jtbdal

I recently purchased a Nikon D7500 kit which included a Nikon 18 - 55 MM lense as well as a Tamron 70 -300 MM lense. If I decide to upgrade these lenses, for what should I be looking?

Thanks.

Tom B.

TJBNovember Loc: Long Island, New York

First off what type of photos are you intending to take? That would help a bit in throwing you a little advise. Since Nikon doesn't appear to offer a 18 to 55MM lens as a kit currently with the D7500 it's hard to say which you have, the AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR, is their top 18 to 55mm, that matches with your D7500. With the Tamron lens it seems as though a package was put together by wherever you got your camera or was suggested as an add on, I'm not familiar with that Tamron lens, though I do have a 200 to 400mmAF Tamron on my Minolta 9xi Maxxum which I find to be a pretty good lens. If you add some more info, you'll find yourself with a lot of suggestions and advise.

AircraftGuru

I have a D7100 ... I bought the camera body and bought the lens separately from the same camera shop. The lens I bought is Niikon’s 18-200 mm .... and have been quite happy with it .... most of my photos are family or portraits for friends ..... and am not doing wildlife photos where their 18-300 lens would be useful. We live in a retirement community in the SW corner of Utah about 2 mile from the Arizona border .... at the eastern edge of the Mojave Desert, Southern end of the Rocky Mountains and western end of the Colorado Plateau .... if you drive 75 miles in any of 3 directions, the scenery changes dramatically. What I did not want was to do have to change lenses outside of our home .... if it is windy, there is a lot of fine grain dust that is blown around ... and I don’t want that on the sensor and internal mechanism. With the lens I have, I am not changing lenses. For the kind of photos I take, this works for me. I had an earlier version of this lens with my old Nikon N90 film camera. Good luck.

texex Loc: San Antonio, TX

I have the 18-55 as well as the Tammy on my D7200. They are each great price/value lenses. I also have a Nikkor 24-85, a Nikkor 28-80 and a Sigma 10-20 ultra-wide which I like very much. You may want a 50mm prime in your bag as well. Yes, lens quality speaks to many aspects of the image. But overall, it is the synergy of your own eye and your management of light through the camera which defines your craftwork.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

You need the 35mm DX prime.

Charlie'smom

I 100% agree.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Recommend something like the Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 for star shots and landscapes and some indoor stuff. Something like the Sigma or Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 along with something like the Sigma or Tamron 70-200mm f2.8, which will be your go to lenses. Recommend something like the Sigma or Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 for sports events, birding and other wildlife. Recommend something like the Tamron 90mm f2.8 macro lens and perhaps a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 as a normal prime lens. That should cover virtually anything you want to shoot.

jtbdal

Thanks, the kit I bought was from Red Tag Camera via eBay. The D7500 body and the AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens came in a Nikon box so it appeared to be a factory kit. The Tamron lens is a Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Autofocus Lens for Nikon AF. There were a number of other camera accessories in the kit put together by Red Tag.

As to what I will be shooting, landscapes, wildlife, some action (primarily baseball), family events, workplace events, etc. Just getting back into photography after several years. Had an old Nikon SLR before digital and auto-focus came along, so am now trying to get up to speed.

Thanks for the insight. Happy shooting.

Tom (jtbdal)

jtbdal

Thanks, the kit I bought was from Red Tag Camera via eBay. The D7500 body and the AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens came in a Nikon box so it appeared to be a factory kit. The Tamron lens is a Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Autofocus Lens for Nikon AF. There were a number of other camera accessories in the kit put together by Red Tag.

As to what I will be shooting, landscapes, wildlife, some action (primarily baseball), family events, workplace events, etc. Just getting back into photography after several years. Had an old Nikon SLR before digital and auto-focus came along, so am now trying to get up to speed.

Thanks for the insight. Happy shooting.

Tom (jtbdal)

ELNikkor

Those lenses sound fine for your needs. I'd shoot with them awhile before making any "upgrade" choices. I've had just the 18-55 and 55-200 Nikon lenses with my D5100 for many years and never needed anything else. 90% of my shooting has been with the 18-55.

