Turkiye

Novice photographer wishing to have a good all purpose walk around lens for Nikon d5500. Recommendations refurbished at B&H of new? Also basic filters needed for this lens? Many thanks.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

A lens refubrished by Nikon and sold by B&H should be fine. It has been re-conditioned and re-calibrated to function nearly like new. Put another way, it has been manufactured and then re-manufactured a second time.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

The Nikon 18-300mm is a good choice as an all around lens either new or refurbished. You will have a longer warranty on the new one. As for filters, there are several to choose from. UV, ND, etc. Good luck.

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

The 18-300 is a great all around lens and well serve you well on that new 5500. As far as new or refurbished, they will probably be identical in usage but beware there is an older model of this lens that is a little more expensive and a little larger. They both show well when it comes to reviews and maybe someone here on UHH has used both of them and can give you a comparison between the two. With a zoom lens I would defiantly have a good circular polarizer, the newer lens uses 67mm filters the older version uses a 77mm filter. You could also get a UV or Clear filter if you feel that you might need it for protection of your front element. I personally use clear filters if I can get them but many photographers don't use protective filters and say they are not needed. Bottom line; it's a matter of choice. Good luck and enjoy.

Mountainlife

I got refurbished 18-300mm (3.5-6.3) from Cameta Camera for my D 7000. This all in one lens is very convenient.

Turkiye

Thanks for the quick responses! Just the info I need to make an informed purchase. Hedgehog is the greatest!

Turkiye

Many thanks for your quick reply. Your comments helps me make an informed purchase.

Turkiye

I really appreciate your comments. Thanks

bfur396

Just something that may impact the decision: The weight of the lens makes a difference if you are carrying it all day. I had a 18-300 and by the end of a shooting day, I really felt it. I moved to a 16-300 Tamron which is lighter and it made a difference. Two notes on this: when you are in your late 70's like me, weight is a significant factor so if you are younger maybe its of no consequence. Secondly, I am just an avid amateur and I have not seen any significant difference in the quality of photos between the two. But a more experienced discriminating person may think otherwise!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Refurbished is always my first choice. After that, I see what ebay have to offer.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

The question of new or refurbished is mostly a matter of warranty length. Aside from that, buying the lens from a reputable dealer such as B&H or direct from Nikon is important. I traded in my old "kit" lenses and two of my "new" ones are pre-owned, one is refurbished. Enjoy them all, no problems.

Filters are good to have, but know what each is for and when to use them. UV filters have no function except protection, but the lens hood or lens cap will provide that. Better not to have more glass in front of the lens unless it has a photographic purpose. Circular polarizer is good when shooting reflective surfaces, but does not work as well if the sun is not at the correct angle (generally ~90 degrees) from the camera. Need to be discriminating about when to use it, because it also means slower shutter speed and more risk for camera shake if shooting hand-held. (This is when you start thinking about having a good sturdy tripod and ball head...) ND filters are handy for things like shooting an overly bright scene. They are a lot more difficult to determine which to buy because there are so many types. I like the graduated ND because it will darken one part of an image and not the other - sunrise/sunset for instance. Also solid ND for slowing shutter speed when photographing moving water to get silky look. To make things even more interesting, the ND filters come in multiple forms! I have only used the rectangular ones - screw-on holders available, but prefer to hand-hold. There are also circular ones, including the variable ND which some of my friends have and like.

The main thing to concentrate on is learning how to use the camera before getting to involved with filters. If you have had a DSLR before, then you have a head start; if this is your first DSLR then you have a learning curve to deal with!

Lenses are something that are a matter of preference. A "walk around" lens means different things to different people. Basically, what is good depends on what type of photography you will be doing. A zoom works well if you are looking for convenience, being ready for everything from wide angle to distance shots. They tend to be pretty good, but do not be surprised if you eventually discover that it is not as sharp at every focal length! The longer the range of focal length in one lens, the harder it is to manufacture one that can be totally sharp at every point. This is why many people have a selection of lenses with smaller range of focal length, but in totality they cover the whole range of the more "convenient" zoom.

Hope this helps!

Mary Kate Loc: NYC

I don't know. Would you marry a divorced person over one who was never married??

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Nothing beats new but lots of folks here have bought them refurbished and have no issues, if I bought refurbished I would buy directly from nikonusa.com., they are always listed on that site. Twice a year, (spring and fall) Nikon puts several NEW lenses on sale, I have seen this lens once or twice with about 150-200 bucks off. Also, Mint in the box off ebay is nice especially if you get money back promise from ebay if not satisfied. I only use polarizing, ND and ND graduated filters on my lenses. UV and Skylight filters DO effect IQ, don't believe anyone who says otherwise.

Bazbo Loc: Lisboa, Portugal

I bought this lens refurbed from Nikon and have been very happy with it. It has performed well under from rough handling (I have always been a little hard on the gear) and international travel.

Good luck.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Actually that is an easy decision if it was my case. Cameta could have the Nikon 18-300 as a refurb and in addition to a great price they will offer a one year warranty which is like buying new.
If I was in need of that lens and wanted to save a few dollars Cameta would be the solution.