Lens advice for a Nikon D5000

[flmomx5]

Ok, I think I've finally decided to purchase the Nikon D5000, but am having an extremely hard time deciding on which lenses. I shoot a lot of my kids soccer matches from the sidelines (not up in bleachers) most of which are during the day, but some are at dusk. I thought about getting the 18-55 and then an additional 55-200, but I also liked the 18-105 when I looked at the D90. I also saw the 18-135. I don't know if I want to bother changing lenses. It was also suggested to me to look into a prime lens (such as the 50 f1.8) for those poor lit games, but I don't know which length is the most versatile. And should I look for each of these lenses with VR since I usually don't use a tripod? I've heard that certain lenses are not compatible with the D5000. Also, I know that the 70-200 is a great sports lens, but I don't need anything like that yet. I would appreciate any input! Thaks so much, in advance!!

 

[KmH]

Ok, I think I've finally decided to purchase the Nikon D5000, but am having an extremely hard time deciding on which lenses. I shoot a lot of my kids soccer matches from the sidelines (not up in bleachers) most of which are during the day, but some are at dusk. I thought about getting the 18-55 and then an additional 55-200, but I also liked the 18-105 when I looked at the D90. I also saw the 18-135. I don't know if I want to bother changing lenses. It was also suggested to me to look into a prime lens (such as the 50 f1.8) for those poor lit games, but I don't know which length is the most versatile. And should I look for each of these lenses with VR since I usually don't use a tripod? I've heard that certain lenses are not compatible with the D5000. Also, I know that the 70-200 is a great sports lens, but I don't need anything like that yet. I would appreciate any input! Thaks so much, in advance!!

First regards lens compatability.

Virtually every Nikon lens made since 1959 is compatable on a D5000.

Back in the day cameras didn't have computers and things like auto focus so some of the older lenses may not meter or may not auto focus.

There are times the photographer needs to manually focus rather than auto focus.

At any rate to be able to auto focus on a D5000 you need to select lenses that are AF-S, or AF-I an older stye of lens.

AF stands for auto focus and the S means the lens has a Silent Wave focus motor in it.

To capture any sort of subject image scale when capturing field sports images you'll find a 300 mm lens to be about the minimum. You can use a 200 mm lens but you will have to crop the images to increase the subject scale. Cropping means throwing away pixels. So, you make a 12 MP image and throw 6 MP away when you crop.

As far as shooting at dusk you'll need to have a fast lens (f/2.8 at least) that also has reach. A new Nikon AF-S 70-200 mm f/2.8G is over $2000.

They make the AF 80-200 f/2.8 that only costs $1300 and you could use the money you save to get a D90 instead of the D5000 and not be limited to only AF-S lenses since the D90 has a lens focus motor in the body.

You can also consider 3rd party lenses, Sigma makes a 70-200 mm f/2.8 that is only $800, but again 200mm is more a court sports lens rather than a field sports lens. I shoot daytime field sports with a Sigma 150-500 mm that is only $999, new.

 

[djacobox372]

Ok, I think I've finally decided to purchase the Nikon D5000, but am having an extremely hard time deciding on which lenses. I shoot a lot of my kids soccer matches from the sidelines (not up in bleachers) most of which are during the day, but some are at dusk. I thought about getting the 18-55 and then an additional 55-200, but I also liked the 18-105 when I looked at the D90. I also saw the 18-135. I don't know if I want to bother changing lenses. It was also suggested to me to look into a prime lens (such as the 50 f1.8) for those poor lit games, but I don't know which length is the most versatile. And should I look for each of these lenses with VR since I usually don't use a tripod? I've heard that certain lenses are not compatible with the D5000. Also, I know that the 70-200 is a great sports lens, but I don't need anything like that yet. I would appreciate any input! Thaks so much, in advance!!

First regards lens compatability.

Virtually every Nikon lens made since 1959 is compatable on a D5000.

Back in the day cameras didn't have computers and things like auto focus so some of the older lenses may not meter or may not auto focus.

