Lens Recommendations? Other recommendations?

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PandaPrincess

New member
So I'm new to this DSLR stuff... I finally got a D5100 with a lens as a present :) Since I'm so new to this and I'm still learning I'm hoping you guys can help me out with some lens recommendations and maybe some recommendations for some other stuff I might need or find useful.

I live in Western NC and I go out and try to capture some of the wildlife, all I have is the kit lens for the D5100 and the deer come close but not that close. I also take a lot of pictures of the dogs, cats, flowers and whatever else I find interesting in the yard, I've only had the camera for a few days so I haven't really ventured out yet, plus we live in the middle of the woods so the "yard" is HUGE.

I'm also going to Alaska for a few months (Dutch Harbor) so I will want to use the camera there. It's a small island so there isn't too much there but I imagine to keep myself busy I'll probably be reading or taking pictures (if I feel like freezing).

So yeah, any suggestions on what I might need or would be useful to me would be very much appreciated. Like I said, I have the camera, the kit lens, and a camera bag. Maybe any good books to read as well so I can learn more... I'm thinking some good lens suggestions would be most helpful, I really have no idea where to even start there, hopefully not too expensive...
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
Well, depending on your budget, you could go for the 55-300VR lens. Great lens for not a lot of money. Moving up, there's the 70-300VR that a lot of people rave about........but more expensive. Then again, you could check around for some "previously enjoyed" bargains. :)

Which "kit" lens did you get....the 18-55 or the 18-105? You didn't say.
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
My wife spent several years flying back and forth to Dutch Harbor sampling the ground water and you're right, not much there at all. What a lot of people do not know is that during WWII the US Army moved all the inhabitants out of Dutch Harbor and broke open all their storage tanks of gasoline and diesel fuel. Quite a bit actually. And something most people also do not know is that the fuel is still there in the soil and in the ground water. As a result, the US Gov has to monitor the movements of this underground petroleum. I'm not really sure why they haven't spent time trying to remove this stuff, maybe it's too expensive or not even possible. So instead they just keep monitoring it.

Anyway, as for your question, I would answer it this way. You'll want a good strong telephoto lens because there's hundreds, if not thousands, of bald eagles at Dutch. They're everywhere, as well as Puffin's and other sea birds. I would suggest a Nikon 70-300mm VRII lens. And then you'll want a good wide angle lens to capture the mountains and bay area and for that I would suggest either the very expensive 14-24mm or something less expensive like the 10-24mm DX lens or even the fast prime lenses. If your wallet can handle the 14-24mm it's the best wide angle lens known to man. But if you're not loaded with cash there are many other alternatives that are nearly as good.
 
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PandaPrincess

New member
fotojack said:
Well, depending on your budget, you could go for the 55-300VR lens. Great lens for not a lot of money. Moving up, there's the 70-300VR that a lot of people rave about........but more expensive. Then again, you could check around for some "previously enjoyed" bargains. :)

Which "kit" lens did you get....the 18-55 or the 18-105? You didn't say.
Click to expand...

I got the 18-55 kit lens :)
 
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PandaPrincess

New member
Mojo-F said:
My wife spent several years flying back and forth to Dutch Harbor sampling the ground water and you're right, not much there at all. What a lot of people do not know is that during WWII the US Army moved all the inhabitants out of Dutch Harbor and broke open all their storage tanks of gasoline and diesel fuel. Quite a bit actually. And something most people also do not know is that the fuel is still there in the soil and in the ground water. As a result, the US Gov has to monitor the movements of this underground petroleum. I'm not really sure why they haven't spent time trying to remove this stuff, maybe it's too expensive or not even possible. So instead they just keep monitoring it.

Anyway, as for your question, I would answer it this way. You'll want a good strong telephoto lens because there's hundreds, if not thousands, of bald eagles at Dutch. They're everywhere, as well as Puffin's and other sea birds. I would suggest a Nikon 70-300mm VRII lens. And then you'll want a good wide angle lens to capture the mountains and bay area and for that I would suggest either the very expensive 14-24mm or something less expensive like the 10-24mm DX lens or even the fast prime lenses. If your wallet can handle the 14-24mm it's the best wide angle lens known to man. But if you're not loaded with cash there are many other alternatives that are nearly as good.
Click to expand...

I'm going to have to read up on the history of Dutch, I didn't know that.

I'm pretty excited to see the bald eagles and Puffins :) I've never actually seen them in the wild before.

Oh, and probably a pretty obvious and totally newbie question... what *is* a fast prime lens?
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
I should have added reason why the US Army dumped all the fuel tanks on the islands. It was because of the threat of an invasion by Japan and they didn't want any supplies to fall into their hands. There's also a little known manhandling of the local Indians of the island. They were force to leave after being given an hour or two warning and moved to places along BC and the Washington coast. But what is even worse is that many weren't allow to return until well into the 1950's. Many people lost everything they had and many sunk into alcohol and never made it back. It was another tragic episode from WWII but one that few people know of.
 
nikonpup

nikonpup

Senior Member
Google Dutch Harbor Ak and then click on images, more ideas for photos than u can shake a stick at.
If the Dutch Harbor Forest is still there take a couple of snaps and post.
 
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joecap

Senior Member
I have the same Nikon D5100. it can with the kit lens, 18-55 VR
have purchased, 18-105 VR , 55-300 VR & a Fisheye..
 
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lonestar

New member
I did a little research before getting D5100 and didn't buy kit. Instead ended getting refurb/DEMO D5100 body, 18-200 and 35mm. That saved me about $600 total.
Was thinking about 55mm but they were out of stock.
 
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