Lens Suggestion????

rateeg · May 1, 2011

Hi folks.
I wanna purchase a new glass on my Nikon D40 but i do not know what to get.
I need a wide and portrait lens in one.
I want vibrant colors with sharp images and has good aperture number good for night time.

My budget is $500.
Please help me out.
Thanks

tirediron · May 1, 2011

Hit Craig's List/eBay for the the 18-70; this was the kit lens that came with the D70 and is an absolutely excellent lens optically. The build quality is so-so as you'd expect, but otherwise it's great. It's usually available for $2-300 in good condition.

kundalini · May 1, 2011

rateeg said:
I wanna purchase a new glass on my Nikon D40 but i do not know what to get.

Chances are that you do not have a need, then.

rateeg said:
I need a wide and portrait lens in one.

Those two requirements generally do not marry so well in a single lens.

rateeg said:
I want vibrant colors with sharp images and has good aperture number good for night time.

The three lenses listed in your siggy should produce all those wants, apart from a constant aperture, but do-able. You'll need a tripod though.

tirediron · May 1, 2011

kundalini said:
The three lenses listed in your siggy should produce all those wants, apart from a constant aperture, but do-able. You'll need a tripod though.

D'ohhhh... missed that.

AUG19 · May 1, 2011

For $500..forget having AF on a D40. Get a 2nd hand prime for portraits. Stick with the 18-55 for wider.

rateeg · May 1, 2011

thanks guys
i really wanted a good lens where i dont have to change lens if i need wide and portrait photos.
do u guys think the tamron 17-50mm or the tokina 16.5-135mm would do?
which one is better? or any more suggestions?

AUG19 · May 1, 2011

Conveniece and quality are hard to find in one package or it costs more than 500. I don't know which is better. It'd be good to be able to recommend one lens which covers all the bases and remains on price. Unfortunately there will be some kind of compromize. Zooms barrel and pincushion usually at each end, respectively. Especially cheaper varieties. High quality superwide comes with a hefty price tag. If you can put something like a 28-70 to good use that opens up more options for you.

Vinny · May 1, 2011

The 3 lenses that you have are supposedly pretty sharp by the reviews I've read. I have the 18-105 and I thought the lens was soft but I'm finding out it's me. I was looking for another lower price lens thinking about the 18-70 or 28-70 but I started looking up the specs on-line and found that the 18-105 seems to have decent optics for a lower end lens, here is one report Nikkor AF-S DX 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR - Review / Test Report - Analysis I figured that it was senseless to buy another lens when I need to obviously get better at using what I have. The 18-105 will give you an excellent focal range and will give you the wide (18mm) and portrait (85-105mm) that you are looking for. It isn't the greatest build quality (all plastic housing and mount) and it is a variable aperture but it is around $500 and from everything I've seen quality glass is 2 to 3 times or more expensive.