Nikon Lense (Page 2): Is there something that you are not able to do with your 18-55mm lens?

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

araia wrote:

Hello everybody, my name is Araia. I have nikon d3200 with 18-55 lense, new one, and an altura photo professional (AP-N1001) speedlight. I need a good lense for portrait and landscape not so expensive. What do you suggest?
Thank you very much and Merry Christmas

Is there something that you are not able to do with your 18-55mm lens?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

araia wrote:

Hello everybody, my name is Araia. I have nikon d3200 with 18-55 lense, new one, and an altura photo professional (AP-N1001) speedlight. I need a good lense for portrait and landscape not so expensive. What do you suggest?
Thank you very much and Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, and look on ebay for the "inexpensive" part. I've bought lots of photo equipment from ebay. As for the focal length, look at the other replies.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

araia wrote:

Hello everybody, my name is Araia. I have nikon d3200 with 18-55 lense, new one, and an altura photo professional (AP-N1001) speedlight. I need a good lense for portrait and landscape not so expensive. What do you suggest?
Thank you very much and Merry Christmas

Welcome to our forum!

I just read this post. Consider KEH for a used lens, and if you go for a non-Nikon, the price will be much lower.

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-268257-2.html#4521390

Zone-System-Grandpa Loc: Springfield, Ohio

araia wrote:

not more than $200

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Have you tried Ebay ? Look for a lens around 85mm and if you want more telephoto affect, look for 100mm to 200mm.

OviedoPhotos

The 50mm, will give you a FoV equiv to a 75mm. Great for head shots.

If you can get the 35mm DX 1.8, another great lens.

Both in your kit will be great.

BTW, this is called GAS, gear acquisition syndrome.

RKL349 Loc: Connecticut

wolfman wrote:

With that budget, you won't get a lens to cover both landscape and portrait photography. Why not use your 18-55 for landscape and look at the Nikkor 50 f/1.8G, which is around $225. That will be equivalent to 75mm on your body. Wide angle lenses aren't good for portraits due to the distortion factor.

Bob

Great suggestion (I was thinking exactly the same thought when I read the original post).

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

I am wondering why, if Araia already has the 18-55mm Nikon lens, other posters are recommending the 50mm 1.8 lens. If the lens is to be used for portraiture she will not need a fast lens and already has a 50mm within the 18-55 lens.

Dennis

redhogbill Loc: antelope, calif

dennis2146 wrote:

I am wondering why, if Araia already has the 18-55mm Nikon lens, other posters are recommending the 50mm 1.8 lens. If the lens is to be used for portraiture she will not need a fast lens and already has a 50mm within the 18-55 lens.

Dennis

50mm is a prime, I would consider it an upgrade

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

araia wrote:

Hello everybody, my name is Araia. I have nikon d3200 with 18-55 lense, new one, and an altura photo professional (AP-N1001) speedlight. I need a good lense for portrait and landscape not so expensive. What do you suggest?
Thank you very much and Merry Christmas

I think you already have a lens that fits those criteria, 18 is equivalent to 27mm which is a nice length for landscapes. 55 is equivalent to 85 which is the classic portrait length. To extend your range with a good zoom would be quite expensive and not really successful. I would get two primes if you need to go wider and longer. A 14 mm would get you into true wide angle and a 200 would take you out to tele land. I have a Nikkor 18 - 200 that is very useful, but not inexpensive.

PhotoPhred Loc: Cheyney, Pa

araia wrote:

Hello everybody, my name is Araia. I have nikon d3200 with 18-55 lense, new one, and an altura photo professional (AP-N1001) speedlight. I need a good lense for portrait and landscape not so expensive. What do you suggest?
Thank you very much and Merry Christmas

If you can afford $350.00 I would recommend the Sigma 18-250 macro. I bought one for my wife's d5100. I never leave her camera unless I borrow it. Very well made and the images look very sharp to my eye.

unknown flower (macro)

Not the nicest day. Example of wider angle

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

redhogbill wrote:

50mm is a prime, I would consider it an upgrade

I am wondering why the 50mm prime lens would be an upgrade over the 18-55mm zoom. I see lots of posts about buying prime lenses as if they are the sharpest glass out there. Maybe 20 years ago that was true. Even today if a prime was checked out next to a kit lens with technical equipment the prime would be a hair sharper but in the real world with normal eyesight how many people could really see a difference in sharpness between a newer zoom lens and a prime lens?

I am not trying to be argumentative but just wondering if the OP would ever see a difference and would have spent over $100.00 just to have an extra lens that will not offer her or most of us an noticeable improvement in image quality.

Dennis

redhogbill Loc: antelope, calif

dennis2146 wrote:

I am wondering why the 50mm prime lens would be an... (show quote)

I do not know if the OP would notice the difference, I do know the OP is not happy with his/her 18-55mm {for what ever reason ,I do not know}
I do know {or think I know} primes are better lenses.
and , the OP seems set on getting a new lens for not much money!
more then likely, the OP is having other issues {focus/composition/???} and like most is starting with the lens...
this is only a guess ..

redhogbill Loc: antelope, calif

araia wrote:

Hello everybody, my name is Araia. I have nikon d3200 with 18-55 lense, new one, and an altura photo professional (AP-N1001) speedlight. I need a good lense for portrait and landscape not so expensive. What do you suggest?
Thank you very much and Merry Christmas

I am curious, why do you think you need a new lens?
want? need? not happy with current lens? GAS?

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

redhogbill wrote:

I am curious, why do you think you need a new lens?
want? need? not happy with current lens? GAS?

The only limitations of the 18 - 55 for landscape and portrait that I can think of would be that the portrait end would be too slow to offer a narrow depth of focus, and the wide end is not wide enough for some landscape vistas. Also the 18 - 55 might not be sharpest at its two extremes. There is no cheap alternative better than the lens the OP already has. Ideally the answer is a really fast 50 -85 prime and a very wide prime, or wide zoom. A 1.4 - 1.8 50mm prime would be a good portrait solution, if the OP wants the soft backgrounds associated with classic portrait photography. Neither of these is an economy class solution.

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

araia wrote:

Hello everybody, my name is Araia. I have nikon d3200 with 18-55 lense, new one, and an altura photo professional (AP-N1001) speedlight. I need a good lense for portrait and landscape not so expensive. What do you suggest?
Thank you very much and Merry Christmas

I would suggest the Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6g ed VR AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens $200.00 on eBay. Been there & done that, perfect lens for your set-up.
You don't need a Prime Lenses right now.
Craig