Hi all, I need a little lens help please. Im soon to own the D3400 which will come with the 18-55 lens as standard. I am looking at purchasing 2 more lens, but im really stuck into which is best for me, ive read reviews comparing each… my choices are:
- 30-700 VR Nikon
- 55-300 VR Nikon
- 18-400 tamron
- 150-600 tamron
My shooting MAINLY involves the following:
- Animals (slow or fast moving, I like shooting our dogs in action) and also animals in zoos
- Birds
- Landscapes
- Sun sets
- Moon shots
- Sports
The last thing I want to do it purchase to find out its not the one I really need, so hopefully you guys could advise…..
I got a freebie 55-300 VR a few days ago and made about 1200 shots with it. A short review is here:
Nikon 55-300 @ nikonites. The autofocus is too slow for anything that moves and the manual focus is too flimsy so one cannot revert to that either. Pre-focusing technique of course works but that is not always an option.
There are three versions of the Nikon 70-300VR. I only have tried the oldest of the lot, the AF-S 70-300 G VR and while it focuses a bit faster than the 55-300 one cannot really call that fast either. Neither of them is truly sharp in the 200-300 mm range, but okayish though. Nikon has never made a really bad lens optically, they all are usable. The new AF-P versions are reportedly much faster to focus, but I have never seen any of them and personally the all-plastic construction would make me worry about the longevity.
I have never used any Tamron lens and haven't seen one in flesh either, if I remember correctly. Some people like them, some hate them. Make a google search "tamron auto focus problem" and you get 52 million hits. Some people have never had auto focus problems, some cannot make the focusing work at all, and some have the problems but deny them loudly because they hate to admit they made the wrong purchase in the first place.
For close range shots of the dogs the 18-55 might be all you need. Ditto for landscapes and sunsets. It is a superb lens for the price.
Birds and fast moving animals from afar is where things get difficult. Nikon 200-500 VR is one option, but it is partly plastic too... I hate the wobbly inner tube that protrudes like a turtle's head when zooming. The autofocus speed is about as slow as that on the AF-S 70-300VR. Have a look:
Youtube focus test. It is usable definitely, but sometimes more is more. Optically the 200-500 is good.
How about a single focal length lens: Nikon AF-S 300/4G PF? Or a second hand AF-S 70-200/2.8VR and a teleconverter? Or an older second hand AF-S 300mm f/2.8D II or AF-S 300/2.8G VR? Maybe even AF-S 200-400 VR? I'd get one of those pro-grade lenses for three reasons:
1) they are built to last, buy once for life
2) bought second hand they don't lose value - if you decide to sell, there's always a market for pro glass
3) cheaper in the long run - you don't constantly have to sell plastic lenses at great loss and upgrade to better ones
4) optics are as good as they ever gonna be - I chose the Nikon system because of Nikon lenses, not because of cameras that are disposable at best, toxic waste at worst
These are my
opinions, feel free to disregard them. I am sure others will give their opinions which are diametrically different.