Lens help please!

[sjlogghe]

Okay, I'm going to go buy my camera tomorrow ... decided to go with the D5000. I just can't afford the D90 right now, plus I heard the D5000 is a bit lighter and smaller - which I like because I'll be using this a lot in my travels. I hope I'm not making a mistake, especially since you have to buy AF-S lenses with this one!

I thought I had decided on what lenses to buy, but now I'm not so sure. I don't have a huge budget for this right now, and I'm not planning on professional photography - I just want to take better, crisper photos of family/travels etc.

I was planning on just getting the 2 lens kit, which includes the 18-55mm f/3.5 - f/5.6 DX Nikkor lens and the Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom Lens. I will be taking all sorts of photos, and I sort of want just "cover all" easy to carry lenses.

Will these two be okay, or should I be looking at something different?

Also, I was looking at getting the AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D, however that's not AF with the D5000. Is there a comparable AF lens that I could get, that won't break the bank? I've heard this is a good lens to get if you want to experiment with blurry backgrounds.

Thanks for your help, and the sooner the better - headed out today!!

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Those two lenses will cover almost everything you'll need. The only thing you might need is something faster in dark conditions, so the 35 1.8.

 

[web designer]

i think you've cover most bases with those lens - have fun!
i'm jealous - i love buying new kit!

 

[myfotoguy]

Thos should be good to get you going. If your budget allows, stretch to get the 55-200 VR version, or better yet the 70-300 VR.

If you want low light performance, then a whole new discussion begins.

You migh consider the 35mm 1.8 for AF-S which will auto focus on the D5000. A little bit more money, but for indoors you will have a bit more working space with it.

 

[Jeff Colburn]

Those lenses are fine. Kit lenses aren't the best (sharpest), but they will meet your needs. Zoom lenses are inherently slow (f 3.5 and 4) but work find except in very low light. Try these lenses for a while, and if you need something with an f-stop of 1.2 to 2, you can always pick it up later.

Have Fun,
Jeff

 

[Horseycow]

wow, what a coincidence! i have the same camera and i was also debating on getting the 35mm or the 50 mm lens. my questions have been answered. thanks guys.

 

[Vinny]

If you can afford 2 lenses the 70-300 VR is coming with a $200 rebate if bought with a camera body and I think the D5000 is part of that deal. I bought the D90 kit and that lens as well for that reason. Depending on what you're photographing 200mm may be too short of a focal length

The blurry background comes from the depth of field of the lens, all lenses have it depending on the f stop you chose which comes from a larger aperture (larger opening = smaller number) and focal length.

It was mentioned about low light performance and you can get better low light performance with a faster lens but the D5000 has a high ISO as well so you can compensate for a slower lens by raising the ISO or lowering the shutter speed, at some point it becomes too slow to take crisp photos due to camera movement.

 

[D-B-J]

id grab the 35mm 1.8 for lowlight, and if you can get the 55-200 VR. If your budget allows, i would grab the 70-300 instead, and with that FX lens on a crop sensor, you get 105-450mm (its a 1.5 crop).

 

[mrpink]

I hope I'm not making a mistake, especially since you have to buy AF-S lenses with this one!

You do not HAVE to buy AF-S. You can get a 50mm 1.8 and simply manually focus it, I did this for some time with my old D40. On a prime lens, with no zoom ring to worry about, turning the manual focus ring becomes very instinctual. On top of that, you will still have the focus indicator light in the viewfinder if there is ever a question (it works with the AF lenses in the smaller body cameras).

I also agree, if you can swing it- get the 70-300mm.

Also, have you looked into buying used? There seems to be a good selection of very well maintained D90's on the market, most photographers sell off when switching to full frame.




p!nK

 

[Dallmeyer]

Nice choice sjlogghe. Consider shooting a few thousand pics with the kit bundle then decide if you need the 1.8/50 on top. You can get blurry (bokeh) with the kit lenses using wide aperture settings.

 

[sjlogghe]

Thanks for the help, everyone! I went with the 2 kit lenses for now - the 55-200 VR instead of the 70-300. It was about $250 more for that kit, and I couldn't swing it at this time.

I'll play around with these for a little while, and then possibly get the 50 or 35.

mrpink - I know I don't HAVE to get the AF-S lenses, however I don't know how good I'll be with manual focus!! I didn't know there was a focus indicator light in the viewfinder - I might have to play around with a friend's 50 to see if I can focus right before purchasing it.

Thanks again everyone, I'm off to play with my camera!!