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Aug 30, 2018 17:58:18   #
qualtalk
 
A quick question on lens recommendations...

I started out with a D3300 and the 18-55mm and 55-200 kit lenses. Last year I upgraded to the D7200 (which I absolutely love) and my wife began shooting with the D3300 and the two kit lenses.

My primary lens currently is the Nikon 18-140mm (a great lens which is on my camera 90% of the time), a Tamron 70-300mm, and a Sigma 10-20mm which I use as the situation calls for.

We were on a whale-watching ship last weekend, and my wife was commenting that her pictures didn't seem nearly as sharp as mine were.

I invited her to use my 18-140mm on her D3300 while I had the 70-300 on the D7200. Not surprisingly, she got better results than she was with the 55-200mm kit lens.

So now we're looking for a mid-range zoom she can use that would be of similar quality to the Nikon 18-140mm but would complement it in terms of speed or macro capabilities since we'd prefer not to have two identical lenses in our collection.

Okay, that was a somewhat long "setup" so here's the "quick question": we tend to shoot mainly landscapes and wildlife with an occasional portrait shoot. What would be your recommendations for
our next lens?

Thanks in advance for your help!! :)

Reply
Aug 30, 2018 18:07:10   #
repleo Loc: Boston
 
qualtalk wrote:
A quick question on lens recommendations...

I started out with a D3300 and the 18-55mm and 55-200 kit lenses. Last year I upgraded to the D7200 (which I absolutely love) and my wife began shooting with the D3300 and the two kit lenses.

My primary lens currently is the Nikon 18-140mm (a great lens which is on my camera 90% of the time), a Tamron 70-300mm, and a Sigma 10-20mm which I use as the situation calls for.

We were on a whale-watching ship last weekend, and my wife was commenting that her pictures didn't seem nearly as sharp as mine were.

I invited her to use my 18-140mm on her D3300 while I had the 70-300 on the D7200. Not surprisingly, she got better results than she was with the 55-200mm kit lens.

So now we're looking for a mid-range zoom she can use that would be of similar quality to the Nikon 18-140mm but would complement it in terms of speed or macro capabilities since we'd prefer not to have two identical lenses in our collection.

Okay, that was a somewhat long "setup" so here's the "quick question": we tend to shoot mainly landscapes and wildlife with an occasional portrait shoot. What would be your recommendations for
our next lens?

Thanks in advance for your help!! :)
A quick question on lens recommendations... br br... (show quote)


Landscapes and wildlife are pretty well at opposite ends of the scale. If you try to get one lens to cover both ends you will probably pay in dollars or pay in IQ. Hopefully you will get some good recommendations from experienced Nikon users.

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Aug 30, 2018 18:10:41   #
rcarol
 
I'm really surprised at the results your wife is getting with the 55-200mm lens. I have this lens and although it is relatively inexpensive, it is regarded as a very sharp lens. While I tend to treat Ken Rockwell's reviews with some guarded skepticism, I believe that his review of this lens is pretty much right on target.

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Aug 30, 2018 18:10:58   #
imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida
 
My best recommendation ( cost vs. performance) for you would be the Sigma 50-150mm f2.8 which is no longer being made. - It has no VR - but is otherwise a GREAT lens.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SIGMA-EX-DC-50-150mm-F2-8-APO-II-HSM-For-NIKON-Pre-Owned/163083187381?hash=item25f883f4b5:g:~JMAAOSw4eJbFrR4

Otherwise, I really like the latest Nikon 70-300 VR.....also.

..

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Aug 30, 2018 20:41:54   #
CO
 
You have five zoom lenses already. You mentioned that you will have an occasional portrait shoot. Why not consider a large aperture prime lens? I really like Tamron's new SP series prime lenses because they all have vibration compensation. The combination of the large max. aperture and stabilization make these great low light lenses. They also have a metal lens barrel and are fully weather sealed. I purchased the Tamron 45mm f/1.8 SP VC lens for my Nikons. It can autofocus as close as 11.4 inches. Another great thing about prime lenses is that they usually have almost zero distortion. The Tamron primes are the 35mm f/1.8, 45mm f/1.8, 85mm f/1.8 and 90mm f/2.8 macro.

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Aug 31, 2018 07:41:36   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
I would select a focal length range and then look at reviews and brand comparisons. Just because I have a lens that I like, it doesn't mean it's the best one you could buy today. Reviews and comparisons might show you that you can save several hundred dollars and not lose significant quality.

http://lensvslens.com/
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/lenses
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx
http://www.diyphotography.net/this-website-helps-you-choose-your-next-lens-based-on-the-photos-you-like/
https://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
http://lenshero.com/lens-comparison
http://www.lenstip.com/lenses.html
http://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Compare
http://www.lenscore.org/

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Aug 31, 2018 08:09:51   #
Fotomacher Loc: Toronto
 
repleo wrote:
Landscapes and wildlife are pretty well at opposite ends of the scale. If you try to get one lens to cover both ends you will probably pay in dollars or pay in IQ. Hopefully you will get some good recommendations from experienced Nikon users.


Since you are both shooting Nikon DX bodies and have zoom lenses, I’d like to suggest that you pick up a couple of prime lenses. For your landscapes, consider the Nikkor 18mm f/2.8D. If will not autofocus on the D3xxx and D5xxx bodies, but for landscape use, manual focus will be just fine. It’s a great lens and you won’t be sorry. For wildlife, consider AF FX Micro-NIKKOR 200mm f/4D IF-ED. This lens will provide you with a field of view equal to a 300mm lens in 35mm film format. Both of these lenses are well built and will hold up for many years and are compatible with FX bodies as well as the new Z bodies (with adapter) and the 200mm lens will also autofocus on the Z bodies.

