Hello from Seattle

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napeequa55

New member
My fiancé and I got on a lot of outdoor adventures, and we decided we needed to begin capturing our memories on something better than just our iPhones.

I also do a lot of wildlife watching and want to capture images of the critters I see so often - specifically fish, deer, elk.

I took basic photog class in high school but I'm a total been to DSLRs, and how forgotten the foundations anyway.

After some research I think I have an idea of what equipment we'll start with. I'm open to critiques and advice. I don't want to spend more than $1200 on the starter kit, so this is where I'm at now:

Nikon D5300 DSLR Kit with 18-55 AF-S VR lens.

Wildlife lens: 70-300 mm AF-S VR

Seems like a good basic setup for starting out.

I have more research to do so please let me know if you'd steer me another route. Seems like the next step up for a telephoto lens in the Nikon world is $1500+ which is beyond my budget but I'm open to suggestions.
 
cwgrizz

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Welcome to the forum. You are looking at the exact setup that I started with. If the lenses you are looking at are the most recent versions (70-300 AF-S 4.5-5.6 VR II and the 18-55 3.5-5.6 G VR II) I have found them to be good. You are correct on stepping up for wildlife on the telephoto. I do fair with the 70-300, but many times I find that I wish I had a little bit more. Ha! $$$ is always a drawback. First the long lens, then the tripod to support it and the gimbal head.....
 
nikonpup

nikonpup

Senior Member
welcome. Hope i do not mess with your budget to badly. Get a 18-105mm or 18-140mm lens, more versatility. Look for used or refurbished equipment. B & h and adorama are good sources for both used and new equipment.
 
R

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
Howdy and welcome to Nikonites!

I started with the D5300 as well, so I like your idea for a starting point...specifically going with the 70-300 instead of the 55-300 kit I got.

I would also consider nikonpup's advice and start with the 18-140 instead of the 18-55, just for a little more reach.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Z

Zeke_M

Senior Member
Last edited:
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MaxBlake

Senior Member
Greetings from neighboring Oregon. Seattle is a wonderful city, filled with interesting sights (the traffic notwithstanding). Finding topics to shoot shouldn't be much of a problem at all. Enjoy your new camera and avocation.
 
N

napeequa55

New member
Zeke_M said:
Hello from Pierce County.

I think I'd look for a refurbished D5300 body and the 18-140mm DX lens.

If you're OK with refurbished gear The D5300, 18-140mm lens and the 70-300mm lens all come just under $1200

Nikon 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Nikkor VR Lens - Refurbished by Nikon USA 2213B

D5300 DX-Format Digital SLR Camera Body, Black - Refurbished by Nikon U.S.A. 1519B


Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Niikor Lens - Nikon USA Warranty 2161
Click to expand...

That's something I'm considering!

Do Nikon's refurbished Cameras come with the same warranty as factory new?

What about refurb lenses?

Thanks everyone for saying hi!
 
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