Best Zoom Lens for D7100

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D7100

Senior Member
Hey guys.

Wondering if someone could help educate me on lenses for the D7100 ?

Now I am starting to establish my kit, what I am after is a really good zoom lens for both image quality and distance.

Being a newbie I am still learning the terminology and I am unsure as to the difference of some makes, Tamron, Nikkor, Sigma etc and as of yet, I do not know which is the best make to spend my money on.

I have also seen these teleconverters, am I right in thinking that goes on the D7100 body first then a lens goes on and it magnifies the distance of that lens ? If that is how it works, are there any negatives to this or is it a common thing that people do ?

I would like to be able to zoom in on some birds, just some wildlife photography really.

Budget is probably around £500, so I guess not that much, but if that won’t get me a teleconverter and a lens then I could always get the lens first and the teleconverter at a later stage.

Looking forward to some advice.

Many thanks :)
 
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robbins.photo

Senior Member
Ok, well teleconverters will cut the amount of light coming in from the lens. For a 1.4 you'll lose 1 fstop, for a 2x you'll lose two full fstops. A 2x can be useful but only on a fast lens, something in say the F4 or F2.8 range.

You don't want to use them with slower glass like an f5.6 or you will most likely lose the ability to autofocus.

If you think 300mm would be enough the nikkor 70-300 mm afs g vr is an outstanding lens but I wouldn't recommend using a tc with it.

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Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
D7100 said:
Being a newbie I am still learning the terminology and I am unsure as to the difference of some makes, Tamron, Nikkor, Sigma etc and as of yet, I do not know which is the best make to spend my money on.
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It used to be that lenses third-parties like Tamron, Sigma and Tokina were also "third rate" lenses. Those days are gone. Sigma and Tokina at least are making lenses that equal or surpass their Nikon equivalents. Tamron I have no direct experience with so I have no opinion on their lenses. My overarching point here being, each lens need/purchase has to be looked at individually. Just because one seller makes the best ultra wide, does not mean they make the best zoom or telephoto.


D7100 said:
I have also seen these teleconverters, am I right in thinking that goes on the D7100 body first then a lens goes on and it magnifies the distance of that lens ? If that is how it works, are there any negatives to this or is it a common thing that people do?
Click to expand...
Your understanding is essentially correct. TC's have their place as they are just another tool in the bag to draw on. You do have to be careful about compatibility when it comes to TC's however; as most of them, if not all, are compatible with a relatively short list of lenses.

For someone just getting started, and bearing in mind your £500 budget, I too would suggest the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR. Notice the VR designator in the description. There is another, very different version of this lens that does NOT have VR and that's not the lens I'm talking about.

....
 
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skene

Senior Member
It's a nice idea telling people what your budget is.
As stated a TC can be used to help get that little extra reach, however it is not made for usage on all lenses. The TC is another piece of glass that helps magnify at the cost of light. So basically imagine another lens on your lens. A cheaper route of trying to get some more range would be the addition of an extension tube which would give you more reach at the same time losing light. Certain brands offer electrical connections so that they may work with AF, while others do not (whether or not your camera and lens agree with it is a chance you should be willing to take).

Maybe look into the used market as well, as you may be able to find a deal on some great glass without breaking the bank. Maybe something like that Sigma lens would be a good starter, but do keep in mind it may not be something you want to lug around with you.

Also you can just go with something like a Tamron/Sigma/Nikon 70-300 for probably a less expensive route, but do keep in mind that the quality of the image may suffer at distance. But worth a shot to see where you like the range, them you can go from there.
 
R

robbins.photo

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
It used to be that lenses third-parties like Tamron, Sigma and Tokina were also "third rate" lenses. Those days are gone. Sigma and Tokina at least are making lenses that equal or surpass their Nikon equivalents. Tamron I have no direct experience with so I have no opinion on their lenses. My overarching point here being, each lens need/purchase has to be looked at individually. Just because one seller makes the best ultra wide, does not mean they make the best zoom or telephoto.
Click to expand...

I would agree with this wholeheartedly, and I would actually go a step further and caution that when you are looking at a lens, particularly in the Tamron or Sigma, make sure you're doing your research on the correct lens - particularly with Tamron's designations it's sometimes difficult because they have come out with several versions of the same lens and often there can be a significant quality difference between the versions.

I own a Sigma 70-200 mm F/2.8 OS HSM for example. It's a much newer design and a much better lens by all accounts than the Sigma 70-200 mm F/2.8 without the OS. The new Tamron 70-200 mm F/2.8 with VC are by all accounts spectacular lenses in alll respects, however the older non-VC versions have had a lot of reported problems of slow and noisy autofocus.

As someone mentioned previously the 70-300 mm AFS-G VR version of the Nikkor lens is outstanding - the older, 70-300 mm non VR version, well not so much really.
 
D

D7100

Senior Member
Thanks a lot guys for the advice, all understood and that little bit wiser :)

The Sigma does look quite good value with the £100 money back, but as pointed out, I may not like lugging it about.

I have 2 very good lenses there to be looking at, so I will spend this evening check out the pros and cons and of course checking the used market to see whats available.

Thanks again for the advice :)
 
Patrick M

Patrick M

Senior Member
I just got the new Nikkor 18-300 f/3.5-6.3
Nice. Lighter than the lens it 'replaces'. Great all-day camera IMHO


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