU need?
If I was working around horses, I'm not so sure I'd use primes. Think of the shots you might loose while changing lenses, think of all the dust that can get into your sensor while changing lenses in a stable.
If most of your shots are done outside, you can afford to have a "not too fast lens" since there should be enough light and your D5100 can manage higher ISO than the older generations DSLRs. It also depends if you need more of a telephoto or a medium wide to short telephoto for most of your shots.

Remember that there is NO magic do it all lens. Every lens can have it's niche and do great images if used properly. But if most of your shots are done in a darker environment, a 5.6 lens will not be cutting it for you.

Depending on your budget, I'd try to get a 70-200 2.8. Or an 80-200 2.8. Have a look at the used lenses and shop around. Were you happy with your 70-300 before? Was this range used most of the time? Were you using the 70-200 more than the 200-300 range? All these questions are yours to answer and will help you decide on your real needs. I think that only you can really know what your needs are. And also, make sure you don't get your needs mixed up with your desires, DAMHIK :)

You know - I was rarely right at the top end of that 300 I had and now I've got a quieter camera I expect I'll be needing that range even less.

Thinking that I need to check out that 18-105 a bit closer that Fotojack mentioned as I would like to try and get away with just one lens rather than say the 18-55 and a 70-200.

Thanks for the reply. Great forum this. Certainly making me think about it.

Alan
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
The 18-105 is indeed a great lens many times overlooked because it is a "kit lens". But it's sharp and nice to use.
 

fotojack

Senior Member
I hate that term "kit lens"! Just because it's sold with some cameras to build a kit doesn't mean it's a bad lens. It just means the lens and camera were bundled as a kit to be cost effective to the consumer. Somebody coined the term "kit lens" and that led to a bad connotation. I have both "kit lenses"...the 18-55 and the 18-105, and both serve me well. They certainly have their place in my camera bag.
 

RobBnTX

New member
Just one thing to remember is that the D5100 does not have an internal AF motor, so you need to make sure any lens you buy is an AF-S designated lens with the motor built into the lens or it will not auto focus on the your camera.

Why Canon puts this feature on their lower end "Rebel" line of DSLRs but Nikon does not on the D3000/3100 and D5000/D5100 models is beyond me! The D90 and up in the Nikon line do have internal AF motors.

Shouldn't be much of a problem though as there should be a good selection to choose from that do have the AF-S designation but something to keep in mind when shopping for a new lens.

Rob
 

LensWork

Senior Member
Just one thing to remember is that the D5100 does not have an internal AF motor, so you need to make sure any lens you buy is an AF-S designated lens with the motor built into the lens or it will not auto focus on the your camera.

Why Canon puts this feature on their lower end "Rebel" line of DSLRs but Nikon does not on the D3000/3100 and D5000/D5100 models is beyond me! The D90 and up in the Nikon line do have internal AF motors.

No Canon EOS (Electro Optical System) camera, whether they be film or digital, entry level "Rebel" or pro-grade "1" models, has the focus motor in the body. All Canon EOS lenses are of the EF (electronic focus) mount designation and have the focus motor in the lens, whether they be USM (utrasonic motor) or AFD (arc form drive) type.
 
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RobBnTX

New member
Thanks for the correction, I was under the impression that all Canon DSLRs had an internal AF motor. Tells you how much I know!
 

fotojack

Senior Member
Actually, most of us don't care what Canon has. We shoot Nikons here! :)

You BETTER know I'm being facetious here! lol :)

Interesting information, though. I didn't know that about Canon.
 
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