Best zoom lens for Nikon

[photogchick]

Hi all! I am looking for a good but reasonable zoom lens for my Nikon D3000. I went on vacation a few weeks ago and when I returned my lens was shattered. Needless to say I had a few tears. Now it is time to move on and I am looking to purchase a new one. I was using my Grandfathers old Tamron 18-270 and I loved it. Any other suggestions would be great.
Thanks
Shanna

 

[tirediron]

And, "reasonably priced" to you is what dollar figure? Nikon's 24-70 f2.8 is a superb lens and very reasonably priced for the quality. If you're a 'super-zoom' fan, you might want to consider the 18-200, which can be found for $600 or less (condition dependant) on the used market.

 

[Dillard]

18-200 is a great all around lens. What are you planning on shooting with what kind of budget?

 

[Mach0]

Depends on your budget and use. I have the 55-200 and I like it. Cheap and sharp. Not that fastest but it works.

 

[photogchick]

Thanks for all the advise. I'm thinking that the 18-200 will probably be the best bet. I mostly shoot portrait but I'm really getting into outdoor photography. Reasonable for me right now would be around $400 or less.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

I like my Nikkor 24-70 paired with my 70-200. Great zoom combo, fast, uber-sharp.

 

[KmH]

That's $4000 worth of glass if bought new. 10x's the OP's budget.

 

[kundalini]

You can get a used Nikon 18-55mm and a 55-200mm for about $240USD. I would take the combo over a single lens that covers a similar focal length range. They are consumer grade lenses, but can still take nice photos. Use the remainder of your budget for a speedlight. If you're not into flash photography yet, that's okay..... save your money towards other accessories for when you need them.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

That's $4000 worth of glass if bought new. 10x's the OP's budget.

You're right, but he asked "BEST zoom lens for Nikon"

 

[kundalini]

You're right, but he asked "BEST zoom lens for Nikon"

With a username of "photogchick", I'm thinking someone of the female persuasion. Secondly, she actually backed down in the opening sentence with "good but reasonable zoom lens".

 

[Alan92RTTT]

You can get a used Nikon 18-55mm and a 55-200mm for about $240USD. I would take the combo over a single lens that covers a similar focal length range. They are consumer grade lenses, but can still take nice photos. Use the remainder of your budget for a speedlight. If you're not into flash photography yet, that's okay..... save your money towards other accessories for when you need them.

I'd go for the 18-200 over these two lenses.

In my use its just a pain to have to switch back and forth. A simple trip to the zoo became a pain because I have to keep switching back and forth.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

You can get a used Nikon 18-55mm and a 55-200mm for about $240USD. I would take the combo over a single lens that covers a similar focal length range. They are consumer grade lenses, but can still take nice photos. Use the remainder of your budget for a speedlight. If you're not into flash photography yet, that's okay..... save your money towards other accessories for when you need them.

I'd go for the 18-200 over these two lenses.

In my use its just a pain to have to switch back and forth. A simple trip to the zoo became a pain because I have to keep switching back and forth.

small price for the MUCH BETTER image quality.

 

[kundalini]

I'd go for the 18-200 over these two lenses.

In my use its just a pain to have to switch back and forth. A simple trip to the zoo became a pain because I have to keep switching back and forth.

But isn't one of the major reasons we buy into an interchangeable lens system to have the ability to choose the appropriate lens for our particular shooting environment? Then further to that, to have the option of upgrading to better lenses at some point in time to have even better IQ of our images?

For the casual shooter those things may not be as pertinent as they are to me. But then they are stifling one of the most important aspects of a dSLR IMO. I usually will take 3-5 lenses with me if I were to go to the zoo for a day. Changes lenses is a piece of cake. I would suggest another type of camera to those persons, nothing wrong with that, but their money may be better spent with a camera that has a 10x optical zoom.

 

[ulrichsd]

If you love the Tamron 18-270, why not find another one on ebay? Its probably cheaper than any of these other options... If you were looking for the same range in a 2 lens system, then I'm happy with my 70-300 (you can get these refurbished from Nikon for about $350) or if you wanted lighter then the 55-300 is a comprimise that its not quite as good and can only be used with dx. And you could pair either of those with an inexpensive 18-55mm kit lens ($100) if you don't already have one.

Good luck,
Scott

 

[photogchick]

Thank you all so much for your great advice. I am fairly new (2 yrs) to Photography so I am still learning which lenses are good. This is a great help though.