There are times the photographer needs to manually focus rather than auto focus.

At any rate to be able to auto focus on a D5000 you need to select lenses that are AF-S, or AF-I an older stye of lens.

AF stands for auto focus and the S means the lens has a Silent Wave focus motor in it.

To capture any sort of subject image scale when capturing field sports images you'll find a 300 mm lens to be about the minimum. You can use a 200 mm lens but you will have to crop the images to increase the subject scale. Cropping means throwing away pixels. So, you make a 12 MP image and throw 6 MP away when you crop.

As far as shooting at dusk you'll need to have a fast lens (f/2.8 at least) that also has reach. A new Nikon AF-S 70-200 mm f/2.8G is over $2000.

They make the AF 80-200 f/2.8 that only costs $1300 and you could use the money you save to get a D90 instead of the D5000 and not be limited to only AF-S lenses since the D90 has a lens focus motor in the body.

You can also consider 3rd party lenses, Sigma makes a 70-200 mm f/2.8 that is only $800, but again 200mm is more a court sports lens rather than a field sports lens. I shoot daytime field sports with a Sigma 150-500 mm that is only $999, new.

Heck I just picked up a used, but mint, 80-200 f2.8 af for $500.

 

[Ub3rdoRK]

trusty 70-300 VR. nice reach...can get a little soft after 200 but for the price for a used one...you cant go wrong. I had one for a while until i started doing more night time shooting i ended up with a 70-200 VR. even if you dont go with the VR 70-300 they have a 55-200 vr or even without vr which was very good choices....especially for a small sensor.

 

[heronfisher]

I suggest looking at the AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 IF-ED lens. Its major advantages over the 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 are the f2.8 constant aperture and its faster speed. An f2.8 lens is 1-1/3 stops faster than f4.5 and 2 full stops faster than f5.6. With the constant f2.8 aperture you lose nothing when shooting wide open and zooming from 70mm to 200mm. Yes, its a "shorter" lens (200mm vs 300mm) but the overall performance will make up for that in my opinion. The f2.8 constant aperture will also prove beneficial when using the video feature on your D5000.

Suppose you're in a situation where using ISO 100 and f2.8 gives you a shutter speed of 1/125 sec. If you stop down to f4.5 your shutter speed drops to 1/50 sec. At f5.6 your shutter speed drops to 1/30 sec.
Its easy to see why a fast, constant aperture zoom is preferred over a slow, variable aperture zoom.
If you really, really need a longer focal length invest in the AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E II and your 70-200mm lens becomes a 140-400mm. NOTE: You do lose 2 full stops so your f2.8 behaves like an f5.6 but on a sunny day or used with a tripod that usually isn't a problem. You can always use ISO 400 instead of ISO 100 and regain those two stops. From the test reports I've read about the D5000 it can handle ISO 400 easily.

For real macro photography, buy a true macro lens. In my opinion, attaching the word "macro" to a zoom lens is misleading. I believe they should be labeled "close focusing". A true macro lens (Nikon, for reasons unknown, calls their macro lenses "micro") will give you a full 1:1 (life-sized) image of your subject. A close-focusing zoom will seldom exceed a 1:4 (1/4 life-size) image of your subject. A true macro/micro lens also has a flat field of focus which is needed for photographing documents or paintings. Here are a couple of worthy contenders:

AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8G ED
AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8 IF-ED.

I like the 105mm since it gives you a better working distance from bees, wasps, etc. plus it, like the 70-200mm, is an IF (Internal Focusing) lens. IF makes using a polarizer easier since the front element isn't moving. (I know what a hassle that can be because I have a 24mm lens with a moving front element. After 36 years of using it I've learned to deal with it).

For landscapes or groups in tight quarters, the AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 17-35mm f2.8 IF-ED would, I believe, make a fine addition to your kit. Use it with your camera on a tripod and you can make some impressive landscape pictures. If you use the 17mm at f16 and focus at 5' your Depth of Field (DOF) is from 1'-11'' to infinity.

