Looking for D7000 Lens recommendations

anilph7

New member
Hi,
I bought the D7000 about a month ago (upgrade from D5000) and love it so far. I have the kit lens (18-105mm VR) and I bought the 50mm f/1.4D. I used the kit lens for a bit intially but since I bought the 50mm, that is all I have been using.
I am not unhappy with the kit lens, but would like to get rid of it and get either one or two other lenses (preferably, zoom) to go with the 50mm. I will appreciate if I can get some recommendations.
Photography is just a hobby (at best, I am a photography enthusiast) and I don't want to lug around heavy lenses. I would like a good compromise between excellent lenses and lenses that I can actually carry around and use.
Cheers,
Anil
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
I'd suggest a wide zoom in the 10-24 region, Nikon, Sigma, Tokina, Tamron, all these are light and will give you something that the 18-105 can't. Then I'd vote for the 70-300 VR Nikon. Not too expensive and very sharp.
On the other hand, if you want great glass (but heavy...) 70-200 2.8, 24-70 2.8, these are good choices too. But, with the high ISO quality of the D7000, the 18-105 "kit" lens is a great one to keep and use.
 
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anilph7

New member
Marcel,
Thanks for your recommendations. I was thinking of one wide zoom and one tele zoom, but was also thinking maybe 18-200mm zoom. Any thoughts on the 18-200mm as the one lens for most of the work? For low light, I have the 50mm prime.
I only shoot in manual mode and do not use flash, so the high ISO on D7000 really helps. I have taken some good pictures with the "kit" lens, so I do agree with you that it is a good one. However, there is no reason for me to have lenses that overlap so still might get rid of the "kit" lens depending on what I decide to buy.
Cheers,
Anil
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
What will be your usage of the 7000? Once you know what you use most then you can make a good choice. I have the 18-200 and even if the quality is not as par with the 18-105, I would not let go of that lens. It's my travel lens and all my pictures of Mallorca were done with it. Only a few times did I wish I had the 35, 1.8. But the 18-105 is sharper in my book.

It all depends on how much money you want to invest in lenses.
 

bluenoser

Banned
Hello Anil.

I have the D7000 and a variety of different lenses that suit my tastes. It is difficult for anyone to say get x, y or z lens as it may not suit your needs or your budget.

Amongst the best zoom lenses you can get for your D7000 are the 70-200 2.8; 24-70 2.8 and 17-55 2.8. All are fast, sharp and generally fantastic but they are big, heavy and expensive! Based on what you've said so far, I don't think these meet your needs as you indicated you didn't want to "lug around heavy lenses". So right off the bat - as is usually the case with lens choices - we are starting down the road of compromise.

If you want a super-light weight zoom then the 55-200VR is excellent however I prefer the 70-300VR which has longer reach but is a bit bigger and heavier. The 55-300VR is also a nice consumer lens but I still prefer the 70-300VR for build and to my eye, image quality (not all agree on this point).

You mention that you don't see the need for focal length overlap - why? Some overlap is a good thing as you won't have to change lenses as often. The 18-105VR (which I have) is quite an amazing lens in it's own right - sharp, great range, light weight but not poorly built either. You really would be hard pressed to find a better bang for your buck lens. However I did upgrade to the 17-55 2.8 but made the trade off between weight, size, range, speed and image quality - and for me it was well worth it!

Have you considered just shooting with primes? I suggest this as primes (as opposed to zooms) are smaller, lighter and generally have better image quality (not always). In your case how about getting say the 35 1.8 and 85 1.8? (I don't like the 50mm focal length as I find it a tad too long for indoors and too short for outdoors - frankly that is the one I'd sell - not the 18-105VR). If you're somewhat interested in this path but don't know if it's for you - try setting your 18-105 at 35mm and/or 85mm and see how you like working at these FLs Primes challenge you not to be lazy with your composition and "zoom" with your feet so to speak. I do have both of these lenses and highly recommend them!

The 18-200 you asked about is a highly polarizing lens. People have wildly differing views on the usefulness of this particular lens. Basically if you really hate changing lenses (although why buy a DSLR if you do?) then the 18-200 is the ultimate one lens solution. It would make most sense as a travel lens where you might not have the time or inclination to swap out lenses. However, the 18-200 - factually speaking - does not have the image quality (the degree of which varies along the range) of even the 18-105VR. The extent to which this bothers you will depend on how picky you are about softness in the corners and in general. Not terrible but certainly noticeable. For these reasons I passed on this lens as I would much prefer say the 18-105 and the 70-300.

I have the Sigma 10-20 - it's a fun lens but I don't use it very much as I find 17mm wide enough for me in the vast majority of cases - however true wide angle shooters would find 17mm woefully inadequate.

Again, these are just my thoughts which are framed around my photography needs.

Decisions, decisions....best of luck with yours and enjoy your camera! :)
 

anilph7

New member
James,
Thanks. I really appreciate you taking the time to type in the long response.
I agree with you on most of your points. I do, however, need to really think what will work best for me. I think I will hold on to my two lenses for now and rent a lens on weekends for the next few weeks - to figure out what I like and what I should eventually buy. In the NY area, both Calumet and Adorama have inexpensive rentals available. The decision on what lenses to buy is so much more complicated than the decision on which camera to buy.....and I haven't started on the filters and flash equipment yet :)
Once again, thanks for your recommendations.
Cheers,
Anil
 

fripple

New member
I have the 18-55, 18-105, 55-300, and the 35mm. I usually opt for my 18-55 over everything else that I have if that says anything......

