Lenses and extra's for D3300

Hi,

About 1.5 months ago I bought a D3300 with 18-55 VRII lens.

I am generally happy about the camera, discovering new options all the time, using it a lot. Now... I would like to invest in some "extra's". What would you recommend?

I am thinking about buying some second hand lenses, in this order. Any recommendations?

1. A zoom. 18-200mm/300mm?
2. A prime. 35mm or 55mm?
3. A macro lens. No idea which one.

Are there other "extra"s" (like UV filter or sun cap or flash..) that would be really handy?

I photograph mostly my son, people and nature. I'm a detail person mostly but with my current lens that's hard.

I'd like to spend around 500 euros max. for now.

Thanks!

Negative reviews kept me from getting the 18-200. The reach is very nice though.

I like the 18-55 / 55-200 combo. The cheapest you can get. Good for everything except action shots.

The 35mm 1.8 DX G is sharp, fast and also cheap! A must have imho.

Sigma and Tamron have nice affordable macro lenses. Most of them can be used wide open to make a nice portrait lens as well.

I like the Nikon flashes, but I think they are expensive.

Find someone with a bag full of lenses and try them out!

good luck.

Another vote for the 35mm f1.8 DX G. Which leaves a a lot of your budget for other things. Of all the money I've p***ed away on photo gear over my lifetime, the two hundred bucks I spent for that thing is about the best deal I ever got.

If you can try an 18-200 lens, do it and see how it works for you. It's sure handy to have that range in so many shooting situations.

Enjoy!

Marian82 said:

Hi,

About 1.5 months ago I bought a D3300 with 18-55 VRII lens.

I am thinking about buying some second hand lenses, in this order. Any recommendations?

1. A zoom. 18-200mm/300mm?
2. A prime. 35mm or 50mm?
3. A macro lens. No idea which one.

Click to expand...

There's a Sigma 17-70mm lens which might fill the bill, except for the 200mm part of your requirement. It's nearly as sharp as the primes you mention, and does a reasonable job of close-up photography. If you want to go for the longer end, a more specialised lens, such as 70-300mm might be preferable. Do that later.

Here's some stuff from the Sigma 17-70mm:

The suggestion about the 35 mm 1.8 prime is a good one. Also, save some money on the flash and get Yongnuo or Metz. In general, spend photography dollars on better lenses and lighting. You learn a lot and get much better results.

Your kit lens is probably as good a lens as you need for a majority of your shooting. The 35, 50, and 85mm 1.8 lenses are all terrific, but shooting with them wide open requires a bit of practice and skill to nail focus.

Are you coming across limitations of your gear? If you need more reach, you might consider how much you want/need. I own the 55-200 and find it to be quite impressive between 70 and about 165mm. I am guessing the 55-300 would be even a bit better. If you don't need that much reach, but want something longer than 55mm, you might consider the 85mm 1.8G, which is an exceptional value, particularly when it is on sale for about $400.

In terms of other options, you could consider a Neutral Density (ND) filter for your kit lens. Basically it lowers the amount of light transmitted to the sensor, kind of like putting sunglasses on your camera. This allows you to shoot at faster shutter speed wide open, which can give pleasing results in very bright scenes, such as when you are trying to photograph someone against a sunset.

The 55-200 is much more affordable than the 18-200 and you already have the 18-55 range covered. You also get a somewhat better f number at 55 mm with the 55-200. The 35 mm f/1.8 is great if 35 mm is a good focal length for your needs.

Have you thought about a polarizing filter? It'll let you make blue sky darker (not gray/white sky, though) as well as make colors of certain things such as foliage brighter and get rid of reflections in water and glass. A cheap (€ 30?) circular polarizing filter is all you need, don't spend extra for a high end one.