Every lens you own should have its own UV/Haze filter to protect the front element. Don't waste money on cheap, no-name filters. Buy quality: Heliopan, Tiffen, B+W, Hoya, Singh-Ray. A circular polarizer will also be useful since it will darken a blue sky and removes glare/reflections from water, glass, snow, sand and painted metal - but not polished metal.

 

[KmH]

Heck I just picked up a used, but mint, 80-200 f2.8 af for $500.

Which version, since there are 3 different ones out there in the used market?

From the price I would guess the one you got is a push-pull. The number I quoted is for the much newer 2 ring version.

Could be you got lucky, too

 

[KmH]

trusty 70-300 VR. nice reach...can get a little soft after 200 but for the price for a used one...you cant go wrong. I had one for a while until i started doing more night time shooting i ended up with a 70-200 VR. even if you dont go with the VR 70-300 they have a 55-200 vr or even without vr which was very good choices....especially for a small sensor.

Turns out I have one of the 70-300 VR's for sale:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/buy-sell/195508-fs-nikon-70-300-vr.html

 

[KmH]

Every lens you own should have its own UV/Haze filter to protect the front element.

I would disagree.

UV/Haze/Clear filters are HUGE profit makers for camera gear sellers.

They cannot improve the image quality of your lens. Expensive filters, at best, won't decrease the image quality of your lens. Cheap filters will negatively effect image quality

As for the protection part, always using a lens hood, good camera handeling technique, and situational awareness are all you need to 'protect' the front element of any of your lenses, IMO.

 

[Jeremy Z]

I don't think you need anything fancy.

The 70-200 f/2.8 are super nice, but also super big & heavy.

Get a couple of kit lenses, the 18-55 and 50-200 and don't look back.

Before you buy into Nikon or Canon though, give serious thought to Pentax. They have the VR built into the body, so you don't have to buy it again with every lens.

For the soccer games, you'll use the 55-200 all the time. The sensors on DSLRs are so good nowadays, you can turn them up to 800 and not notice much noise. For everything else, you'll use the 18-55. Wait on the 50mm prime, and see how much you miss it when you have the 18-55.

I bet you'll want a tripod or a bounce flash before you want the 50 prime.

When doing my own shopping, I found Pentax's kit lenses to be of higher quality than Canon's or Nikon's. Metal mounts, smoother zoom action, and all glass elements.

 

[flmomx5]

Thanks to all for the input. Jeremy...I'm doing exactly what you suggested. I ordered the D5000 along with the 18-55 and will order additional lenses when I see how much I still need. Being that my kids play on short fields and I'm sitting right on top of the action, that's all I'll need for right now. But I know I'll want more as soon as I learn what I'm doing. I was just wondering about the faster prime lens for the games that are at night. I don't want to deal with bulky and heavy lenses.

Can anyone tell me how to check the actuations on the camera? Mine is refurbed from Adorama and I was wondering how I can tell how many clicks were on it. Never looked at that before. Super excited and can't wait to get it. Really wanted the D90, but budget rules for the time being. I'lll learn the DSLR world on the D5000 and upgrade when I can!

 

[KmH]

Thanks to all for the input. Jeremy...I'm doing exactly what you suggested. I ordered the D5000 along with the 18-55 and will order additional lenses when I see how much I still need. Being that my kids play on short fields and I'm sitting right on top of the action, that's all I'll need for right now. But I know I'll want more as soon as I learn what I'm doing. I was just wondering about the faster prime lens for the games that are at night. I don't want to deal with bulky and heavy lenses.

Can anyone tell me how to check the actuations on the camera? Mine is refurbed from Adorama and I was wondering how I can tell how many clicks were on it. Never looked at that before. Super excited and can't wait to get it. Really wanted the D90, but budget rules for the time being. I'lll learn the DSLR world on the D5000 and upgrade when I can!

To see the shutter actuations make a JPEG image and don't edit it. Once uploaded to your computer you can use an EXIF reader like the one at www.opanda.com and scroll down to the 'Maker Notes'. There will be an entry "Total Number of S"