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Aug 31, 2018 09:17:02   #
RKL349 Loc: Connecticut
 
qualtalk wrote:
A quick question on lens recommendations...

I started out with a D3300 and the 18-55mm and 55-200 kit lenses. Last year I upgraded to the D7200 (which I absolutely love) and my wife began shooting with the D3300 and the two kit lenses.

My primary lens currently is the Nikon 18-140mm (a great lens which is on my camera 90% of the time), a Tamron 70-300mm, and a Sigma 10-20mm which I use as the situation calls for.

We were on a whale-watching ship last weekend, and my wife was commenting that her pictures didn't seem nearly as sharp as mine were.

I invited her to use my 18-140mm on her D3300 while I had the 70-300 on the D7200. Not surprisingly, she got better results than she was with the 55-200mm kit lens.

So now we're looking for a mid-range zoom she can use that would be of similar quality to the Nikon 18-140mm but would complement it in terms of speed or macro capabilities since we'd prefer not to have two identical lenses in our collection.

Okay, that was a somewhat long "setup" so here's the "quick question": we tend to shoot mainly landscapes and wildlife with an occasional portrait shoot. What would be your recommendations for
our next lens?

Thanks in advance for your help!! :)
A quick question on lens recommendations... br br... (show quote)


Give your wife the 18-140 and buy yourself the Nikon 18-200mm or 18-300mm. I have the 18-200mm on my D7200 as an all purpose lens most of the time.

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Aug 31, 2018 09:27:24   #
wetreed
 
You should get her , her own copy of the Nikon 18-140. It’s a great lens and she already likes it.

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Aug 31, 2018 09:57:11   #
Bultaco Loc: Aiken, SC
 
I know that some will disagree but I've found that FF lens on a crop body are sharper in the center shooting wildlife as most are cropped. I use either a Nikon AF-P 70-300 ff or a Tamron 150-600 G2. I have several primes but seldom use them, bears or moose may be at 30 ft or 100 yards. Landscape or shooting the grand kids I like the Nikor 18-200 VRII. They work very well on me D7100 and D500 shooting 4 legged wildlife.

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Aug 31, 2018 10:07:06   #
Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx
 
Don't give up on the 55-200mm yet. Set up a test focus target and give it a try on both camera bodies on a tripod. Try it in AF by moving it off of focus and see if it snaps back to the same place every time to push the shutter button half way. Try it in manual mode and Live View. If its the lens, send it to Nikon for repair. If it seems to be working right, you might be able to use fine tune on her camera to walk the lens in.

If you feel it needs to be replaced, take a look at the Tamron 18-400mm. I picked one up for family vacations where you want to travel light yet still get good results. It gets an excellent rating on PCMag.com reviews.

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Aug 31, 2018 10:56:47   #
camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.
 
Both kit lenses offered by Nikon ave very capable and sharp. Like many lenses they have their limitations. Perhaps the VR on the 18-140 is better than the VR on the 55-200, that I do not really know but with a shutter speed of let's say 1/500 sec. her images had to be better than they were and understand I do not know how her D3300 was set.
Both of those kit lenses should cover a lot of real estate. They do their part when we do ours.

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Aug 31, 2018 11:00:30   #
amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA
 
qualtalk wrote:
...Okay, that was a somewhat long "setup" so here's the "quick question": we tend to shoot mainly landscapes and wildlife with an occasional portrait shoot. What would be your recommendations for
our next lens?


Between your two cameras and the lenses you've got for them, you are in pretty good shape.

The only things I might suggest you consider...

300mm is long, but not really long enough for a lot of wildlife photography. You might want to check out Tamron and Sigma 100-400mm lenses. I"d probably prefer the Tamron because it can optionally be fitted with a tripod mounting ring, while the Sigma can't. (I actually shoot w/Canon, so I use their excellent 100-400 instead).

There are also Sigma and Tamron 150-600mm, as well as Nikon's own 200-500mm.... all of which are great for wildlife. However these are bigger, heavier and more expensive lenses.

You also mention shooting portraits.... For that instead of a zoom I recommend a short telephoto prime lens such as a 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4... or an 85mm f/1.8 or f/1.4... these have one to two stop larger aperture than any zoom, plus are a lot smaller, lighter and more affordable than fast zooms.

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Aug 31, 2018 12:00:51   #
Tigger1 Loc: Surrey, BC Canada
 
Strodav wrote:
Don't give up on the 55-200mm yet. Set up a test focus target and give it a try on both camera bodies on a tripod. Try it in AF by moving it off of focus and see if it snaps back to the same place every time to push the shutter button half way. Try it in manual mode and Live View. If its the lens, send it to Nikon for repair. If it seems to be working right, you might be able to use fine tune on her camera to walk the lens in.

If you feel it needs to be replaced, take a look at the Tamron 18-400mm. I picked one up for family vacations where you want to travel light yet still get good results. It gets an excellent rating on PCMag.com reviews.
Don't give up on the 55-200mm yet. Set up a test ... (show quote)


Agree with your comments Strodav except for your; "you might be able to use fine tune on her camera"...., sorry but the "fine tune function" is not available on the Nikon 3000 and 5000 series cameras according to a discussion I had with Nikon.

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Aug 31, 2018 12:54:02   #
no nameJoe
 
Qsigma 18/250 3.5 5.6 les than $400 I have used on my 5100 and 7100 makes great pictures

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