Which zoom lens on a budget??

I am looking for a zoom lens to go with my new d3100. I have a smallish budget but also since i am new to dslr's i cannot justify a big spend. two lenses i have seen ok ish, but which one?

first, 70-300 or 70-200. I would like the extra zoom of the 300 but have read that some lenses start to lose focus in the upper ranges.

second, tamron or sigma. nikon is too expensive for me so its the trade off. I know my limits/skill in photography and so a moe expensive lens will be for when i can get the most from them. If however these are thought to be useless then i will just save up to go with nikon.

third they both have af but not vr. how difficult is that with these lenses. I am also just learning about the dx with nikon, is that a real consideration. (can someone explain that please)

thanks

iasha said:

I am looking for a zoom lens to go with my new d3100. I have a smallish budget but also since i am new to dslr's i cannot justify a big spend. two lenses i have seen ok ish, but which one?

first, 70-300 or 70-200. I would like the extra zoom of the 300 but have read that some lenses start to lose focus in the upper ranges.

second, tamron or sigma. nikon is too expensive for me so its the trade off. I know my limits/skill in photography and so a moe expensive lens will be for when i can get the most from them. If however these are thought to be useless then i will just save up to go with nikon.

third they both have af but not vr. how difficult is that with these lenses. I am also just learning about the dx with nikon, is that a real consideration. (can someone explain that please)

thanks

Click to expand...

I am not saying it is better etc... but I have the Nikon 55-300 (which is less than the 70-300) and I have been very pleased with it. If you look in my 365 thread you will see lots of birds etc taken with it, including some in flight. I think for a beginner on a budget, it is a good start.

Pat in NH

Your body will naturally move as you breathe which makes image stabilization useful when using a zoom at the long ends of their capability. Nikon calls this feature VR, Sigma calls it OS, Tamron calls it VC, etc. Stabilization is incredibly useful but does not replace good technique and/or the use of a tripod when needed.

If you're on a budget but want to stick to the Nikon/Nikkor brand, then consider the 55-200mm or 55-300mm instead.
Both these are very good lenses (I have the former), and both are well below the price of the Nikkor 70-300mm.

I have seen two copies now of the 55-300,, mine and my nephew's and results from both are suprisingly sharp, and a really flexible range in a small package, so I vote on this gem.

Another thought on the 55-200, if you dod not need the reach of the 300, there are plenty of used 55-200's around for less than $180.. many have upgraded to 270 - 400 range lenses and so off the kit 55-200..

Pat in NH

You might also consider a Factory refurbished lens. These have a full 1 year waranty

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G VR DX AF-S ED Zoom-Nikkor Lens - Factory Refurbished includes Full 1 Year Warranty
119.00

Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G VR DX AF-S ED Zoom-Nikkor Lens - Factory Refurbished includes Full 1 Year Warranty
$249.95

Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G VR AF-S ED-IF Zoom Lens - Factory Refurbished includes Full 1 Year Warranty
$359.95

Great deals on ALL of these and this company is pretty good. I bought my D5100 as a refurb from them and have been really happy with it.

Tracsoft - Don Kuykendall said:

You might also consider a Factory refurbished lens. These have a full 1 year waranty

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G VR DX AF-S ED Zoom-Nikkor Lens - Factory Refurbished includes Full 1 Year Warranty
119.00

Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G VR DX AF-S ED Zoom-Nikkor Lens - Factory Refurbished includes Full 1 Year Warranty
$249.95

Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G VR AF-S ED-IF Zoom Lens - Factory Refurbished includes Full 1 Year Warranty
$359.95

Great deals on ALL of these and this company is pretty good. I bought my D5100 as a refurb from them and have been really happy with it.

Click to expand...

I 2nd Don's suggestion.. I picked up my 55-300 as a refurb from adorama and never looked back! That price on the 55-200 is really great if one does not need 300mm. I would not sell my used one that low..

Pat in NH

RockyNH said:

I 2nd Don's suggestion.. I picked up my 55-300 as a refurb from adorama and never looked back! That price on the 55-200 is really great if one does not need 300mm. I would not sell my used one that low..

Pat in NH

Click to expand...

