Looking for a lens...

K

Kugarweb

New member
Hi there,


New Nikonites member here! I've owned my D3100 for approximately a year now and have been getting by with just the standard lens which has served me well. However I've come to realise that this isn't exactly ideal for some of the photography I've been doing and since I have a full time job at last I can afford to invest in a new lens.


I'm looking to get a 70-300mm lens with inbuilt motor for auto focus when manual focus isn't practical and have a modest budget of £50-£80 so I am obviously looking down the second hand route. I've come across a few examples for Tamron and Nikkor on eBay but unsure what the difference is...so if someone can explain this I would be very grateful as the descriptions on each listing either aren't helpful or contradict others!


If anyone has any lenses they have for sale or can point me in the direction of some good examples that'd also be much appreciated!


Thanks


Kugarweb
 
D

Dave_W

The Dude
Hi Kugarweb, welcome to the board.

I think asking such a broad question will net you very few answers. It would work much better if you have a specific lens in mind and post a question about that particular lens. As for your budget limitations, I would suggest you wait on getting a new lens and save up your money to get a decent one. The Nikkor 70-300mm VRII lens is an excellent choice. And searching for a used copy of this lens would fit better in your budget, assuming you can increase it a little bit.
 
AC016

AC016

Senior Member
Could you perhaps list some of the models that you have come across? Both companies you are taling about are Japanese and both have been in business for a long time - Tamron since the 1950's, Nikkor is older. I can not say much about Tamron's older model's; but in regards to todays models, they are ever so close to the equivalent Nikkor lens. Again, list the models you have come across and we can help you out a bit more. Thanks
 
K

Kugarweb

New member
Hi there,

Thank you for the welcome :)
Sorry for the broad question, allow me to clarify. I am looking for a lens which will allow me to gain distance within landscape photography though obviously this raises issues of focussing and keeping the camera steady or using VR as much of my photography will likely be taken handheld since this is normally my style of taking photos particularly as nature and aircraft tend to be my main subjects.

So far I have only looked at one example which seems to be within my price range though as I am a newbie (the D3100 is my first DSLR) I don't know if this is a suitable jump from the standard lens. An example listing is below though don't worry too much as I'm not looking to buy just yet (time left on listing as of now is only an hour! :))
Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2 for Nikon 059451515151 | eBay

Cheers,

KugarWeb
 
S

steptoe

Senior Member
You will struggle to get any decent lens for a maximum of £80, even 2nd hand. Especially if you want AF-S and VR on the lens. Realistically though, in my view, your looking at at least £200 for a lens that you are looking for

But, saying that looking on ebay there is quite a selection of lens that are 28-270mm or 70-300mm either Tamron or Sigma with AF-S/VR for less than £150 2nd hand. There are also quite a few Tamron 70-300mm MACRO lenses, I nearly got caught out with that one, until I searched for ZOOM lenses and the prices then doubled


Save a bit more money and go for a much better lens, you won't regret that extra time waiting or paying that bit more. I bought a Nikon 55mm-200mm for about £150 off Amazon UK to go with the standard 18mm-55mm I also bought at the same time for about £80 as the wife bought me a D3100 last Christmas but bought just the body not aware there was a difference. Both brand new boxed. I'd also like the Nikon 105mm micro/macro lens but that's way out of my budget at the moment at over £600


This should explain everything you are looking for, and cover all the major lens types and what different lens manufacturers use in their lenses

List of Nikon F-mount lenses with integrated autofocus motors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



If you are taking landscapes, and don't have one invest in a tripod and remote shutter cable. It makes it much easier, you can get by on the cheaper tripods but they are very prone to moving when changing camera settings, I know from experience so really need to look at a much better tripod that is a lot more solid. Not ideal if you are taking HDR shots or panoramas
 
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