Zoom recommendation

[crossmr]

Hi, not a Nikon user myself, but I've got a question for a friend. If anyone can help, much appreciated. I just know zero about Nikon glass:


I have a friend who has a Nikon and she wants to get off the kit lens just to have a little more flexibility. i don't know much about Nikon glass, or anything else. She's using, I believe, a d5100

I've been giving her pointers and basic as she was an auto shooter (which meant the camera was doing silly stuff like auto choosing ISO 3200). she isn't looking to go full pro or spend big bucks.
At the lower end I've noticed these two lenses as being affordable in Korea.
Tamron 18-200 Di-ii
Nikon AF-S DX 18-135
They're both slightly older, but I would guess the IQ on either of them would probably be better than the kit lens that is on their now, plus the added zoom would be helpful for her.

or another lens around that zoom that isn't pricey. Any thoughts?

 

[Fred Kingston_RIP]

Pretty difficult to make a comparison/recommendation without knowing exactly which 'kit' lens she has...

 

[pedroj]

Hi and welcome...With the D3000 the lens you buy have to be AF-S for them to AF...I'm not sure if the Tamron has an AF motor

 

[crossmr]

Pretty difficult to make a comparison/recommendation without knowing exactly which 'kit' lens she has...

She has the 18-55 that would come with the d3000

Hi and welcome...With the D3000 the lens you buy have to be AF-S for them to AF...I'm not sure if the Tamron has an AF motor

according to the description

The Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro Lens made for the Nikon SLR system incorporates a motor built into the lens itself, which gives it the capability to autofocus with all Nikon DSLR cameras (including the D40 and D40x). In addition, with the motor built into the lens, focusing will be quieter and more responsive.

It seems it does
Ok

did a little more reading, as I said, I don't really know anything about Nikon, use Pentax myself. It seems there are many kinds of AF, and it specifically needs to be AF-S or AF-I. Seems the Tamron is out then.

[edit] My mistake guys, just got a message from her, her camera is a d5100 not a d3000. So her kit lens would be the 18-55 that comes standard with that camera.
​

 

[pedroj]

She has the 18-55 that would come with the d3000

according to the description

It seems it does
Ok

did a little more reading, as I said, I don't really know anything about Nikon, use Pentax myself. It seems there are many kinds of AF, and it specifically needs to be AF-S or AF-I. Seems the Tamron is out then.

[edit] My mistake guys, just got a message from her, her camera is a d5100 not a d3000. So her kit lens would be the 18-55 that comes standard with that camera.
​

The Tamron According to what you have posted will auto focus on the D5100

 

[crossmr]

The Tamron According to what you have posted will auto focus on the D5100

Thanks. I was reading though some people saying the autofocus was a little slow on that, One person specifically mentioned on Amazon he found it slow with his 2 year old, and my friend has a 1.5 year old daughter, so I'm thinking, that might be an issue if it focuses that slowly. Can anyone comment on the focusing speed of the Nikon 18-135 AF-S lens?

 

[pedroj]

An AF-S 50mm 1.8 could be a good buy for taking kids pics...

 

[crossmr]

An AF-S 50mm 1.8 could be a good buy for taking kids pics...

No, she needs a general purpose lens, she isn't someone who is going to carry around several lens or even two lenses. It's their vacation/kid/party/everything camera. She's only just gotten off full-auto mode. Baby-steps.

 

[fotojack]

I'd recommend the 18-105 AF-S VR lens as a good all purpose lens, without breaking the bank.

 

[crossmr]

I'd recommend the 18-105 AF-S VR lens as a good all purpose lens, without breaking the bank.

Is there a particular reason you'd recommend that one over the 18-135? is the image quality much better? Much faster auto-focus?
I only ask, because the 105 is about $60-$70 more than the 135 here.
I see VR seems to be shake reduction. Nikon doesn't haven't this built into the bodies themselves?

 

[pedroj]

Is there a particular reason you'd recommend that one over the 18-135? is the image quality much better? Much faster auto-focus?
I only ask, because the 105 is about $60-$70 more than the 135 here.
I see VR seems to be shake reduction. Nikon doesn't haven't this built into the bodies themselves?

VR is Vibration Reduction...The 18-105 has VR...The extra 60/70 bucks

 

[crossmr]

VR is Vibration Reduction...The 18-105 has VR...The extra 60/70 bucks

Okay thanks. I'll pass this on to her and see which one she goes for. I was hoping to give her a little more zoom, but the 18-200 vr is another $150 over the 105 and I don't think she's looking to spend that much right now.

 

[Ironwood]

Is there a particular reason you'd recommend that one over the 18-135? is the image quality much better? Much faster auto-focus?
I only ask, because the 105 is about $60-$70 more than the 135 here.
I see VR seems to be shake reduction. Nikon doesn't haven't this built into the bodies themselves?