The thing I like about the refurbs at Cameta Camera is that they have a 1 year warranty. Most of the others only have a 90 day warranty. That was the thing that helped me decide on a refurb camera.

Tracsoft - Don Kuykendall said:

The thing I like about the refurbs at Cameta Camera is that they have a 1 year warranty. Most of the others only have a 90 day warranty. That was the thing that helped me decide on a refurb camera.

Click to expand...

+1 on dealing with Cameta. you cannot beat their warranty especially with refurb items.

if you want to save a little you can always purchase used through adorama b&h and cameta. just remember to read any notes on the quality of the merchandise being sold.

With potential duty and taxes to be added on top, these are not going to be that great a bargain if shipped into the UK.

I would suggest from this side of the pond to look at the likes of Calumet, Wex, Harrison, Bristol, Misfuds, Camera World etc etc.
Some of them do refurbished/2nd user as well

18-200 or 300 . All this changing lens stuff is silly. Sigma is fine at about $300

The OP is on a budget, the two lenses you are pushing are £~580 & £~660 respectively... not budget material

The 70-300mm new is £~400 and assuming the OP has the 'kit' lens that came with the D3100, this is not a bad choice.
A little more choice, the 55-200mm or 55-300mm are £~144 & £~240 respectively... much more budget friendly, and if you look around the used market you could pick up a bargain

I vote +1 for the Nikkor 55-300 mm... I think it is better value than the 55-200 as it has the metal mount along with the extra 100 mm reach.

I bought mine about 6 months ago and have never regretted it. Lens changing isn't an issue, and I don't need to do it that often.

SteveH0773 said:

I vote +1 for the Nikkor 55-300 mm... I think it is better value than the 55-200 as it has the metal mount along with the extra 100 mm reach.

I bought mine about 6 months ago and have never regretted it. Lens changing isn't an issue, and I don't need to do it that often.

Click to expand...

Yeah, the same for me. I have the 35mm 1.8 and 55-300mm and with the kit lens (18-55mm) I got everything covered.

Dig through UK ebay for a used 70-300. Best bang-for-buck in this situation.

@OP

Are you sure you want a separate telephoto zoom lens and not a all-in-one zoom?

Because you are a novice, you may not like changing lenses often I am novice too and I don't like it.

thanks for all of your thoughts. I have read a number of opions, some for some against. I have also looked at prices and there is approx £200 quid difference, a fare ammount of money. It does seem that vr has the edge on non vr.

One thing i did read on my learning curve though is that if you are shooting moving objects with vr on this will not un blur your moving image, obvious really when i think about it, but it will help the back ground.

Am i right in saying that getting un blurred images of fast moving objects is to have a fast shutter speed to capture the image, therefore vr is not so important?

I do realise that i am probaly bending my thoughts to the cheaper option, but another thought i had was did everybody have bad shots before vr was invented?

iasha said:

I do realise that i am probaly bending my thoughts to the cheaper option, but another thought i had was did everybody have bad shots before vr was invented?

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One thing to remember, VR does not help with subject movement, only camera movement. VR will not make your sports shots sharper, unless your subject is standing still. Good technique will get your sports shots. That being said VR is great to have on a lens.

Good luck with your decision.

Lens swapping isn't a big hassle, if you plan your shoots ahead. Out and about looking to shoot wildlife, then put the zoom on before you go..... Landscapes or in town then sway towards the shorter, wider lens.
VR is well worth the cost, especially on a longer zoom like a 55-300mm.... camera shake at 300mm is very visible on your shots. You are quite right that a fast shutter speed will freeze moving objects, but also bear in mind that at longer zoom, your aperture also gets reduced making fast shutter speeds difficult!

Without spending big bucks, at 300mm you are generally looking at a Max aperture of F5.6, so only on the very sunniest day will you get a shutter speed to freeze a fast object, like a car or motorbike.

I use my 55-300 Nikkor for shooting wildlife, normally in woodlands, and during winter when the light is bad I am basically looking at (For a shot at 300mm) F5.6, ISO 800, 1/80th sec.... Even with VR, a fence, tree stump or monopod is essential!


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