Lens Recommendation Needed

Tami Jo

Senior Member
I am going to be purchasing a Nikon D90 and I want to pick up a few lenses with out breaking the bank. I found a few that seem like a good fit for me like the Nikon 70-300MM f/4-5.6G AF,
Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 SLD DG Macro Lens
and the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor Lens.

All will auto focus or manual focus but not vibration reduction/image stabilization. What I am wondering is this going to be an issue with blurred photos?
I am upgrading from a Nikon POS that has a large zoom capacity and I have never used the image reduction mode on it. I am not sure if that will apply to the dslr. I take a large amount of hand held shots and a few with the aid of a tripod. I will eventually be adding some higher quality optics but just want to get started with a few initially. Any assistance you can offer will be greatly appreciated.
 

N_Addy

Senior Member
I've got a Nikkor 70-300VR and love it. Good range for wildlife, good color, and great bokeh. I primarily use the lens on a tripod (no VR) but when hand-holding I almost always use VR. It really helps when you are panning (i.e. birds in flight, etc).

I also have the 50mm/1.8. For the price you really can't go wrong, but even on its own merits it's a great little prime. Sharp as a tack and great color.

I know nothing about the Sigma 70-300 but I do know I love my Sigma 150/2.8 macro. It's my favorite lens.
 

Ruidoso Bill

Senior Member
All good choices, the 70-300mm non VR will tend to give you blurry shots when hand holding unless you have lots of light and can use a high shutter speed. It's a good lens and works great when tripod mounted.
 

Mike150

Senior Member
I have to agree with Neal on the 50mm 1.8. It's a dynamite lens. Also with the 70-300 because every time you have to drop your shutter speeds, you'll wish you had gotten VR.
 

Tami Jo

Senior Member
So it look like I will be fine with the 50mm 1.8, would I benefit from choosing a shorter focal length in the zoom lens with out the addition of the VR or would blur still be an issue unless using a tripod?
 

thoang77

New member
The general rule of thumb for shutter speeds and focal lengths is 1/focal length, give or take a little bit depending on what you're shooting and how stable you are able to keep your camera. VR allows you to get up to (advertised) 2-4 extra stops, which can be a considerable difference allowing you go go from say 1/125 to 1/30 with minimal blurring from camera shake (obviously it can't slow down action from moving). Shorter focal lengths are less prone to showing blurriness due to camera shake, but having a 55-200mm lens vs a 70-300mm lens makes no difference if you're shooting at 135mm.

Also consider that the D90 has a crop factor of 1.5x (smaller field of view compared to a full-frame camera such as the D800 or d4 and the 35mm standard), so your focal lengths are technically a 105-450mm (consider this on the 50mm as well, some find it a bit too long for any indoor shooting, maybe take a look at the 35mm 1.8g?), so when you're shooting at 300mm on the non-VR, you probably would need to shoot 1/500 to get sharp shots, which would require a whole lot of light at f/5.6.
 

Mestre

Senior Member
Tami, i had that Sigma and without the VR (OS for Sigma) it was quiet useless. Very slow to focus and even the macro is not that good. I traded it for a 55-200 that i sold just after.

If you can go for the Nikon 70-300 VR or the Tamron 70-300 VC, a great 3rd party lens optically close to Nikon but cheaper. There are some posts on the forum about this lens.

The 50mm 1.8 is one of the best deals, of course the 1.4 Is better but it costs the triple. With a D90 look for the AF-D on ebay, you can fins one around 70-80 Usd.

Later, if you really want to shoot macro, go for a specific lens (there are also several topics about some options in the forum.
 

Tami Jo

Senior Member
What about this lens?[h=1]Sigma 50-200mm f/4.0-5.6 DC IF SLD Optical Stabilized (OS) Lens with Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM)[/h] I am having a hard time finding the OS without the motor and the D90 already has an internal motor. Will these even work without causing a conflict? Is there a way to shut off the lens motor and use just the camera motor? Sorry this is just all new to me.
[h=1][/h]
 

Tami Jo

Senior Member
We used to shoot with out VR...People these days rely to much on technology, and not enough on technique...

Once I become more familiar with all the lenses I will have give the lenses with out the VR...but from everything I've heard for now I am best sticking to the lenses with VR in the zoom lens range anyway...I am assuming that the non VR lenses would however be amazing if used just with a tripod until the initial learning curve has been achieved.
 

Phillydog1958

Senior Member
Once I become more familiar with all the lenses I will have give the lenses with out the VR...but from everything I've heard for now I am best sticking to the lenses with VR in the zoom lens range anyway...I am assuming that the non VR lenses would however be amazing if used just with a tripod until the initial learning curve has been achieved.


If you can afford VR in a lens, go for it. It will make life a little bit easier.
 

Nikon Photographer

Senior Member
If you get a lens that has the focus motor built in, then it won't have the mechanical drive that works the older lenses, so there won't be any compatibility issues, have you looked at the 55-300 DX lens ?
 

Nikon Photographer

Senior Member
Once I become more familiar with all the lenses I will have give the lenses with out the VR...but from everything I've heard for now I am best sticking to the lenses with VR in the zoom lens range anyway...I am assuming that the non VR lenses would however be amazing if used just with a tripod until the initial learning curve has been achieved.

VR lenses have the advantage of being able to use them with a slower shutter speed than you would do with a non VR lens, using a tripod you should switch off the VR anyway, but for handheld shots after using my 55-300 VR lens, I can only recommend the VR function
 

fotojack

Senior Member
Once I become more familiar with all the lenses I will have give the lenses with out the VR...but from everything I've heard for now I am best sticking to the lenses with VR in the zoom lens range anyway...I am assuming that the non VR lenses would however be amazing if used just with a tripod until the initial learning curve has been achieved.

Absolutely right! And don't worry about compatibility issues between camera and lens motors. There are no issues. :)
Oh...and great choice on the D90, Tami. You're going to love it! :)
 

Mike150

Senior Member
We used to shoot with out VR...People these days rely to much on technology, and not enough on technique...

I can only speak for myself, but I've gotten old and am not as steady as I used to be. VR has made it possible for me to continue enjoying my hobby. Something no longer possible with the longer NON-VR lenses.
 

Tami Jo

Senior Member
If you get a lens that has the focus motor built in, then it won't have the mechanical drive that works the older lenses, so there won't be any compatibility issues, have you looked at the 55-300 DX lens ?

Great thank you! I just wanted to be sure before purchasing. I have added that to my growing list of lenses to check out.
 

Tami Jo

Senior Member
Absolutely right! And don't worry about compatibility issues between camera and lens motors. There are no issues. :)
Oh...and great choice on the D90, Tami. You're going to love it! :)

Thanks Jack! There are so many lenses to choose from out there is gets more than a bit confusing...
 

aZuMi

Senior Member
Great choice with the D90. Agree with fotojack, you're going to love the D90. I've had mine for years and it's been very reliable. Definitely get the 50mm 1.8 and as for longer range, 55-300mm lens is a good alternative!

Other lenses you can consider later on is 35mm 1.8 or 17-50mm 2.8 Tamron (will not break your bank and it has great optics).

But before you look at other lens options, learn your new DSLR and enjoy :)
 

stmv

Senior Member
if you are just starting out,, consider the 18-200 VR,,, the lens that you won't have to change too often, then over time, can expand (although I know a lot of Nikon users that just leave that lens on all the time!).
 
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