artie53

I'm a beginner looking to get into photography when I retire this summer. I will be using it for various wildlife including birds and walking on the C & O canal and Antietam Battlefield and on vacation to the Oregon coast. Would like to have a lens that could be used 90% of the time. I will be carrying the camera around my neck most of the time while walking. My budget is no more than $1,200.00. I do not want to buy something that in a year I would not like. I started out wanting to buy the D3400 Nikon bundle. Now I'm thinking about buying the D7100 Nikon camera after some research. The new camera alone sells for $700.00. The other option is the Nikon D7100 bundle with AF-S DX 18-140 f3.5-5.6VR lens for $1,000.00 or the bundle Nikon D7100 with AF-S DX 18-55 f3.5-5.6 G VR II and AF-S DX 55-300mm f4.5-5.6 ED VR for $1,050.00. Someone mention just buying the D7100 and getting the Sigma 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 Macro Nikon F mount for $350.00 or the 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 Macro for $500.00. Can someone recommend a lens for my needs that cost around $350.00 to $500.00. I'm not familiar with the other kinds of lenses. I'm not sure about buying used or refurbished. If someone has a better recommendation or suggestion , please let me know...Thanks

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You'll be plenty happy with the DX 18-140 VR lens as a 90% of the time lens. It's too short for wildlife, but so too are the longer super zooms you've listed where 300mm won't cut it except for out the window / near a bird feeder in your backyard. The 18-140 length will be perfect for any battlefield, canal and coast.

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

Since you have not purchased yet, also look into the d7200. The d7100 is a fine camera, and if you already had one, I would not recommend the upgrade. but, since you have not made a purchase yet, the d7200 will give you a larger buffer than the d7100 and may be more desirable for the wildlife and birds as you will surely be taking burst shots that the larger buffer will allow you to better manage this. as for lenses, all that you have mentioned are good lenses, start out slow and with the best range, such as the 18-300, for a general lens and add to your bag whenever you have the money and need to do so.
if you have a photography club in your area, check it out. you will be able to learn a great deal from a nice club and may find some photo adventures to participate in with the other members.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

From what you describe, I think you will be happier with a Sony RX10III than an SLR - but will cost you $300 more than your budget - but you will never have to buy another lens.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/sony/rx10-iii.htm

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

You can buy a used D7200 for $700.00 used if you wait for Nikon to discount it. They do this about once every 2 months.

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

Don't worry about used or refurbished when buying from a reputable dealer. I buy refurbished/used and have been very pleased with the equipment. Other members buy refurbished/used and the comments have been very positive.

Top recommended sites for photo gear (all authorized dealers):
Adorama
B&H Photo & Video
Cameta Camera
KEH Camera

I use Camerata for my refurbished gear.

Mike D. Loc: Crowley County, CO.

If you are set on Nikon you are most likely heading in the right direction but I have never known Imagemeister to give bad advice so if you have the opportunity, it may be worth investigating the suggestion of a Sony. With that said, I own a 7100 and it still does more that I can so there is plenty of room to learn and grow but if birds are in your future, save your pennies for the 7200. You won't be disappointed with the larger buffer and allow some wiggle room for some SD cards that have the fastest write speed that you can afford. Those too get cheaper all the time.

My current crop of lenses include the 18-55, a 55-300, and a 35mm f1.8. I also have been able to play for some time with the Sigma 18-250 but it had a horrid problem with lens creep if you tilted it more than 45 degrees or so. Annoying when you need to shoot up or down. I even tried a rubber band around the barrel which helped somewhat but it would still move. The 18-140 seems to get good reviews and is supposed to be decent in the image quality (IQ) department. One advantage to the 18-300 is that it would not need to come off the camera for a very long time but you will probably give up some IQ for a zoom of that range. There are always trade-offs and to get a zoom with a low f-stop especially a fixed f-stop will run you some serious cash.

