what lens recommended for 200mm up

I have currently the D70s with the 18–70mm kit which I’m very happy with. I also have the SB800 flash. This was an upgrade from my Olympus C5050Z, external flash and 2x tele adapter.

Most of my photography is candid shots at friends’ events such as parties and weddings. The one thing that I miss is the the extra focal length. On my Olympus with the tele adapter I was getting 210mm equivalent (ie in 35mm terms), and my current setup only gives me 105mm equivalent . I am looking for an upgrade and really don’t know where to start. I would prefer some kind of zoom combination, getting at least to 210mm eq. but since this is just a hobby, I don’t have too much to spend.

I’m very happy with the speed and quality of my 18–70 kit lens and have no need or desire to improve on that.

What do people suggest?
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Raphael

Depends on your budget of course. I'd recommend Sigma 70-300 APO DG if you want something not expensive. You will need good light to have decent shots with it.

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Andriy

I agree with Andriy. One of the 70-300mm class zoom lenses would be an excellent, affordable introduction to telephoto photography. Nikon, Sigma, Tokina, and Tamron all make product in this range, and imho none stands head and shoulders above the crowd.

My personal choice was the Nikon 70-300AF D. It incorporates an ED glass element, which I gave it an advantage in terms of image quality. Here's a few examples, just to give you an idea of what you can get from one of these inexpensive 70-300mm zooms.









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Warm regards, Uncle Frank
FCAS Founder, Hummingbird Hunter, Egret Stalker
Dilettante Appassionato
Galleries at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank

any preference of the D over the G?
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Raphael

Raphael Freeman said:

any preference of the D over the G?

Click to expand...

As noted in my post, I owned the D, and recommend it over the G. The D has better build quality, and uses an ED glass element to reduce lens distortion effects such as purple fringing.

--
Warm regards, Uncle Frank
FCAS Founder, Hummingbird Hunter, Egret Stalker
Dilettante Appassionato
Galleries at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank

I bought the 80-400 with VR and like it alot. It works for me and I also have a 1.5 multiplier. It works so-so with that. They say that if the lens is 3.5 or faster you can use the multiplier. Well, the 80-400 is 3.5 at the fast end and I lose either the VR or the auto focus(can't recall - sorry) with the multiplier on. Still, a good lens!
Gordon

Given your needs and the way you describe your photography, it sounds like the Nikkor 18-200 VR, Nikon's latest lens, would be perfect for you. It will give you a 27-300 35mm equivalent range, quality equal to or better than the kit lens, and vibration reduction to get better hand-hold telephoto shots in suboptimal light.

It is definitely more expensive than the 70-300's already mentioned, and not as long, but will probably do everything you want. It's about the price of the kit lens and the 70-300ED combined.

Raphael Freeman said:

Most of my photography is candid shots at friends’ events such as
parties and weddings. The one thing that I miss is the the extra
focal length. On my Olympus with the tele adapter I was getting
210mm equivalent (ie in 35mm terms), and my current setup only
gives me 105mm equivalent . I am looking for an upgrade and really
don’t know where to start. I would prefer some kind of zoom
combination, getting at least to 210mm eq. but since this is just a
hobby, I don’t have too much to spend.

I’m very happy with the speed and quality of my 18–70 kit lens and
have no need or desire to improve on that.

What do people suggest?
--
Raphael

Click to expand...

--
-----
JurassicPizza

--
Real photography - it's just the ability to see what was already created by God!
http://www.pbase.com/grig

Hi,

the 70-300 D ED is a fine lens. I agree with Uncle Frank that it is slightly better than the 70-300 G.

However, the 70-300 lenses all get somewhat soft over 200mm, and are hard to hand-hold. So the extra focal length may not be such a big advantage. In addition, autofocus speed on a D70 or D50 is pretty slow.

Another option you might consider, if you only need up to 200mm focal length, would be the Nikon 55-200 G DX. It's a tack sharp lens, even wide open at 5.6 and 200mm, and IMO beats the 70-300 ED for corner sharpness while being on par for center sharpness.

AF speed of the 55-200 is still not fast (I consider the "AF-S" designation a joke!), but faster than the 70-300 ED. In addition, it is almost 50% lighter, smaller, and $100 less expensive!

The fact that I own both these lenses may add some weight to my argument

Mike

Uncle Frank said:

Raphael Freeman said:

any preference of the D over the G?

Click to expand...

As noted in my post, I owned the D, and recommend it over the G.
The D has better build quality, and uses an ED glass element to
reduce lens distortion effects such as purple fringing.

--
Warm regards, Uncle Frank
FCAS Founder, Hummingbird Hunter, Egret Stalker
Dilettante Appassionato
Galleries at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank

Click to expand...

You can pick up the killer Sigma 100-300mm f/4 used these days for under $600. It's a sleeper lens not many people talk about, but they should. It's pro quality glass at a great price.
--
Ryan Scott - Motorsports Photographer
Why I shoot --> http://www.rxtuner.com

JurassicPizza said:

Given your needs and the way you describe your photography, it
sounds like the Nikkor 18-200 VR, Nikon's latest lens, would be
perfect for you. It will give you a 27-300 35mm equivalent range,
quality equal to or better than the kit lens, and vibration
reduction to get better hand-hold telephoto shots in suboptimal
light.

Click to expand...

Does the 18-200 VR lense really have better optical quality than the 18-70 kit lense?