Buying a D5100 next week....need suggestions

C

Chemic

Senior Member
Ok so after hours upon hours of research and confliction. I finally decided to go to nikon after loving canon for so many years. I will be purchasing a Nikon D5100 next week and I was wondering.....what is everyones opinion here?

d5100 w/ 18-55mm kit lens and AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras
Best Buy $800

or

d5100- w/ 18-55mm kit lens and 55-200mm Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens for Nikon DX SLR Cameras
Best Buy $700


Price diffrerence is a hundred bucks and I can afford either one.....but is it really worth it to have the 300mm? would i be better off keeping my hundred bucks and going with the 200mm kit?

Thank you in advance.
 
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E

Eye-level

Banned
You going to take pictures of birds?

You can't go wrong with a 5100 no matter what lens you get...and you can get any F mount lens ever made almost and it will work on that body! They started making them in 1959...hahaha
 
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C

Chemic

Senior Member
Wilderness, ruins, etc.....im going to spain, italy, amsterdam, greece and russia for 1 year......just going to travel abroad.
 
E

Eye-level

Banned
I'd definitely get the 300mm one...never know when you might run across some stray cat in Greece and you need the reach to get the shot.

I've never been to Spain but I've been to Oklahoma! :)
 
C

Chemic

Senior Member
Eye-level said:
You going to take pictures of birds?

You can't go wrong with a 5100 no matter what lens you get...and you can get any F mount lens ever made almost and it will work on that body! They started making them in 1959...hahaha
Click to expand...


No what I mean is am I going to need the 300mm? or is it overkill for what Im trying to do. I dont want to spend the extra $100 if i dont have to

will the 200mm do the job?
 
E

Eye-level

Banned
Last time I went on vacation I made some snaps with a 105 of some people on top of a tall pyramid probably like 100 yards away from me. The resulting pictures showed tiny people on top of a rock. I also made some shots of said people descending the pyramid where they were only about 20 yards away. Much better framing. I would have rather had a 300 than a 200 or a 105 in the people on top of the pyramid picture. I think I would go for the range but then again I don't shoot long focal lengths so really I am not qualified to answer your question correctly. I'm just giving you my gut feeling about it.
 
E

Eye-level

Banned
Now if you are going to do plant photography all you need is the 18-55 and a reversing ring maybe a tripod...some good lights of course...then you can leave the other lens at home. LOL :)
 
P

pistnbroke

Banned
if you going to those countries plan on getting it stolen ..ditch the yellow strap and tape over the Nikon logo on the prism ...one lens travel light 18-200 zoom
buy some FED /Zorki cameras to trade when you get back .....
 
Marcel

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
Project ICE said:
No what I mean is am I going to need the 300mm? or is it overkill for what Im trying to do. I dont want to spend the extra $100 if i dont have to

will the 200mm do the job?
Click to expand...

How do you think we should know if you'll need that 100 mm difference while you're in Europe?
I don't think anyone can answer that for you, and when you find out, it'll be too late.

But, seriously, I think for traveling the 200 should be fine with the 5100. It should be a little lighter and smaller so, better for travel. When I went to Europe, I only carried the 18-200 and a 35 1.8 and there is no pics that was missed because I didn't have my 300 reach.

So there was my 2 cents. Safe travel and enjoy your Nikon!

Oh, one more question. Which Canon were you using? Did you have lenses with it? Was it a dslr? If yes to any of the above, are you sure it's a good thing to switch brands just before going on a year long trip? There is a learning curve involved with any new camera. Just make sure you have time to use it quite a bit BEFORE you leave.
 
C

Chemic

Senior Member
pistnbroke said:
if you going to those countries plan on getting it stolen
Click to expand...
License to carry anywhere in the world. well pretty much anywhere....

Marcel said:
Oh, one more question. Which Canon were you using? Did you have lenses with it? Was it a dslr? If yes to any of the above, are you sure it's a good thing to switch brands just before going on a year long trip? There is a learning curve involved with any new camera. Just make sure you have time to use it quite a bit BEFORE you leave.
Click to expand...

You are going to laugh....but a canon t70 with kiron 80-200mm f/4.5 macro lens and a canon lense fd 50mm 1:1.8
old school film camera lol




Thank you everyone for your advice. And I agree with what AxeMan said.....im going to want it later on....so why not get it now
 
§

§am

Senior Member
If you're travelling around then I'd assume you're more likely be taking wide shots of landscapes, buildings etc, so probably wouldn't need a 300mm reach, and therefore 200mm would suffice.
Of course, if you're gonna be trying to reach that extra distance instead of using your feet, then yes it makes sense to buy now and save later.

My suggestion would have been to get an 18-105 for 'normal' use, and then have a 55-200/300 as a backup in case you ever wanted to get that little bit closer (although a much more costly option, and putting you within reach of just getting a 18-200mm!)

I just feel with the setup you're going for, you may be lens changing more than you need, especially when travelling.
 
B

BNR34RB26DETT

Senior Member
kinda off topic but did you think about getting a POS at all?
i travel alot myself and i go for weeks with just a backpack. ALthough i had dslrs all my life i never brought one because of weight and size.
Just a thought ;) you may not be doing my kind of traveling.
 
C

Chemic

Senior Member
BNR34RB26DETT said:
kinda off topic but did you think about getting a POS at all?
i travel alot myself and i go for weeks with just a backpack. ALthough i had dslrs all my life i never brought one because of weight and size.
Just a thought ;) you may not be doing my kind of traveling.
Click to expand...

Im used to carrying around an 80-120 pound rucksack. Thats why I am going backpacking.
 
P

pistnbroke

Banned
or buy a D3200 and a sigma 18-200 VR..crop to a 300mm equivalent...
your life ..your wallet ..your choice...take a lot of small cards and change regualrly as it will get stolen.....russia ..italy ...ha ha ....skilled operators
 
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