amehta Loc: Boston

True, but since this is about your confidence with your camera, it seems worth doing the test yourself.

Trout man Loc: Alabama

Having used the 18-300 on my 5100 and D40X I found the 18-300 except for the weight factor to be a very good lens. From 2' away the photos are very sharp as well as from 1/4 mile and zoomed out to 300. I can definitely tell the difference when using the lens on the 7100. During the snow storm here I took photo's at max zoom and when cropped close I couldn't ask for better clarity. Note I've always been a Nikon fan and my first DSLR the D40X was and still is a great camera. Never a problem and I've taken thousands of photo's and not many out of focus. Moment of weakness at Christmas I gave it to my oldest daughter who informed me last week she actually goes out just to take nature shots and that's a first. Looks like I may lose my 5100 next Christmas and she can pass the 40X down to her sons. The 18-300 though will always be in my bag.

BigDaddy Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Thanks for that Trout man. Appreciate the input.

klaus Loc: Guatemala City, Guatemala

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX is very popular on crop-sensor Nikons.

It's a great all around lens, very sharp and great for street and low-light photography...if you don't mind zooming with your legs.

I have mine on my D5100 all the time.

Here's another suggestion:
If you are after the low-light capability and sharpness of a prime lens you could set your kit zoom to a particular zoom setting (like 35mm) for example and shoot with that setting for an entire day. See if you like the results then try 50mm, or 85mm with your 55-200mm, and so on.

Or, if you consistently can't get enough coverage at the widest setting of your kit lens (landscape pictures at 18mm for example) you should consider a super wideangle zoom lens starting in the 10-12mm range.

apdawn Loc: New Orleans, LA

Thank you very much klaus. And many thanks to all who have offered suggestions. I'll try shooting at specific foal lengths and see how I like it. I'm so comfortable using a zoom lens, but I am very drawn to the sharpness and quality of the prime especially in low light situations.

amehta Loc: Boston

Using primes becomes quite easy after a while, since you get very familiar with a few focal lengths and what they look like. Since you're not worrying about zooming, you can give more attention other aspects of composition, such as positioning the main subject and the background.

apdawn Loc: New Orleans, LA

I am thinking that I will also need to purchase a wide angle lens. Does anyone have suggestions on a good option for both indoor and outdoor shots?

apdawn Loc: New Orleans, LA

These are great! Thanks for the examples!

klaus Loc: Guatemala City, Guatemala

There is no wide-angle prime I can think of for crop-sensor Nikons (someone help me here!).

I am partial to the Tokina line of wide-angle zooms. They are very sharp and the built quality is good enough for them to double as a hammer.

The 11-16mm f/2.8 and the 12-28 f/4 come to mind. There is also an older 12-24 f/4 but you would have to look for the second edition which has the built-in focus motor, necessary on the D5100. These run about $400-$500 new but you might find them cheaper used or refurbished on evilbay or KEH.

Nikon has the 12-24mm f/4 and 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 which, in my opinion, are not better in any way but much more expensive.

I have no experience with Tamron and/or Sigma wide-angles. Maybe someone else can provide some info on them.

Some additional info:
Maximum aperture is not as important on wide-angle lenses since they are mostly used to take pictures of static objects (landscape, architecture, etc.) where the camera is usually mounted on a tripod.

Some people like fisheye lenses. From what I have seen they are not much more than a toy and you get tired very quick of the huge distortion these lenses create.