VR= vibration reduction. And yes, Nikon hasnt built this into their bodies like I heard Pentax and Sony does, it is built into the lens.

IMHO it would be worth the extra $70 for the VR, I would go with the 18-105.

 

[crossmr]

VR= vibration reduction. And yes, Nikon hasnt built this into their bodies like I heard Pentax and Sony does, it is built into the lens.

IMHO it would be worth the extra $70 for the VR, I would go with the 18-105.

Yes, Pentax has it on the body, so I can use it even with manual lenses. though it works better with prime than manual zoom, you have to pick a focal length for the SR and since that is always changing with a manual zoom, you have to choose somewhere in the middle unless you're going to be only shooting at one end.

Thanks for the help guys, I really didn't know anything about Nikon before she handed me the camera and asked me for help. As a thanks here is a shot of the young lady in question that you'll be helping to get some better pictures of from her first birthday a couple months back.

 

[gqtuazon]

18-105mm VR and Nikon 18-135mm lens are both kit lenses.

In order to avoid further disappointment, bite the bullet and get the Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 AF-S DX lens.

 

[crossmr]

18-105mm VR and Nikon 18-135mm lens are both kit lenses.

In order to avoid further disappointment, bite the bullet and get the Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 AF-S DX lens.

Would you say the IQ of the 18-105 is more or less the same as the 18-55 kit lens? What about the 18-200. Again, we're looking for a general purpose lens for a non-pro, not even really an enthusiast at this point. I think for her, zoom is a little higher up on the want list than pure IQ. I don't really know how the kit lenses compare to some of the other lenses with Nikon. With Pentax the 18-55 that is included is pretty mediocre. With some really great light and everything perfect you can get some OK images, but really you need to move on to something, anything else. Even the 18-135 lens for Pentax that you can get as a "kit" but not the normal kit is significantly better than the 18-55. Not the case here?

 

[gqtuazon]

Would you say the IQ of the 18-105 is more or less the same as the 18-55 kit lens? What about the 18-200. Again, we're looking for a general purpose lens for a non-pro, not even really an enthusiast at this point. I think for her, zoom is a little higher up on the want list than pure IQ. I don't really know how the kit lenses compare to some of the other lenses with Nikon. With Pentax the 18-55 that is included is pretty mediocre. With some really great light and everything perfect you can get some OK images, but really you need to move on to something, anything else. Even the 18-135 lens for Pentax that you can get as a "kit" but not the normal kit is significantly better than the 18-55. Not the case here?

This is what I understood from your original post.

I have a friend who has a Nikon and she wants to get off the kit lens just to have a little more flexibility. i don't know much about Nikon glass, or anything else. She's using, I believe, a d5100

If it is just the added extra reach, then the 18-105 or 18-200mm will be a good lens to go to and add a Nikon SB 700 to address the additional light needed when using these lenses indoor. These are all f3.5-5.6, so these are your standard kit type lenses regardless of brand.

The Nikon 16-85mm VR will be an ideal lens for me. You get better IQ if you stop down at f6-f8 but then again you don't get a lot of isolation at that aperture which is why I suggested the Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 (used). That lens is apparently out of the question since it is more expensive than her camera. Good luck with your lens selection. I would definitely stay away from the 18-135mm.

 

[crossmr]

This is what I understood from your original post.



If it is just the added extra reach, then the 18-105 or 18-200mm will be a good lens to go to and add a Nikon SB 700 to address the additional light needed when using these lenses indoor. These are all f3.5-5.6, so these are your standard kit type lenses regardless of brand.

The Nikon 16-85mm VR will be an ideal lens for me. You get better IQ if you stop down at f6-f8 but then again you don't get a lot of isolation at that aperture which is why I suggested the Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 (used). That lens is apparently out of the question since it is more expensive than her camera. Good luck with your lens selection. I would definitely stay away from the 18-135mm.

Maybe it is different with Nikon, but when I say kit lens, I mean the lens that comes with the camera. In the case of Pentax, it's not a great lens, the IQ is very mediocre, and just about any lens you can choose beyond that gives you better IQ regardless of the lower f-stop range. With Nikon are we saying the 18-55, 18-105, 18-200 are all more or less the same in regards to color/sharpness/etc? The 135 without VR is definitely out.

 

[Fred Kingston_RIP]

If you're really adamant... You can go to DxOMark - DxOMark by DxO Labs and look up each lens, and compare their test results... They have become the defacto standard in cataloguing, testing, and comparing lenses and cameras against known standards...

 

[crossmr]

If you're really adamant... You can go to DxOMark - DxOMark by DxO Labs and look up each lens, and compare their test results... They have become the defacto standard in cataloguing, testing, and comparing lenses and cameras against known standards...

I'm not adamant.. I'm just coming at this from a perspective of no experience with Nikon glass. Obviously things are a little different with Nikon lenses than Pentax lenses. If that's the case, then that is fine. that's just the reason I came here, to find that out for her first.