What lenses would you recommend for a new Nikon owner?

[Ben Brooks]

Hi,

I am soon to be the proud owner of a Nikon d100 dslr and a FG20 35mm

What couple of lenses would you lot recommend for someone new to shooting Nikon and that has no lenses at all atm! I plan to pick up a 50mm (ideally a series E I think which seem to be going for about £50).

I'd like something a bit longer AND something a bit shorter. Oh, and if one of them would take macro shots to that would be lovely If it works on both cameras thats a bonus.

Budget wise - if its cheap I can get it soon. If its over £50 its gonna have to wait a bit, but thats not an issue if its worth waiting for!

I know I should probably wait until I have one lens to see what I use if for, but wheres the fun in that

So, what do you lot recommend.

 

[Pete Askew]

I'd go for either 105 or 135mm. Maybe even a 35mm rather than a 50mm if the budget is tight.

This is a gorgeous optic.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nikon-Nik...30267738?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item4604ebb85a

 

[Hamish Gill]

Nikon 50mm 1.8d
can be had for £50 will work perfectly on both cameras ...
Then get rocking with the series e lenses
then get your self a 18-55 vr lens for the d100

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Pre ai Pete ... Adds a bit of complication to the proceedings
Id agree on the longer lens though ... Maybe a 100mm series e for value!

 

[Larry Bolch]

Difficult to make a recommendation that applies to both cameras.

While almost all Nikon lenses made in the past 35 years will fit both cameras, they will work quite differently. The FG20 is a full-frame, 35mm film camera and the D100 is a DX digital camera with a sensor that is smaller by a factor of 1.5×. While the 50mm is a "normal" lens on the FG20, it is beginning to act as a short telephoto on the cropped sensor of the D100. A 28mm lens makes a nice normal on the D100, but is a wide-angle on the uncropped 35mm format.

Secondly, the FG20 was designed in the era of manually focused lenses and is thus optimized for them. The D100 can be used with manually focused lenses, but is optimized for auto-focus lenses. I use manually focused lenses on my D700 from time to time with excellent results, but it requires more attention on the operation of the camera, and thus less on photography. Going the other direction, most contemporary lenses expect not only to be auto-focused, but have the camera control the aperture.

No problem making recommendations for either camera. Unless I was inside your head, very difficult to come up with a couple of lenses that would be satisfactory on both.

 

[Ben Brooks]

Thanks everyone!

Plenty to look in to there. You should see how many lenses I'm watching on eBay

@Larry - I realise that lens choice will very much depend on the type of photography you are in to. I was after a few pointers on what to look at. I plan to get a 50mm to start and try it on both cameras to see if I want something wider or longer first - if I love the 50mm on the 35mm then I'll look for a wide angle that fits the d100 etc. Once i've figured that out I'll come back and pick your brain for recommendations!


How many 50mm lenses did Nikon make! There seem to be loads on ebay! Going rate on a series e 50mm is about £50 delviered, and the Nikon 50mm 1.8d £60+ not inc delivery. Is it worth spending the extra? Hamish - where do you see these £50 lenses!? Or are you keeping you cheap supply secret

 

[Paul Lange]

The only thing I can add really is my own belief that people may or may not agree with. This is that a fast prime is far more flexible that a zoom lens. Sounds odd but I have always found that being able to control depth of field gives far more possibilities than being able to change the focal length. To an extent you can always walk closer or further away.

 

[Larry Bolch]

Nikon has offered a great number of "normal" lenses over the years—20 or more—in focal lengths ranging from 45mm to 60mm and apertures from f/2.8 to f/1.2. A number were special purpose—automatically calculating flash settings, macro-lenses, for extreme low-light use, and of course, general photography. The E series lenses were an attempt to produce an entry-level budget line and compromises were made optically and mechanically.

The mainstream f/1.8 50mm has always been one of Nikon's sharpest lenses, well built, and definitely worth the difference in price. Even new, the f/1.8d is very affordable, and should be in every Nikon shooter's kit. It has a slight edge in sharpness over the f/1.4 all the way to f/5.6 at which point they remain about equal. At less than 1/3 the price, it is a true bargain. There is a new G version of it at a somewhat higher price.

Nikon's alphabet soup of letter designations carry a lot of information in a very small space, and can be very confusing. They are nicely decoded at

Nikon F-mount - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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It might be well worth pointing out that lenses are a long-term investment. While cameras may be upgraded on a pretty regular basis, lenses are kept. Almost all lenses made after 1977 work fine on my D700. Even those made before 1977 can be altered to work by a camera repair shop. If you buy good lenses from the outset, they may never need to be replaced.

 

[Milan Vjestica]

Hi Ben,

My daughter uses a D100 with a Tamron 18-22 lens and gets some really good results. However, that lens cost me $220 AUD so is above your budget. The 50mm 1.8 AF-D is a great lens. I always regretted getting rid of mine years ago and will acquire another in the near future.

Be prepared to look at indpendent manufacturers too as you may get a bargain.

The D100 is a very good camera too. Nice and robust.

 

[Peter Blake]

I would have said the 35mm F1.8G, except your FG-20 won't like it. The older type 50mm F1.8 AF lenses though, with a proper aperture ring, can work wonders