D90 kit lens- worth it?

[Bellaluna]

In the next few weeks I'm going to be upgrading my D3000 to a D90. Right now I have the 18-55 kit lens, a 55-200, and the 35mm 1.8 lenses. My original plan was to just buy the D90 body and use the lenses I currently have (and sell just the body of my D3000), but now I'm considering buying it with the kit lens. My question is, is the kit lens for the D90 worth it? Is it significantly better than the kit lens on the D3000? I'm trying to decide if I should spring the extra money for the D90 kit lens and sell my D3000 with its kit lens, or just use the 18-55 on my D90.

Thanks!

 

[SCraig]

The kit lens on the D90 is probably the SAME 18-55 as on your D3000. Nikon (or distributors) sells that lens as a common "Kit" lens. The 18-55 isn't the greatest lens around but it isn't the worst either. I used mine for a couple of years and then bought the Sigma 17-70 a couple of years ago. I don't think the 18-55 has been used since.

The downside is that selling an entry-level body like the D3000 is going to be easier to do if it has a lens with it. I think I'd sell the 18-55 with the D3000 and then get something a bit better to use with your D90.

 

[tirediron]

IIRC the D90 kit lens was generally the 18-105 (rather than the 18-55) which is a decent 'walk-around lens'. Optically, mechanically and functionally it's on par with your 18-55, but does have a longer focal length. I agree with Scott, your D3000 is going to be much easier to sell if it has a lens on it.

Is your plan to buy the D90 with the lens, or to buy a D90 and then buy the lens? My suggestion would be to consider selling the D3000 w/ the 18-55, and buying the D90 and an 18-70 (This is the old D70 kit lens, and is probably the best kit lens that Nikon ever shipped) which can be had on Craig's List for <$250.

 

[Bellaluna]

My original plan was to just buy the D90 body and sell my D3000 body. But I have the same concerns as you guys, that it will be harder to sell my D3000 without a lens. I'll definitely look into the 18-70 lens.

 

[Dominantly]

I would say the 18-105 would be an improvement over the 18-55, but anything else would be pointless with your current lenses. The 18-105 is quite wide at 18mm, which makes it good to keep in the bag.

 

[KmH]

Comparing the price of the D90/18-105 mm kit with just a D90 body indicates the 18-105 mm costs about $320.

The 18-55 new is $130.

Figure selling the D3000 with the 18-55 mm lens will get you an additional $100. that additional $100 can be applied to the $320 the 18-105 costs, or the extra $100 can be applied to getting a different lens.

 

[mwcfarms]

I didn't mind the 18-105 at all, the 18-55 on the other other seemed like the image quality was considerably less than spectacular.

 

[PictureBox]

buy a d7000 body

 

[Bellaluna]

Comparing the price of the D90/18-105 mm kit with just a D90 body indicates the 18-105 mm costs about $320.

The 18-55 new is $130.

Figure selling the D3000 with the 18-55 mm lens will get you an additional $100. that additional $100 can be applied to the $320 the 18-105 costs, or the extra $100 can be applied to getting a different lens.

This was also in the back of my mind. I'd be spending extra on the 18-105 lens, but I wouldn't get that much more selling my D3000 with its kit lens. But, if the 18-105 is better, then the extra cost would be worth it to me.

 

[Bellaluna]

I didn't mind the 18-105 at all, the 18-55 on the other other seemed like the image quality was considerably less than spectacular.

This is the impression that I get from these lenses. I've found reviews, and many seem to agree with you on this point which is why I'm considering buying the D90 with the lens. I've also noticed that the images taken with the 18-55 aren't spectacular, but as I'm a hobbyist photographer and have no plans to go pro, I'm not too concerned with having perfect images. I can work with what I have. But it would be nice to have a nicer lens, even if not a necessity.

 

[jkzo]

Comparing the price of the D90/18-105 mm kit with just a D90 body indicates the 18-105 mm costs about $320.

The 18-55 new is $130.

Figure selling the D3000 with the 18-55 mm lens will get you an additional $100. that additional $100 can be applied to the $320 the 18-105 costs, or the extra $100 can be applied to getting a different lens.

prudent advice

 

[JettBrown]

I bought the Nikon D90 with the kit lens. And from what I can tell it is of higher quality the the 18-55mm lens that my instructor uses with her Nikons. I think it is a good decent all around lens from what I can tell.

 

[xposurepro]

It depends on what your usage is going to be. Kit lenses are never "great" lenses they're just cheap everyday "average" lenses. That's why they get thrown in the kits. Even if you have no intentions of going pro there's no reason why you shouldn't strive for high quality images.

 

[KmH]

I've also noticed that the images taken with the 18-55 aren't spectacular,

Be sure and factor in the skill of the photographer when looking online at what a lens can produce.

I made this image using a kit 18-55 mm on a Nikon D90, and a couple of speedlights:

 

[greybeard]

The 18-105 is around $400 bucks new. The 18-55 like $140 so there is quite a price differential. I personally would sell the d3000 body with the 18-55 lens and get the D90 with the 18-105. Most buyers for the D3000 are going to want a complete camera and not just the body.