I have a D7000. I have $300 to spend a lenses. Please advise me!

A

adamandbean

Senior Member
Hello. Just bought a D7000. Looked at the 60D but was not impressed. Really liked the K5 Pentax but it was a little over my budget. I have no lenses and $300. What should I buy? Regular photography of people/ scenes. Will buy a 300mm zoom for Christmas.
Regards,

Adam
 
RockyNH_RIP

RockyNH_RIP

Senior Member
adamandbean said:
Hello. Just bought a D7000. Looked at the 60D but was not impressed. Really liked the K5 Pentax but it was a little over my budget. I have no lenses and $300. What should I buy? Regular photography of people/ scenes. Will buy a 300mm zoom for Christmas.
Regards,

Adam
Click to expand...


Adam, Welcome to Nikonites... Enjoy your new D7000.

that is a loaded question for sure!! If you are new to DSLR' and with what you indicate for shooting, I would likely consider the kit lens of 18-105. Is it the best glass ever, absolutely not, but as a beginner, it will serve you well to get you going... and it will do a very good job. many of us here use that lens as our daily walk-around. The 18 is a decent wide angle and the 105 range will cover many other aspects (portrait, light zoom etc.)

Not sure where you are from or where you bought the camera (local store, online etc) but you can by a factory Refurb of this lens for $209. Depending on where you bought it.... Had you bought it with the 18-`105, it would have only cost another $100 New.

You may want to look at that option (assuming you bought new, return and re-order)

I am sure you will get many more opinions and they will all have merit so the choice will be yours...

Pat in NH
 
A

adamandbean

Senior Member
Hello Pat,
I am here in the motherland- Japan! I am really excited about this camera. I will look into the 18-105. By thway, is there any reasons why I should avoid the 18-20mm? or the 18-55mm? Appreciate your advice.
Adam
 
RockyNH_RIP

RockyNH_RIP

Senior Member
adamandbean said:
Hello Pat,
I am here in the motherland- Japan! I am really excited about this camera. I will look into the 18-105. By thway, is there any reasons why I should avoid the 18-20mm? or the 18-55mm? Appreciate your advice.
Adam
Click to expand...

Adam, I am not familiar with the 18-200 (assume you meant 18-200 rather than 18-20) but it should be a good lens.. Only 2 things, first I suspect it is out of budget (18-105 is in) and if you get a 300 zoom later (55 or 70-300) you will have a very large overlap.

18-55 is a great starter lens, I used it for a while and only upgraded for the extra range (18-105) for that range. I think if you are not getting a long zoom until Xmas, you would be better served by the 105 or the 55 for more range.

Pat in NH
 
RockyNH_RIP

RockyNH_RIP

Senior Member
pullmyfinger said:
Considering that you want something for people pictures, I would get a 50mm f/1.8 lens.

Nikon Normal AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D Autofocus Lens 2137 B&H Photo

or

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G Lens 2199 B&H Photo Video

Both are well under your budget.
Click to expand...

These are both quality lens and I have the 1.8G. The only reason I suggested the 18-105 over these is he wants to do scenery and people (not just portraits) and he has NO Lens right now.

In his case, I would still suggest the 18-105 (first) so he has a range for scenery. portraits, candids and even some zoom...

Down the road, I would also be recommending that or the 35 f/ 1.8 for a low light capable prime.

pat in NH
 
J

JohnB

Senior Member
I would go for both Rocky's and pullmyfinger's suggestion. If you shop around you should be able to get both close to your budget. Then you will have a good every day lens and an excellent prime lens for people and low light situations. Later you can add a 300.
 
E

evan447

Senior Member
personally i would start with the 16-85vr. ok, its pricey but good. a great walkabout lens.
then after mastering this lens i would add the 70-300vr for reach, then i would think about the tokina 11-16.
 
RockyNH_RIP

RockyNH_RIP

Senior Member
evan447 said:
personally i would start with the 16-85vr. ok, its pricey but good. a great walkabout lens.
then after mastering this lens i would add the 70-300vr for reach, then i would think about the tokina 11-16.
Click to expand...

Evan, not up on all prices, is that within the $300 budget he has to buy a lens??? I have heard good things about the lens. There are lots of choices for lens options but I tried to keep my recommendation to within his Budget...

Thanks,

Pat in NH
 
E

evan447

Senior Member
in my opinion it is better to hold back and save a little longer/harder and get a lens with less compromises. that way, 6 months down the line you are less likely to upgrade and spend even more money.
 
E

Epoc

Senior Member
This OP has NO lenses, hence is not taking pictures. He asked for recommendations on lenses with a $300 budget. Your advice does not make any sense IMO.
 
D

Dave_W

The Dude
You can't really go wrong with a Nikkor (Nikon) lens and since this is your only lens, I would stick with a zoom lens. That said, I would look to a zoom with focal lengths between 20 to 100mm or something in that range. You should also look into the used market. You could stretch your $300 quite a long way.
 
R

riverside

Senior Member
I'm in agreement with Rocky's recommendation, the 18-105. That's within budget, offers more versatility than a fixed focal length and for the money difficult to beat.
 
R

RON_RIP

Senior Member
I am in with the 18-105 also. Followed asap by a 50mm 1.8. get them both refurbished and your pretty close to budget. The 300 can come later. After you establish your shooting style you can consider more sophisticated options. For now get out there and shoot,shoot shoot.
 
D

Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
D

Deezey

Senior Member
Its been said a ton already but the 18-105 would be my choice. Also what is great about getting a zoom lens is you can set it to 35mm or 50mm and see what it is like before you buy the prime equivalent.

The 18-105 will allow you to get accustomed to focal lengths of different lenses. This is huge when getting a first lens. And will give you a better understanding of what you might want in another lens.



Sent from my SCH-I405 using Tapatalk 2
 
R

riverside

Senior Member
Deezey said:
Its been said a ton already but the 18-105 would be my choice. Also what is great about getting a zoom lens is you can set it to 35mm or 50mm and see what it is like before you buy the prime equivalent.

The 18-105 will allow you to get accustomed to focal lengths of different lenses. This is huge when getting a first lens. And will give you a better understanding of what you might want in another lens.
Click to expand...

Excellent point. Keeping a spreadsheet or other log of EXIF data focal length (from the keepers) over a period of time makes that decision a no-brainer.
 
Top