D90 kit lens- worth it?

[JettBrown]

I would not say the 18-105mm is cheap. It has produced some great images and I have used my instructors 18-55mm lens and would have to say it's a good lens but I think Nikon produced a better lens with higher build quality on the 18-105mm.

 

[Bellaluna]

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.

I agree, and I do strive for high quality images by learning. I guess what I was trying to say is that I really can't justify dropping $1k on a lens, regardless of its optical performance, if I have no intention of going pro. Sure, it would be nice as a hobbyist, but an expense I really cannot justify nor afford at the moment. I can play around with the "average" kit lenses and get wonderful pictures without having to spend a great deal of money.

Thank you everyone for your input. I think I'm going to go ahead and get the D90 with the 18-105 lens and sell my D3000 with the 18-55 lens. I think that will be the best.

 

[JettBrown]

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.

I agree, and I do strive for high quality images by learning. I guess what I was trying to say is that I really can't justify dropping $1k on a lens, regardless of its optical performance, if I have no intention of going pro. Sure, it would be nice as a hobbyist, but an expense I really cannot justify nor afford at the moment. I can play around with the "average" kit lenses and get wonderful pictures without having to spend a great deal of money.

Thank you everyone for your input. I think I'm going to go ahead and get the D90 with the 18-105 lens and sell my D3000 with the 18-55 lens. I think that will be the best.

There is nothing wrong with the 18-105mm lens. I'm not a pro, but it takes great shots. I bought the D90 w/ 18-105 and don't regret it a bit. I do want to save and get a full frame camera.

 

[Doug_Nelson]

i made the exact same switch last year. buy the D90 kit. you wont regret it!

 

[mjhoward]

You can easily get the 18-105 for under $250 in new condition... in some cases it IS new it just has a white box because someone is selling it out of the kit they bought.

Here's one on ebay with BIN right now: Nikon Nikkor 18-105mm 3.5-5.6G ED VR MINT ***** 5 Stars (018208021796) | eBay

 

[APHPHOTO]

Sell the 3000 and all the lenses with it and buy the D-90 and a really good all around lense like the 24-70 2.8.

 

[djacobox372]

I highly recommend the tamron 17-50mm 2.8 as a substitute for kit glass. The non motorized versions of this lens sell for only $350.

If u want something a little longer the tamron 28-75mm 2.8 is also fantasic, covers full frame and sells for less then the 17-50