New Lense zoom
- Thread starter voop
- Start date
Hiya Voop. Welcome. I'll assume you got a kit lens with your D3100. I'll also guess it was the 18-55mm.
Hard to tell you what you should get because not sure what your photography interests are. You mentioned Macro... I have the 105mm Macro. A fantastic lens. I do, however, find that if I have it on the camera for general shooting, I have to back up some. A friend has the 85mm macro and loves that as an All around lens.
As far as zoom goes... If you have the 18-55, then the 55-300 would be a good long range partner for that.
Don't forget the Primes. You're going to want either the 35mm 1.8 or the 50mm 1.8... The list can go on and on and on and on and on...... It's called NAS.. (Nikon Acquisition Syndrome)
Hard to tell you what you should get because not sure what your photography interests are. You mentioned Macro... I have the 105mm Macro. A fantastic lens. I do, however, find that if I have it on the camera for general shooting, I have to back up some. A friend has the 85mm macro and loves that as an All around lens.
As far as zoom goes... If you have the 18-55, then the 55-300 would be a good long range partner for that.
Don't forget the Primes. You're going to want either the 35mm 1.8 or the 50mm 1.8... The list can go on and on and on and on and on...... It's called NAS.. (Nikon Acquisition Syndrome)
Boy there are a lot of people who are smarter than I am here, but basically, a "Prime" is a lens with a fixed Focal Length. A 35mm or maybe a 50mm would be prime lenses. A zoom can cover a range of focal lengths, so an 18-105mm would cover the range of 18mm all the way up to 105mm.
Primes are generally faster (more sensitive to light) than zooms. A 50mm f/1.8 is much more sensitive than the 18-105 f/3.5-5.6. The " f " number is the Aperture of the lens The lower the number, larger the aperture opening. Again. try to narrow down what you want to photograph the most... that will help you in lens selection.
You have a long road ahead but don't let that discourage you. Check out this site Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials It has a lot of good starter information.
As you learn the terms (Aperture, Shutter, ISO and others), take some sample pictures in Auto then look at the picture data on the computer or camera to see what the camera selected.
Primes are generally faster (more sensitive to light) than zooms. A 50mm f/1.8 is much more sensitive than the 18-105 f/3.5-5.6. The " f " number is the Aperture of the lens The lower the number, larger the aperture opening. Again. try to narrow down what you want to photograph the most... that will help you in lens selection.
You have a long road ahead but don't let that discourage you. Check out this site Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials It has a lot of good starter information.
As you learn the terms (Aperture, Shutter, ISO and others), take some sample pictures in Auto then look at the picture data on the computer or camera to see what the camera selected.
Extension rings could lower the amount of the investment, so you could focus your money on other things.
Using those extension rings with your 18-55mm should give you enough zoom on close ups to enjoy for a while until you find buying a new lens.
(only if we are talking about macro photography).
If you are about to go Tele: I recently bought this little tube:
http://www.sigmaphoto.com/product/70-300mm-f4-56-dg-os
Which comes with OS (the Sigma's VR), AF and is consistently cheaper than a Nikon of the same capabilities.
I like it so far. But I'm just an amateur.
Just my two cents.
Using those extension rings with your 18-55mm should give you enough zoom on close ups to enjoy for a while until you find buying a new lens.
(only if we are talking about macro photography).
If you are about to go Tele: I recently bought this little tube:
http://www.sigmaphoto.com/product/70-300mm-f4-56-dg-os
Which comes with OS (the Sigma's VR), AF and is consistently cheaper than a Nikon of the same capabilities.
I like it so far. But I'm just an amateur.
Just my two cents.
Last edited:
Phillydog1958
Senior Member
It depends on your budget, but I'd suggest a 70-300mm VR. It's a good lens and will bring you up close. I also like the 60mm micro. Both of these lenses are in the $600 range and will offer you years of satisfaction. I currently own the former.
mobi
Senior Member
If you have deep pocket, I would get Nikon 18-200 lens. But if you are looking a cheap alternative, get Tamron 18-200.
I have the Tamron lens and found it better than expectation (especially at a bargain price - only £150 at Amazon).
Prime lenses will give you better quality but sometimes hassle of changing lenses is enough trouble for amateurs losing interest in the hobby
I have the Tamron lens and found it better than expectation (especially at a bargain price - only £150 at Amazon).
Prime lenses will give you better quality but sometimes hassle of changing lenses is enough trouble for amateurs losing interest in the hobby