Buying my first SLR (D7000). Recommendation for lenses. Budget ~$2000

[jey1234]

I am photography enthusiast but have never owned a SLR. I am planning on buying my first DSLR with a total budget of around $2000 (w/o taxes). After extensive reading, I am thinking D7000 is probably the best for my budget. I have no preference between Canon or Nikon but it seems like the similarly priced 60D doesn't perform as well. I'll be using it mostly for family photos and landscapes (I love to travel ). I am not so sure of what lenses I must buy. I don't really want to overlook the quality of the lenses. If this means buying a lower priced body like the D90, I will consider it.

I thought some thing like the Nikkor AF-S 16-85 mm f3.5-5.6G and the Nikkor AF-S DX 35 mm f1.8G will be a good pair to start with. However, I am a complete beginner to SLR's so any advice will be highly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[TylerF]

to be honest, I love my d7000. But i would invest more in nice glass than the body. it's all relative to what you are shooting.

 

[ultimadrift]

I suggest buy the body only. Then get the 35mm f1.8G. Thats all you really need to get started then buy quality glass from there. Like a good 70-200mm f2.8 then ultra wide angle lens. Like the tokina 11-16mm f2.8. But it also depends on what you are shooting...I like the 70-200mm for portraits and the 35mm for street and ultra wide angle cause its awesome.

 

[laffles]

Go for it man, You won't be disappointed - I got the D7000 with the crappy Kit lens which is still the only lens i have right now (though getting a prime next week) and it hasn't stopped me from taking nice(imo) photos

 

[DVC Mike]

I thought some thing like the Nikkor AF-S 16-85 mm f3.5-5.6G and the Nikkor AF-S DX 35 mm f1.8G will be a good pair to start with.

The 16-85mm is a great lens. I think those two lenses in combination with the D7000 is a great choice.

 

[TylerF]

i primarily use the 35mm f1.8. amazing lens for the price

 

[KmH]

The 35 mm f/1.8G lens has lateral chromatic aberration (CA), that can be fixed in post processing, and longitudinal CA that cannot be fixed post process. That will negatively effect image quality. To be fair the latter (the longitudinal CA) is pretty well unavoidable with just about any fast prime, but the 35mm F1.8G DX suffers from it to a rather high degree, and in particular can give some unpleasant purple fringing effects if you're not careful.

At wide apetures the lens also delivers lower than desirable contrast, so be sure and stop it down a couple of stops and use the lens hood. (using the lens hood helps the contrast, among some other benefits)
The 35 mm is a bit wide for doing landscapes, and landscapes are one type of photography that the purple fringing from the CA can really degrade.

The main advantage the D7000 has over the D90 is higher usable ISO performance, so if you want to shoot the family shots inside give the D7000 the nod. If not, having more money for better quality lenses by buying a D90 would be nice.

Currently, one of the most popular landscape lenses is the $799 Tokina AT-X116PRDXN AT-X PRO DX 11-16mm Ultra-wide Angle Lens for Nikon

 

[RaynaMcGinnis]

I love my D7000. You can pick up the body for about $1200 if you look in the right places. If you're just starting out and don't mind going off brand, I have a sigma 18-55 f/2.8 and it works great with my camera. Then you could pick up a prime, or cheap zoom, depending on what you're looking for. Or you could save it until you find a lens to droll over.

 

[angel18]

I love my D7000. You can pick up the body for about $1200 if you look in the right places. If you're just starting out and don't mind going off brand, I have a sigma 18-55 f/2.8 and it works great with my camera. Then you could pick up a prime, or cheap zoom, depending on what you're looking for. Or you could save it until you find a lens to droll over.

Yeah I agree. I never have it....

 

[jey1234]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. Are there any disadvantages of using third part lenses like from Tokina or Sigma? And are there any Canon DSLR's I should look into? For me a zoom lens is a priority because I don't want to be too limited in the beginning itself. The reason I was looking forward to the 35mm 1.8 prime was because I wanted to try out a prime lens for its quality and I read that it was one of the best (plus it's cheap ) Any suggestions on other zoom lenses or feedback on the 16-85mm? Thanks.

 

[jey1234]

How about a Nikkor AF 24-85 mm f2.8-4?

 

[ultimadrift]

I personally don't like aperture change when zooming. Going 3rd party doesn't mean a bad thing. I have tons of sigma lenses and never had a problem with them. But read reviews before you buy.
The 35mm f1.8g does suffer from CA when wide open I've noticed, but it makes up for its super silent and fast focus. Always on the dot never misses.