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I have D90 Body but which lens help?

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sggclark

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Hi,

Apologies, but I can only be described as an enthusiastic amateur and very keen to delve into a new vocation in life with my D90.

I was given a D90 Body for a wedding present and I am about to embark on a honeymoon of a lifetime to Africa. I would be enormously grateful for advice and help on which len(s) might be best to start me off with this amazing new technology.

I intend to shoot mainly lanscapes and wildlife but understand that these are worlds apart in terms of lenses required.

Ultimately I need some versatility and portability and as this will be my first of many perhaps not one that will soon be obsolete. An all rounder if you like.

If I am being completely naive in going for only one lens then perhaps guidance on two separates that I should be looking at.

Any advice is very gratefully received.
 
Rent or buy a Nikon 80-400 VR. You'll use it for virtually every wildlife shot. Be sure to get it a few weeks before your trip so you can practice with it first. It can be a bit tricky if you're not used to it.

Its reasonably lightweight and far easier to haul around than one of the big monster lenses that others will tell you are absolutely required. Its also plenty sharp, despite people who will tell you what a horrible lens it is. (Click on my sig link and drill down to Tanzania to see some of the results using the D90 with that lens.)

You'll also need something wide angle for your landscape and sunset shots. I used an 18-70. There are other good choices as well.

Bring along a bean bag to use as a camera stabilizer on the roof of the safari vehicle.

Enjoy the trip!
--
http://photos.fischman.net/
 
Gary,

Thanks for the sperfast reply. Really impressed with your shots in Tanzania (I particularly liked the two Buffalo).

I notice the Nikon 80-400 VR is quite pricey but other manufacturers such as Sigma offer a cheaper alternative. Would I be unwise to compromise on price and settle for a cheaper option?

Thanks,

Simon
 
Would agree with GF on needing a long tele for wildlife. A friend who does mainly bird photography chose the Sigma (price mainly) and is happy with the results. For landscapes I'd pick something like the 18-105 - good lens for the price.

My only caution - remember that you have to carry everything. On my first trip to Europe years ago I carried two camera bodies and 5 lenses - really hated carrying it after about two days. Don't forget an extra battery and additional memory cards. But most importantly enjoy the trip.
 
He's going to Africa for a safari. He'll be in vehicles 95% of the time.
The important things to address for safaris are dust and bumping around.

Bring plastic bags and anytime you're not actually holding the camera up to take a photo, put it in the plastic bag. If you don't, you'll still be finding dust on your first anniversary.

--
http://photos.fischman.net/
 
you wont be able to get away with just one lens for that .... even the 18-200 would be kinda short for wild life

beside landscapes you will certanly want to take pictures of yourself / wife there in africa for which 18-105 will be most adequate and it would most likley be the lens you use the most even after the trip. for wild life maybe a 70-300 i dont know much about those except that there are 3 different versions i think, and im sure someone here can help you with the pros and cons of each

im a new dSLR user also but that is what i would do.
 
Really good point. Always pays to get advice from someone who's actually been there. :)

My last major trek was in Patagonia - glaciers and the Torres del Paine area. Carrying stuff was an issue - especially since the winds there are generally 30 mph much of the time and the extra weight, temps and mist were a constant problem - no dust of course. Fortunately had a weather sealed camera and lenses but still needed to protect the camera when not actually shooting.
 
I'm a firm believer in prime lenses for learning. You can get the 35/1.8 for a very good price and it is sharp and fast. 35mm is great on a DX camera for indoor use, landscapes, and is very versatile. It will not be good of course for getting wildlife and other things that really need a tele, but deal with that later. Right now, you should be getting used to the camera, getting a feel for the depth of field on DX (it is different than 35mm), and figuring out how you use your camera best. The lenses will all come in due time as you need them.
 
While I agree 100% on that, it isn't going to help the OP. He's going to Africa. If he goes with a 35mm prime, he's going to come home with a bunch of photos of wildlife that's nothing more than a speck in the distance, and wonder why he wasted his precious weight limit on a camera instead of a pair of binoculars.

--
http://photos.fischman.net/
 
Agree completely. Would never recommend a prime for a trip like this (just my bias). Go for flexibility. Take your advice from a wildlife photographer.

An aside - took some photos recently of condors in Peru. As GF says, many of the photos are merely a speck in the distance. Wasn't until they got really close that I was able to get a "few" decent photos at 200mm.
 
I'm but a novice, so take my idea lightly, but perhaps the Tamron f3.5-6.3 28-300mm VC would be suitable - a commendably broad range in a single lens, of quite good quality, even if not equal to lenses with prices in four digits.
 
