Help with lens selection....

[dawgfish]

I am looking add/improve my collection but I am not sure if I should upgrade my kit lenses or pick up a wide angle zoom. It looks like my budget will be $600-$800. I really have not developed a photographic style yet. I mainly shoot family/friend pics, landscape, nature, and like to just travel around looking for anything interesting to shoot. Your input is appreciated and I am hoping to draw from your experiences to help me make an educated decision.

I currently have a Nikon D90 with the following lenses:
AFS 35mm 1.8 DX
AFS 18-55mm VR DX
AFS 55-200mm VR DX
AF 28-70 D

Option 1: Replace the 18-55 and 55-200 with a 18-200 to stop the lens swapping? I am a little worried about the size of this lens.

Option 2: Replace the 18-55 with the 16-85 to improve image quality and extend focal length.

Option 3: keep what I have and add a 10-24mm? I have never used a super wide lens before but I like the results I have seen online.

Option 4: Please make a suggestion!

 

[Hardrock]

10-24 you dont have anything in that range.

 

[djacobox372]

Do not go for the 18-200mm... Image quality will suffer

Sell the 28-70 and buy a 10-24mm

or replace the 55-200mm with a 80-200mm 1:2.8 af d.

 

[Overread]

Generally speaking the 18-200mm is aimed at two market areas:

1) Those who have moved up from a point and shoot camera body and are mainly interested in just having a lens that covers a wide zoom range without high demands upon image quality.

2) Those who already have (or plan to have) a collection of lenses of good quality in the 18-200mm range, but who also have a family or other situation that is more favourable to having a single lens do it all rather than using their existing higher end gear. Even though they suffer the image quality loss, they gain being able to take photos without having the photography dominte the day with lens changing and the like.


As for what you should go for its really up to you - best advice I can give is to sit down and work out what your current gear isn't doing for you - what areas do you feel that you are lacking/unable to take photos as you want. Work out what you feel is missing for yourself and your shooting and then look to the market to see what is there to let you achieve those interests.

 

[KmH]

Start by getting Nikon's 'Budget Trinity':

AF-S 12-24 mm f/4G IF-ED
AF 24-85 mm f/2.8-4D IF (includes a 1:2 macro capability 35 mm - 85 mm)
AF 80-200 mm f/2.8D ED (push-pull zoom or the newer 2-ring)

Then take care of the basic primes:

AF 35 mm f/2D
AF 50 mm f/1.4D
AF 85 mm f/1.8D

and last, save up for the:

AF-S 200-400 f/4 IF ED

 

[kundalini]

You have a good coverage in focal length at present. The 18-55mm & 55-200 are actually pretty good lenses, given enough light.

How about an external flash, like the SB series from Nikon or a 3rd party such as Vivatar or Metz?

 

[dawgfish]

Thanks for the great suggestions! Please keep'em coming.

You have a good coverage in focal length at present. The 18-55mm & 55-200 are actually pretty good lenses, given enough light.

How about an external flash, like the SB series from Nikon or a 3rd party such as Vivatar or Metz?

Sorry, I forgot to list the SB-600. I have a tripod on the way also as the one I used for my bridge camera cant handle the D90.

I guess I am torn between upgrading current glass or adding a superwide. I am a little worried that if I go with the superwide that I won't get that much use out of it. I don't have a very good understanding of that focal length and there isn't anywhere to rent one where I live.

 

[KenC]

A useful question to ask yourself is whether you end up taking lots of pictures at a few particular focal lengths. If so, then a prime at one of those focal lengths might give you better image quality than the zoom (need to check reviews of the particular lenses involved to be sure) and almost certainly would be faster, and probably easier to carry around than the zoom. Of course if there are more than a couple of focal lengths you are drawn to about equally, this won't really apply.