The wife uses the 18-105 for everything also. The zoom and 35mm get hardly any use.
 

Curt

Senior Member
I just got the 70-300mm AF-S VR. lens for my D7000, all I can say is "Fantastic"!
You will love this lens, it works so good on the D7000.
 

gqtuazon

Gear Head
I know this is a little too late since I just joined but I would also advice for the Nikon 35mm f1.8G DX lens since the nifty fifty seems to be working very well with you. It's fairly reasonable, light, faster aperture and has good image quality that you are looking for. Another lighter alternative is the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 VC.
 

Curt

Senior Member
Without question the Nikon AF-S 70-300mm VR lens. I have it and it is fantastic for the price. it would be 105-450mm on the Cropped sensor (D7000). You will love this lens.It is on my camera 90% of the time.
 

Curt

Senior Member
Well Sgt. Yes I do use it, but only when shooting around the house (table top, macro, etc.). I do recommend it, but if you use one make sure you set the other card slot to back up just in case. I guess my biggest complaint is slow download. time But outside that it is really nice to download directly to your assigned computer without a USB cable. It downloads from anywhere and I have even found that after I shoot and shut my camera off and the computer is off as well, the next time I turn my computer on it downloads my shots.
Just remember it does not handle Raw (unless you put out for the card that does).
Hope that helps J.
 

JimmyPitt

New member
I'm also considering upgrading to the D7000, and have been scheming and researching the very best Lens Kit for this camera. My thoughts...

10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 DX
35mm f/1.8 DX
28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 FX (42.5mm-450mm equivalent)

The general consensus on the 28-300mm lens is that soft on the high end, but when paired with the DX camera body, the best quality of the lens is used, and it has excellent zoom/reach as well. Most people are quick to point out that 28mm (42.5mm) on DX body is not wide enough; however when paired with the 10-24mm it should be a killer pair! And the 35mm f/1.8 is a no brainer, and cheap too.

Currently I have a D3100 with the kit lens 18-55mm, 55-200mm VR, and both the 10-24mm and 35mm prime. Just need to save up for the D7000 & 28-300mm, and I should be one happy photographer! ;)
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
To Jimmy, beware that the 28-300 is HEAVY. The 18-55+70-300 might be a good compromise too, lighter in the bag and on your credit card too. :)
 

JimmyPitt

New member
To Jimmy, beware that the 28-300 is HEAVY. The 18-55+70-300 might be a good compromise too, lighter in the bag and on your credit card too. :)

Thank you Marcel for the suggestion. You're right, the 28-300 is very heavy. But manageable?

The idea here would be to cut down on the number of lenses in my camera bag. Currently 4...and look to replace the 18-55 and 55-200 lenses with one higher quality lens. Since I've already got the 10-24 and the 35 prime, which I'm extremely happy with; leaves me three options for a general all-purpose walk around: 18-200mm DX, 18-300mm DX or the 28-300mm FX. From what I've read the 28-300 paired with the D7000 body is a great combination (and more reach than I have now, plus same 77mm filter...can share with the 10-24).

Reduces my lens kit to 3...rarely having to change them out either (bonus).
Thoughts?
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
I'm sure it must be manageable but if you have to carry it all day for a few days or weeks of vacation, then it becomes less interesting. So far I've done 2 vacations with the 18-200 and I was happy with the results. It's not a 17-55 or 24-70, but you get the images without too much fuss. Last time I was in Hungary, I took the 12-20 sigma, 18-200 and 35 1.8 and I was able to cover all I wanted. I then went to Mexico with the 10-20, 17-55, 70-300 and 35 1.8 and I found the bag got heavy, but I wasn't cycling or moving around that much and it was just for a week. I'll be going for a 3 week trip which will include a lot of traveling and I'm still undecided as to which lens I will take with me. I find the 18-200 very acceptable for this kind of situation. If I was going there to get pro results for money, then I'd bring my best lenses, but I want to enjoy the time there too without being constantly annoyed by the weight and size of lenses.

Remember that there there is no perfect decision but the one you take. No one should get injured by our lens choices. ;)
 

emoxley

Senior Member
When I was looking, I asked at the Nikon Cafe forums about the 70-300mm lenses. Most people there said to get the Tamron 70-300mm (not the one with the macro). They said that in the 200mm - 300mm range, it was sharper than the Nikon 70-300mm. I've never tried the Nikon version, so I don't have the personal comparison. I bought the Tamron and have been very happy with it. It's cheaper than the Nikon. The AF on it is pretty fast, and the VC (vibration compensation) is very good. The VC on my Tamron 70-300mm is a lot better than the VR on my Nikon 18-105mm kit lens, but the VR is quieter. I don't care that the VC is noisier. I love that it works so much better. Tamron is usually running rebates too. Good luck with whatever you get.
 

Dooku77

Senior Member
I use a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8-4.5 os hsm lens. Can't beat the price. I do alot of video and I only manually focus. Also great as a walk around photo lens. Covers everything I need. Great build quality and everything is internal so no telescoping portion.
 

Mestre

Senior Member
That will depend on what you want to photograph. If you like landscapes, so for a ultra wide (12-24 Nikon, 11-16 Tokina and the 12-24 Sigma are the most rated for DX.
If you like wildlife, a tele is a must, people have talked about the 70-300 VR but the Tamron equivalent is also a great lens for the price and in some reviews beats Nikon
 
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