...and I totally agree with you guys, but I don't know when they are leaving. And even the best zoom or telephoto won't help you when you can't efficiently operate your camera. I mentioned the 35/1.8 for practice because it is cheap and offers large latitude for practice. Get this one down, and then packing a 70-200 will be a much less daunting task.
 
Some one recommended to you the 18-105mm vr?

Well, I bought my camera about 7 months ago. It came with the kit len 18-105mm vr. I no longer need it. I can take $200 for it. I can show the receipt and all that.

I have all the accessories and the box for it also. If i need to describe it? it is in EXCELLENT condition.

Same one cost $354 at amazon.

Current 18-105mm vr and 70-300mm vr.

Just ordered the 16-85mm vr. I really dont need the 18-105mm vr any more.
 
If you can only have one lens, the 18-200 is the ONLY choice. Sure you will want longer, but for one lens only this is the top. If you had just 70-300 or 80-400 you would miss many shots you would want. With the 18-200 you can get any shot, you just might not get the animal as big in the frame as you want. But with digital, crop down to what you need - it's very simple to do. Photographers got by for years and years with 35mm film when 300-400mm was the longest hardly anyone had. With the 18-200 you are already at the 300mm equivalent and can easily crop to what would be 500mm equivalent.
 
Thank you all very much indeed for your very useful advice. As a result i am thinking of going with the following for the trip (in 3 weeks);

For wildlife - Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Zoom

For Landscape and indoors - Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens

I am slighly constrained by budget £900 but I also weighed up portability and my experience with the camera.

Thanks also for all other advice, as a result I am packing a bean bag and some polythene bags to keep sand/dust out! (already own a tripod).

If I have gone mad please set me straight. Many thanks,

Simon
 
May I suggest you sell it on Amazon. It is easy to do and I have found it to be the best way to sell used camera equipment with no hassle at all. If you follow their rules and recommendations, you are guaranteed payment. I just took a look and the current low price for the used lens is $270.00. If you keep the price as lowest, you should sell it within a few days. 2 weeks ago, I placed 20 items on Amazon and sold 17 pieces of used Canon equipment within 3 days.

You will love the 16-85. It is a great lens which I keep on the D90. I do have the 18-105 and that sits on the D5000.

Samples from D90 with 16-85:






jrcartasgmailcom said:
Some one recommended to you the 18-105mm vr?

Well, I bought my camera about 7 months ago. It came with the kit len 18-105mm vr. I no longer need it. I can take $200 for it. I can show the receipt and all that.

I have all the accessories and the box for it also. If i need to describe it? it is in EXCELLENT condition.

Same one cost $354 at amazon.

Current 18-105mm vr and 70-300mm vr.

Just ordered the 16-85mm vr. I really dont need the 18-105mm vr any more.
Click to expand...
--
http://digitalphotonut.zenfolio.com/
 
UPDATE

Thank you all very much indeed for your very useful advice. As a result i am thinking of going with the following for the trip (in 3 weeks);

For wildlife - Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Zoom

For Landscape and indoors - Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens

I have dropped the idea of the Sigma 10-20mm in favour of getting the

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens

It seems that I can spend a bit more as these two come in at around $1100

I am slighly constrained by budget $1500 but I also weighed up portability and my experience with the camera.

Thanks also for all other advice, as a result I am packing a bean bag and some polythene bags to keep sand/dust out! (already own a tripod).

If I have gone mad please set me straight. Many thanks,

Simon
 
sggclark said:
UPDATE

Thank you all very much indeed for your very useful advice. As a result i am thinking of going with the following for the trip (in 3 weeks);

For wildlife - Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Zoom

For Landscape and indoors - Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens

I have dropped the idea of the Sigma 10-20mm in favour of getting the

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens

It seems that I can spend a bit more as these two come in at around $1100

I am slighly constrained by budget $1500 but I also weighed up portability and my experience with the camera.

Thanks also for all other advice, as a result I am packing a bean bag and some polythene bags to keep sand/dust out! (already own a tripod).

If I have gone mad please set me straight. Many thanks,

Simon
Click to expand...
You may want to purchase a back up body. Even a used D40, D50, D60 etc may be a practical idea, just in case your D90 fails or suffers an accident.

Anecdotal story: An aquaintance of mine was going on safari to Africa years ago. He ran out an bought one of the early coolpix cams that had the rotating lens. I warned him about memory and cards. When he returned, he asked me to make some prints for him. He had set the quality/resolution on the lowest setting because "I can get more pictures". Needless to say, the trip of a lifetime was relegated to images that were barely acceptable for emails.

--
http://digitalphotonut.zenfolio.com/
 
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