Switching over to Nikon [Copied from "Nikon Talk"]

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I are looking to switch over to Nikon. Currently, I have a Sony A100K and she has a Pentax K100D, so a common system would sure be nice! (I'm not sure what we were thinking!) emoticon - smile

I think I'll be getting a D90, and she'll be getting a D60. We were wondering what you thought about the following set of lenses (and if you have any additional suggestions):

18-105mm nikon kit lens
17-70mm sigma hsm
35mm 1.8 nikon prime

We're also interested in eventually getting a decent zoom lens (maybe 70-200 or something around there) and a wide-angle with a budget for each of at most $600.

I suppose I'm just asking what people thought about the lenses we picked (in particular, the 17-70). Also, does anyone have a recommendations for the zoom/wide-angle lenses?

Thanks!

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/24089857@N08/

With a budget of approximately $600 for each future lens, you'll either be looking at a Nikon 70-300VR or a used Sigma 70-200 f2.8. Most likely the Nikon would accomplish everything you'd need and would be a little more portable for most people. I have and use a Sigma 70-200 and it's a great lens, but it's significantly larger and heavier than the Nikon. As for wide-angle, you'd be a little below the cost of the new Nikon 10-24, but have plenty for a Sigma 10-20 which is also a very good lens. Obviously, make sure that any of the lenses you look at have the built in motor (AF-S for Nikon, HSM for Sigma, etc) so they'll auto-focus on the D60.

Antichron said:

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I are looking to switch over to Nikon. Currently, I have a Sony A100K and she has a Pentax K100D, so a common system would sure be nice! (I'm not sure what we were thinking!) emoticon - smile

I think I'll be getting a D90, and she'll be getting a D60. We were wondering what you thought about the following set of lenses (and if you have any additional suggestions):

18-105mm nikon kit lens
17-70mm sigma hsm
35mm 1.8 nikon prime

Click to expand...

I'd disuade you from the Sigma (had a bad experience with one of these) and counsel you to get the VR70-300 or a super-wide like the Sigma 10-20 or the Nikkor 10-24 if you can afford a little more. Start off with the 18-105 and the 35, and see where they take you in terms of the type of photography you like to do. For example, though I love my VR70-300 when I use it for sports/action photography, lately I've been doing a lot of wide perspective stuff, so my Sigma 10-20 (which I just sold) and the Nikkor 10-24 have been getting a lot of use.

Oops, I see you are getting 2 cameras and would need two walk-about lenses. Look into the vr16-85 as your second choice and see whether it fits your budget. If not, check out e-bay and see if you can pick up a used 18-135 or even a used vr18-105.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Rule of Thirds is meant to be broken, but only 1/3 of the time.



D80/D90 photos: http://esfotoclix.com

Mostly agree with eNo. I love the 12-24 f/4, almost pro-level, but expensive, the Sigma 10-20 is much loved here for WA.

Re a prime, I have the 35mm f/2, great lens one of my all-time fave shots was done with it. The DX version at f/1.8 is a great "normal" lens with fast aperture.

I'd go for the 16-85VR as kit lens, it's the best now from Nikon, but people like the 18-105 as well. I like WA most of the time, so the extra 2mm in the low end seems good to me.

And the 70-300VR is a classic for amateurs, I don't have it but many here love it.

Now, if you care for macro or portriats, the 60mm Micro is a great choice, cheaper than the 105VR Mirco, which is the standard macro lens from Nikon.

I'd stay with Nikkors, never had a problem with one.

--
Renato.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhlpedrosa/
OnExposure member
http://www.onexposure.net/

Good shooting and good luck
(after Ed Murrow)

My thoughts:

Make sure any lenses you get have motors so you can use them with either body.

Start with the 18-105 VR for both bodies. This lens is very hard to beat for the price. Consider refurbished so you can get more for your $$.

35mm f/1.8 is a good low cost, low light lens.

Instead of the the 70-200, consider the Sigma 50-150 HSM II. Much better range on a crop body camera. Make sure to get the "II" version.

Consider an sb400 and an sb600. The 400 paired with the D60 and that 35mm prime makes a very unobtrusive package.

For wide angle, the new Tokina 12-24 with motor is considered pretty good and the price is right.

I would consider the Tamron 17-50 BIM (Built-in-Motor) before the 17-70. Not sure about why you want this lens? Maybe to have a faster midrange zoom and a macro too?

--
Catallaxy

Antichron said:

We're also interested in eventually getting a decent zoom lens (maybe 70-200 or something around there) and a wide-angle with a budget for each of at most $600.

Click to expand...

The Tokina 12-24mm f/4 has great image quality, a good build, and is available for $400 for the version without the motor, and $500 for the version with the motor (i.e., the one that will autofocus on the D60).

For a zoom I'd recommend the same 70-300mm VR that everyone else is recommending.

You might consider, if you can, grabbing a used D50 or D70 so you can get the cheaper Tokina lens.

Jeremy

Thanks for the great suggestions! We ended up getting the D90 kit and a refurbished D60 with a 16-85VR lens. The D60 refurbished body was a great deal and it's very exciting to have a nice lens. The D90 was a bit too heavy for me.

We're holding off on other lenses, flashes, tripods, etc for a while since we're still trying to sell our old equipment. Now we just need to get out and start shooting
Best,
analuz