joe_flippin Loc: Texan living in Brazil, SA

My question is for Nikon owners. I have a D60 with a AF-SNIKKOR 18-55mm 135-56GII ED. A friend of mine said I need to buy a different lens for super sharp pictures. I put his 18-55 lens on my camera and there was a big difference in the 2 lenses. His was bigger than mine and was super sharp. Any sugestions as to what lens I need to buy???

joe_flippin Loc: Texan living in Brazil, SA

I forgot to mention: I use a UV Protector.

Bob2020 Loc: Winter Park, Florida

I like the Nikon lenses and have used Tamron lenses. Which lens really depends on what you plan on shooting. Remember that the lens is only a tool. What you do with it is what really counts.
Everyone has a favorite lens. My general go to lens is the Nikon Dx 18-105 mm f3.5. It gives me the wide angle as well as short telephoto or portrait lens. A lens hood for the lens is a must and a circular polarizing filter. I have a UV filter but seldom us it because of the lens flair it can cause. My Polarizing filter is on the lens all the time when taking outdoor photos.

Bill gomberg

Only you can make that decision if and when the time comes that you know what interests you photographically . It would not afterall make sense to take someone's advice to buy a pipe wrench if you eventually decide to become a cabinet maker .If you're interested in ultimate image quality ,primes are still the best choice and zooming is done with the feet

joe_flippin Loc: Texan living in Brazil, SA

Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it very much.

keoni Loc: LA & HI

I may be missing something here, you removed your 18-55 lens and put your friends 18-55 and results were much better ? What brand of lens did your friend have? You stated you have Nikon, just wondering what brand your friend has. :?:

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

What do you like to photograph Joe?

Bugfan Loc: Toronto, Canada

If you swapped lenses with your friend and his did better, I'd suggest maybe cleaning your lens, that might solve your quality problem.

That said though the kit lenses are a lower quality than others.

A good all around lens would be the DX 18-200mm or, if you can afford it, the DX 18-300mm lens. These aren't professional or razor sharp but odds are you'll love them anyway. There are millions in use. You'll find the odd focal length when the lens isn't dead sharp but that's about it.

Beyond that any recommendation depends on exactly what it is you want to photograph. The above recommendation takes care of most typical needs but macro would be a problem and working in poor light would be a problem too.

There are professional zooms and single focal length lenses many of which can become very expensive but are designed for razor sharp images, rapid focus and excellent colour.

Personally I'd settle for an 18-200mm or an 18-300mm as a nice general lens. Sigma and Tamron also make lenses in a similar range though not up to 300, these are often cheaper but make sure your choice includes an image stabilizer. Often the third party lenses are cheaper because they do not include one.

I hope that helps a bit. Good Luck!