At some point you will want to invest in a tripod. The 18-55 and 55-300 are ok when you have lots of light to play with but show their shortcomings pretty quickly in low-light situations. This is especially true in the beginning when you may not know how to compensate for those situations. I still struggle with it and I'm not saying this to discourage any of your choices because I will be the first one to admit that most of my issues are with the nut behind the camera and not the equipment.

Good luck, may this little ramble help somewhat.

I will second Shellback's comment about Cameta Camera. The offer a 1-year warranty on refurbs.

Bill_de Loc: US

I second either this camera or something similar from another manufacturer. I have no preference as to manufacturer. The camera will be easy to carry without carrying multiple lenses. Even if you do decide to go with an interchangeable lens camera later on, you will probably keep this as a walk around. Unless you plan on making large prints, the 1 inch sensors are more than adequate.

And, congratulations on your up coming retirement. It's a great thing!!!!

--

tramsey Loc: Texas

I have a 7100 with only one lens an 18-300 and shoot wild life. I sell my photos from my friends restaurant. I would certainly hate to have that as my only source of income. I would never have enough money for anything. However I do sell a few and some to even repeat customers. You have to get close and I miss many shots because of this. I also shoot grandkids indoors and here to it is satisfactory. However if I didn't have the 7100, I would go with the 7200 also. If I had the money I would go with the 500 but that is out of my reach.

JR45 Loc: Montgomery County, TX

I fully recommend the D7200 body. I've been using the Nikkor 18-300 for walk around. That lens may
be a budget breaker, but, try to find something similar.

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-412935-1.html

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-419367-1.html

Photosmoke

The D7100 is a fine camera, you can get a 24-120mm recond. for about 545.00 in crop mode you have 240mm a pretty good all around setup & it will focus to about 6". You could also get a Tamron 70-300mm for around 450.00 maybe less also a very good lens, I love mine. Good luck & good shooting

MtnMan Loc: ID

The D5300 takes the same images as the D7100, weighs half as much, has extra features such as gps, wifi, and a fully articulated screen, and can be had refurbished under $500, leaving you more for lenses.

I also prefer the active info screen control system of the D5xxxs over the buttons and unreadable green screen of the D7xxxs.

Of course the D7xxxs have advantages too.

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

Rather than spending the money on a "kit" lens, do this. Buy the camera body only. For $150 or less on E-bay, you can buy a 70-300mm f/4-5.6G AF Zoom-Nikkor lens. This is an FX lens that will work on any modern Nikon digital SLR including the D7100. It has a big advantage for wildlife photography because it is an FX lens. When used on a DX camera, it has the effect of using a longer focal length lens. In fact, at the 300mm setting, it is the equivalent of a 450mm lens. For everything else, Adorama in NYC has a used 28-70mm f/2.8 ED-IF AF-S Wide Angle-Telephoto Zoom-Nikkor Lens for $250.00. They are a very reputable company. You can find the lens at this ULR: https://www.adorama.com/us%20%20%20%20815239.html?gclid=Cj0KEQiAh4fEBRCZhriIjLfArrQBEiQArzzDASIjPhlLZngD3cEiIWoC-JCp3QJVc7Y_K7E2lk5cCxsaAkmX8P8HAQ

PeterDragon Loc: Harlan, KY - Kona, HI - Phoenix, AZ

Bad advice on this lens. They state it as a parts lens only.

MikieLBS Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

Bad advice.

The effective focal length for DX and FX lenses are exactly the same. Effective focal length on both FX and DX lenses are MMx1.5 on Nikon crop frame cameras. FX lenses are usually more expensive, heavier and larger because of more glass. Buy FX lenses for a crop frame camera if you plan to someday upgrade for full frame or if fx is the only thing available. The big wildlife lenses are all FX.

Some will tell you that you get better photo quality with a FX on a DX body but this is widely disputed.

A 70-300 can be picked up for under $200 though but it doesn't have vibration control.