jackerayc Loc: Southeast Texas

I recently purchased this set up with a Lowpro bag, 1 Battery and Charger, and as follows for $200.00:

Nikon D5100
-AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
-AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR
-AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

1. Is the 18-55mm kit lens fair enough to take some "Sell-worthy" landscape images?

2. If not, on a considerably low budget ($250-$400), what would be the recommendations for a wide angle lens?

(Side Note) I am considering adding a 40mm to try some Macro-Photography in the future also.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

Regarding image quality, the kit 18-55 is really good. It's a general purpose lens hence its drawback would be; limited in creativity & function. f3.5 is not fast so not suitable for very dark scenes and the wide DOF do not separate a subject much from the background (no bokeh LOL). 18mm on an APS-C is often not wide enough for shooting indoors or getting that landscape all in and 55mm is not long enough to reach that bird you may want to capture or compress the face enough for that flattering portrait. Last is that its mostly plastic and would require a little less rough handling.

The 55-200 & 55-300 are almost identical, save for the longer reach of the 300mm. Image quality is good. I used a 55-200 to take a picture of a security personnel across a tennis court and the name on his chest is legible. Both lens only suffers on 2 points. 4.5mm is not best for the dark and they are also plastic, so careful with banging them around. Good luck on using them for wildlife in a twilight condition.

To sum it up, those lenses will cover about 90% of situations you may encounter so they are a very good choice for a beginner. It is when you focus on those creative & specialized scenes that you will require specialized gear. That would require specialized pockets too. Look Tamron up, they make excellent wide angle lens that cost less than other brands.

In photography, you need to know what you want and then get the gear to achieve it. Doing it the other way around will cost you a lot and may still achieve nothing.

I suggest stick to the 18-55 and choose between the 200 or 300 and then shoot a lot. Focus on your techniques first and worry about gear later. Sell worthy is limited by what you can imagine. When you find that shot that you can not make, then decide what upgrade is needed. Any money spent then would be worth it.

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D5300 / 18-55mm kit lens (if it fits, everything can be sharp)


D5300 / 55-200mm kit lens (can be a fine portrait lens)


D5300 / 55-200mm kit lens (is fast enough for birds in flight)


D5300 / 55-200mm kit lens (can do macro too)


D5300 / 18-55mm kit lens (On landscape, field of view is limited but sharp)

(Download)

Grahame Loc: Fiji

Yes, if the scene, capture, processing and presentation is good enough.

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

1. Who do you intend to sell to?

2. Wide angle lenses are a good, but not the best choice for many landscapes. What you've got will serve you well. When you need something wider than what your 18mm can do, set up the camera in portrait orientation and shoot multiple sequential shots, each overlapping the previous by 50% and use software to stitch the images together into a panorama. I do it all the time and rarely use anything wider than a 45mm on a full frame camera.

https://petapixel.com/2016/10/27/stitching-panorama-forget-wide-angle-lens-home/

3. A 40mm macro may be too short for subjects in nature - not enough working distance. You may be better served by something longer - 90mm or greater.

Sylvias Loc: North Yorkshire England

I use my Canon 18-55 most of the time it is my favourite lens. A couple of posts of shots taken in the last three weeks. They do need to be downloaded. Hope they are of some help Jack.

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-666224-1.html

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-668530-1.html

ELNikkor

40mm is too short for most macro/ I have the other lenses, and they are very good. Don't obsess about what might be a little bit better, but a lot more expensive and heavy.

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

Linda from Maine has, in the past, published here some beautiful and sell-worthy landscapes shot using a tele-photo lens. There are landscapes and landscapes.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

Exactly why i mentioned to focus on techniques first. Because some techniques can compensate for the limitations of the equipment.
One thing to keep in mind with stitching and was also not mentioned in the article is that the lens with the least distortion or in case of zoom-the setting where there is the least amount of it, should be used. The scene also needs to be as still as possible. Minimal if not devoid of wind, cars, people walking about, waves etc. Motion & distortion will produce complications in the final image.

User ID

Beware of ultrawides if you do go wider than your 18-55. You’re not quite ready yet. “Ultra” would be wider than ~12mm.

Price vs usage: Fully manual primes of 12 or 14mm will be suitable for landscape and offers the lowest cost.

The 18-55 will be excellent when used at its favorable apertures.

Be sure to also try the lower ranges of your tele zoom for landscapes.

(You do not need a “true” macro lens for close ups of 3-dimensional objects.)

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

There are, quite literally, tons of excellent wide angle lenses for sale all the time by folks who thought they had to have one until they found out that they didn't. Wide angle photography is much more than just sticking a short focal length lens on a camera. It introduces all sorts of challenges that require special treatment. Before buying anything wider, I'd suggest spending a day or two with your 18-55mm lens at 18mm. That's really fairly wide. See what you can do, and measure it against what you can't do. I'm not sure whether the relatively new 10-20mm DX lens is compatible with your camera, but it would come close to fitting inside the budget you quote. Just don't get into a big hurry before you have an idea that you would actually use it.

jackerayc Loc: Southeast Texas

Thanks for all the advice. It sounds like I have what I need at the moment. I have been taking a lot of pictures with the 55-300 to try it out. I like the extra reach but understand that their is a greater chance of blur when not using a tripod. Planning a local trip to a botanical garden close to me next week and will try this equipment more thoroughly then.

jackerayc Loc: Southeast Texas

Thanks for the comment.

jackerayc Loc: Southeast Texas

I am planning to set up my website to sell some wall art and home decor with my images when I catch something that draws that kind of interest.
I may try the stitching at some point but doubt I will be good with it. Even though I am only 46, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease last year and it seems that the harder I concentrate on keeping my camera steady when handholding the worse the tremors. I try to use my monopod or tripod as much as possible.
Thanks for the advice about the 90mm.

jackerayc Loc: Southeast Texas

Very insightful! Thanks for sharing those photos. It encourages me to utilize the 18-55.

jackerayc Loc: Southeast Texas