Nikon D80 Lenses. Which is the BEST.

Kristie

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I plan to buy the new Nikon D80. There are so many lenses out there, I'm confused as to which ones's the best.
Can someone give me some information on this...
Nikkor, Quantaray, etc....

Does one brand work better at certain options than the others?
 
Best for what? What price range?
Personally I think the Nikkor pro lenses are the best.
 
dsp921 said:
Best for what? What price range?
Personally I think the Nikkor pro lenses are the best.
Best for general use. Just, what's the better lens?
Also, Is Nikkor the same as Nikon (in lenses)

Big Mike - Ummm.. I'd like to get one of those one day, but not as my first lens with my camera.
I'm looking to spend no more than $1000 for the lens
 
Kristie said:
Best for general use. Just, what's the better lens?
Also, Is Nikkor the same as Nikon (in lenses)

I'm looking to spend no more than $1000 for the lens

Yes, Nikkor is Nikon's lens line. I would stick with Nikkor. Someone people use and like the 3rd party lenses, but I prefer the Nikkors. General use under $1000...I guess the Nikkor 18-200mm VR would work. You could also get the 18-70mm and either the new 70-300mm VR or the non-VR 70-300mmED.
 
Quantaray is Ritz's house brand made for them by Sigma. I would suggest going with the Nikkor or one of the higher end Sigmas or Tamrons.
 
Thank you Dave. I'll have to look into the 18-300mm *or 18-400mm* but we'll see :)
 
yaeh... buy a 50mm 1.4 or 1.8 or something... i'm no Nikon expert, but don't the old manual focus lenses work on Nikon DSLR's? if so, optically they're brilliant!
 
DocFrankenstein said:
Look into primes (non zoom) instead. That 18-300 is garbage optically.

What do you recommend?
I want something that has a Slight zoom, but that I can take nice macro pictures as well.
I'd like to get a really good zoom one day, but right now I'm just looking for a good basic lens.
 
Kristie said:
Thank you Dave. I'll have to look into the 18-300mm *or 18-400mm* but we'll see :)

I'm not familar with the 18-300 or 18-400. Didn't even know they existed actually...
People with the D200 are getting good results with the 18-200 VR Nikkor. With the 10-megapixel sensor in the D80 you are going to start to see the limitations of the 18-70, it will still be a good general purpose lens. Overall I am not a fan of the 18-200mm, if you really want a good zoom, look at the 28-70 f/2.8 or maybe the 17-55 f/2.8 Nikkors. Not cheap, but they are top notch.
 
dsp921 said:
look at the 28-70 f/2.8 or maybe the 17-55 f/2.8 Nikkors. Not cheap, but they are top notch.

I can definately vouch for the 17-55 f/2.8 Nikkor. Indeed, it's not cheap, so I usually rent it, but it takes beautiful pictures - it'll be one I purchase after I take care of a few other things first :D
 
Kristie said:
What do you recommend?
I want something that has a Slight zoom, but that I can take nice macro pictures as well.
I'd like to get a really good zoom one day, but right now I'm just looking for a good basic lens.
I shood canon so I'm not really familiar with the Nikon lineup of lenses individually.

A good zoom is going to cost you about a grand and it will be a 3x zoom.

You want a 35mm lens to start with. 35 f/2
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=92011&is=USA&addedTroughType=search

No zoom, but it's a better way to learn.

Your other lens should be the standard zoom kit lens. It will give you a wide angle and will be your walk-around lens.

What are you planning to shoot as macro? It's a whole different world and you might need flashes and a tripod for that too.

EDIT: the 17-55 nikkor sounds good, but probably costs around a grand or so. There should be a slower lens with similar range which is much cheaper. IE f/3.5-5.6
 
Kristie said:
What do you recommend?
I want something that has a Slight zoom, but that I can take nice macro pictures as well.
I'd like to get a really good zoom one day, but right now I'm just looking for a good basic lens.
I highly reccomend the 18-70mm AF-S. Great Optics, Silent, Fast AF, and rock solid. Is it built as well or as fast as the 17-55, 28-70, or 70-200? Of course not - it costs less than a quarter of the price. But it's a fantastic lens.
 

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