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

My favorite DX lens is the 17-55 2.8, it delivers great color and sharpness, but, it is a heavier lens, a little heavier than the 18-55. The reason I like this lens is because you can get a mint one used at a very good price.
Now, I take a LOT of wildlife shots, so if you were going to replace the Tampon 70-300 I would strongly suggest the Nikon 200-500 f5.6 lens, it is great for wildlife and delivers very sharp images, I sold my Nikon 300 2.8 and 200-400 f4 because the 200-500 rivaled those two on sharpness and weighted a lot less. Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Which are the subjects you want to photograph? The type of subject that you want to photograph will dictate what lens to use.
If you love portraits you should be shooting with a 85 or 100mm lens. For landscapes both, a wide angle and a tele are useful.
For a walk around your 18-55 mm lens should be good enough.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Yes, a fantastic lens.
Built back when Nikon didn’t have a full frame body, the 17-55 2.8 is a pro lens, every bit as good as the ff equivalent.

One of my other DX favorites is the Sigma 50-150 2.8. I use that on a Fuji S5pro for portraits and have the 1.4x matched teleconverter. I’m not into wildlife, so don’t need anything longer.

I find “normal” lenses boring, so for a prime, instead of the 35mm 1.8 DX, i’d opt for a slightly wider 24mm. (But would have to use an FX lens since Nikon doesn’t make a DX version)

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Sigma 17-70 2.8-4 or Nikon 16-80 2.8-4 as a first step. Step two is latest Nikon 70-300 FX lens - unless you do a lot of lower light stuff - in which case the Nikon 70-200 f4.

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amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Hi Tom and welcome to UHH,

It really depends on you. What one person considers an "upgrade", someone else might not need or want.

I'd suggest you shoot with what you've got for a while and see if you feel the lenses are coming up short in some way or another. Only consider adding a lens when you can clearly identify and describe a specific need that your current lenses aren't filling.

With that said....

Me, I'd want a wider lens... For example the Nikkor AF-P 10-20mm VR is a really good value, relatively light and small for lenses of that type and even has image stabilization. Shooting with a wide angle lens is quite different from using a telephoto. It takes a different mind set and some practice. If you feel the need, adding a lens that doesn't duplicate what you've already got.... that expands your capabilities... would be my recommendation.

Some others have suggested a faster 35mm prime lens (as opposed to a zoom).... That serves as a "normal" lens on your DX camera. Personally I don't care for normal lenses and choose primes that are slightly wider or slightly more telephoto instead. My "normal" is a 28mm f/1.8... slightly wide. And I use a wider 20mm, as well as short telephoto 50mm f/1.4, 60mm f/2 (which also is a macro lens) and 85mm f/1.8. All these lenses are one or two stops "faster" than even the fastest zooms, even while still being reasonably priced and relatively compact.


Speaking of macro, depending upon what you are interested in photographing that's another specialty type lens you may want sometime, to complement what you've already got. But an alternative you should be aware of are macro extension tubes which can be used with your current lenses, making those lenses able to focus a lot closer. Macro tubes are relatively low cost, easy to use, don't take up much space and are relatively light weight. (I use the Kenko set, which are a bit more expensive than some others but are high quality and maintain both autofocus and aperture control.)

Personally I shoot a lot of sports and wildlife... both of which often call for fairly powerful telephoto lenses. So I have a number of those.

Your photographic ambitions might be better served by spending your money on other things....

- A high quality circular polarizing filter can be used to improve images in a lot of circumstances. (I find I mostly use one on wide to short telephoto, personally, so if it were me I'd get one to fit that 18-55mm first.)

- A guide book for your particular camera and a copy of Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" might go a long way helping you get the most out of your existing gear.

- A quality tripod that you regularly use can be an important tool to improve your work.

- Monitor calibration and post-processing software (that you learn to use), can help take your images to the next level.

- Photography classes and seminars are other ways to expand your skills. Joining an active, local photography club also can be a good move.

- Simply getting out and shooting.... perhaps taking a trip somewhere interesting... might be a better used or your $.

Lenses are important.... quite possibly more important than the camera they are used upon... but it's also important to learn to use what you've got, to get the best out of it and identify any short-comings specific to you and what you want to shoot, before adding more lenses to your kit.