suggest a lens, or two!

Hi guy, i've now had my lovely d3100 for a few months & I'm slowly getting to grips with it, exploring different settings etc, suffice to say i've fallen deeply in love with it...

I've saved up just over €300 to spend & am now looking for suggestions on the best one (or two) lens to go for...

I'm mainly taking photos of the following:
my cat & other domestic animals around the farm
wildlife in & around my house & garden (typically birds feeding on a feeder at the bottom of the garden which i can't get close enough to)
countryside & landscapes (we drive out somewhere different every few wks)
country houses & gardens (there's loads around where we live!)
family/friends & their kids (not often, but occasionally now I've a great camera I'm called into duty!)

I've read other posts about the 55-300mm but before i spend all my money on that, is there a better one? like the 28-300mm or is it 70-300mm? or is there a combination that you would suggest?

Thanks in advance for any help & advice.
Tina

I am going to assume that you have the kit lens (18-55) on your camera now. That is a very good lens. along with that I would suggest the 70-300. I have the 70-300 and also a 80-200 f2.8. For travel and general photography I use the 70-300 for a couple of reasons 1) light weight and 2) longer reach. The disadvantage to the 70-300 is the slow aperture f4-5.6.

Silvertip, thanks a mill for your very helpful reply, yes I do indeed have the kit lens attached & find it excellent...

Am I right in thinking the 70-300mm is a sigma & not nikon? I've been told it's better to stick to 'all' nikon gear, but not too sure myself & would welcome any comments.

Would the 55-300mm be a better buy or should I go for the 70-300mm?

Thanks again for any advice..
Tina

Can i throw a prime into the equation.
My first lens that i bought a few months ago was a 35mm 1.8. Amazing little lens, sharp as a tac.
This would be great for your friends/family shots, and also outdoors.
The newer 50mm 1.8 might also be an option, but i find it too tight indoors.

Since u said "a lens, or two", go for a zoom and a prime - if it's in your budget.
I'm new to this game, so maybe some of the seniors can advise.

What other equipment to you have? Would you benefit more from a tripod, flash, filter, battery grip or some other form of equipment? Just throwing that out there.

I've read other threads in the lens forum on this topic & now I'm sorely torn between the 70-300mm & the 55-300mm, love the suggestion of a prime lens too but don't think I can quite stretch to it just at the moment, i suppose i was being a bit hopefull... but i'd rather get one utterly excellent lens now & then in the next 6-12mths save up & get a really good prime one, one thing at a time... I've no other equipment, but can't really see myself using a tripod in the future... other things maybe...

Go for the Tamron 70-300mm VC USM, it has a good value for the money.

almost decided, after reading other posts in the 'lens' forum, to go with the 70-300mm so I'm now looking for the cheapest place to buy it online, found this link on amazon, what do you think, guys?

just gone & ordered this lens, now can't wait to get it - i want it NOW!!! i'm soooooooooooooo impatient.... :-(

An excellent choice. You will thoroughly enjoy this lens when you get it. Keep us posted. ps: don't forget to get a UV lens filter for it!

thanks Jack, can't wait to get it & go out into our garden to capture the birds & things....

Well the D3100 is a really light feeling camera body,seeing you already have the 18-55mm. I would suggest the 55-200 VR it's light ( good balance for your D3100)'it doesn't cost to much but is a really good lens. I think this is a lens well worth looking at.

In addition to the 18-55 VR lens that came with the camera I purchased and recommend two other lenses:
1- Nikon 55-200 VR that I ordered through Adorama (New York) as a Nikon USA Refurbished for $160 US. Extraordinary sharpness, great colors and light weight. For me the extra zoom of he 55-300 was not worth the extra weight of the lens. The refurbished lenses are recalibrated at Nikon ensuring you receive an excellent copy.
2- Nikon 35mm f/1.8 prime lens for very low light, portraits, when I don’t need zoom beyond walking distance and even for video. Great value at $200 US offering excellent sharpness and great colors.

With the 18-55 VR kit lens plus the 55-200 and 35 prime the only additional thing I may need would be a flash.

I got my D3100 with the 18-55 kit lens but it also came with the 55-200. I've owned the camera almost one month and still have yet to use the 55-200. My first lens-only purchase is probably going to be the 35 1.8 :\

I've tested the 70-300mm AF-S 4.5-5.6 for a week during my trip to Mexico. I must say it is a very good lens. Pictures out from the 200-300 end gives out very sharp image for it's price (It's around $470 in Canada). It also has good Bokeh (If used on the highest F-stop).

If I had the choice of getting 18-55 (I bought mine body-only) and a 70-300 or the 18-105 that I have now (Sold seperatly for around $350), I'd pay that little more for those both lens than my soft-edged 18-105, not that my current lens is bad.

Will V|Photography said:

I got my D3100 with the 18-55 kit lens but it also came with the 55-200. I've owned the camera almost one month and still have yet to use the 55-200. My first lens-only purchase is probably going to be the 35 1.8 :\

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I too got the 55-200 with my D3100 and have only used it once in 8 Months. Iv'e found my interests more on the wide end. My 2nd lens purchase was the 35mm 1.8, for $200 it has to be the best lens for the $, extremely sharp and versitile. From there I got a 16-85, replacing my 18-55 as my general purpose lens. The 16-85 is extremely sharp, excellent glass.