Lens to buy

ayyappadhas · Jul 9, 2015

Dear friends
I would like to buy Nikon d750 . it is worth to buy with kit lens or can I go for other lens? If this is the case ,which lens is the best choice for it?

PaulWog · Jul 9, 2015

The question you have posed is equivalent to this:
"I intend to purchase a vehicle. Which one is best?"

The answer depends on:
- Your budget
- The type of photography you do
- What you want the particular lens to do

Personally, I think the Tamron 24-70 f2.8 VC is a great option for a first go-to lens on a D750. You get a good range, a fast aperture, and vibration control.

I own a D750, and at first I was looking at the 24-120 f4 as an all-around lens. I'm not so impressed with the performance of the 24-120 f4 though, after spending enough time reading about the lens. Now I'm looking at the 24-70 f2.8 Tamron, however I'm not in a position to purchase anything at the moment.

Solarflare · Jul 10, 2015

People buy Nikon (and Canon) DSLRs because they have the best lens selection.

So - good glas for the Nikon D750 ? You need to be a BIT more specific. Otherwise one can list HUNDREDS of good pieces of glas.

Thats:
- About a hundred lenses from Nikon themselves that are currently in production
- Douzens of lenses you can get from other companies for the Nikon F mount (for example Zeiss, Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, Schneider Optics, Hartblei, Lomography)
- and tons of older lenses you can get for Nikon F on the used market (Nikon AF, Nikon AI lenses, though some of those are still in production).

Since I list them below and beginners often scoff at prime lenses ("outdated" etc is what you get to hear): Primes are compact, bright, and optically superior. They also give you more shooting discipline - meaning primes often give you better photographs simply because they force you to think. Choosing a prime lens means choosing a viewing angle. Just because you use prime lenses doesnt mean you should carry around more lenses. It only means you "zoom by feet", and that you are restricted by the viewing angles through your choice of lens. What primes you choose though depends highly upon your personal taste. There have been whole photographer careers around carrying around just a single 50mm, or a single 35mm.

Example for good initial glas:

- Sigma 35mm f1.4 "Art", Tamron 90mm f2.8 VC macro - Two primes lenses with excellent (for the Sigma) and pretty good (for the Tamron) image quality. Of course many newbies will complain that they are not zooms. Pros however "zoom by feet" when using a prime.

- Nikon AF-S 28mm f1.8, Nikon AF-S 105mm f2.8 VR micro - The same in form of Nikon glas (but both pieces of glas are a bit worse than the Sigma/Tamron equivalents).

- Your choice of Zeiss primes (those are manual focus, very pricey, highest image quality):
* Distagon T 2 8 15 ZEISS International
* Distagon T 3 5 18 ZEISS International
* Distagon T 2 8 21 ZEISS International
* Distagon T 2 25 ZEISS International
* Distagon T 2 28 ZEISS International
* Distagon T 1 4 35 ZEISS International
* Distagon T 2 35 ZEISS International
* Planar T 1 4 50 ZEISS International
* Makro-Planar T 2 50 ZEISS International
* Planar T 1 4 85 ZEISS International
* Makro-Planar T 2 100 ZEISS International
* Apo Sonnar T 2 135 ZEISS International
* Otus 1.4 55 - The best short tele lens in the world ZEISS International
* Otus 1.4 85 ZEISS International
I left out the 2.8/25mm because its a known stinker, possibly the worst glas from Zeiss, while the 2.0/25mm is known to be brilliant, possibly the best wide angle you can get for the Nikon F mount right now.

- Nikon AI - same as above, pure manual lenses, but from Nikon themselves. I have tried to find out which of this old glas is great, but thats surprisingly hard to figure out.

- Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f2.8, AF-S 70-200mm f2.8 VR2 - Two of the "Nikon Trinity" lenses (the 14-24mm f2.8 would be needed for completeness) which offer compromise free quality (but they are also very heavy and expensive)

- Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 VC, Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 VC - Pretty much the same with a bit less build quality, but the 24-70mm offers VC too (which means image stabilization), and they are cheaper.

- Nikon AF-S 16-35mm f4 VR, AF-S 70-200mm f4 VR - This is the two lenses that I use, plus an 28mm f1.8 that offers a tad more IQ and more light.

- Nikon 24-120mm f4 VR - The convenience zoom. Especially if you dont like changing lenses and still want some focal length variance. The 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 is pretty much the same, but cheaper.

And yes, these are just examples of what people could get. Really depends upon your personal taste.

For example if you're 100% into landscape and macro work, maybe you'd want the tilt/shift lenses (Nikon PC-E 24mm, 45mm, 85mm) instead. Though in that case maybe you'd prefer Canon, they have one more focal length (17mm), can move both tilt and shift independently, and are optically superior.

goodguy · Jul 10, 2015

No one can tell you what lens to buy with your new D750.
All I can tell you is what I would buy my D750 with which matches my needs and style of shooting.
I have 2 lenses with my D750
Nikon 24-70mm 2.8G
Tamron 70-200mm 2.8 VC

So if I would buy a new D750 I would probably get it with the Tamron 24-70mm 2.8 VC

nerwin · Jul 10, 2015

If you're tight on budget, nothing wrong with the Nikon 24-85 VR, I use it and like it. Sure it's not a 2.8 and it may have slower focus but it's pretty sharp and affordable. I got it used for $250 for myself when I switched to the D610. It allowed me to use my camera until I could save up money to invest in some other glass. Worked out pretty well.

ayyappadhas · Jul 10, 2015

Thank you paul

ayyappadhas · Jul 10, 2015

Thanks to all...really useful answers

PaulWog · Jul 10, 2015

ayyappadhas said:
Thanks to all...really useful answers

Here is a more filled-out answer.

Were I to have no lenses right now, a fair amount of money to spend on camera gear, and I wanted to get new lenses, I would probably get them in this order:

#1: Tamron 24-70 f2.8
#2: Sigma 150-600 Contemporary / Tamron 15-30 f2.8 VC (tied between the two)
#3: One, two, or three fast primes (Sigma 24mm 1.4 if you like starscape and the 15-30 isn't fast enough for you already, Nikon 50mm 1.8G, Nikon 85mm 1.8G). 35mm is also a popular prime focal length.
#4: If I were doing pro work, or I just had really really really deep pockets, I would get the Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR II.
#5: If I were doing macro shots, I would look at the Nikon 105mm Macro, or maybe a manual focus equivalent if I wasn't shooting moving macro subjects.

Do note that I could provide you with that list because I already know what I like. I enjoy all-around shooting: Nature & wildlife, starscapes, landscapes, portraiture, general walk-around photography, macro, architecture, abstract, etc. Usually people don't go out and get a $2000+ camera without knowing what focal lengths they like already. Many people on a budget start with a generalist zoom lens or two, and look to pick up a prime lens (35mm or 50mm) as their second lens. But, you're starting out with a D750, so that changes the game-plan a little bit in my opinion. You're not dipping your toes in the water, you're jumping right in. If you really don't know what you're doing, the 24-70 f2.8 will be a great place to start, and from there you could make very educated decisions about what you want after that (since you'll have such a good do-it-all lens, you'll know what you want from there). If you *do* know what you're doing, then you already know the 24-70 f2.8 is likely the right choice. I think for 99%+ of people who buy into full frame to enjoy photography as a hobby, a 24-70 f2.8 would be a smart first lens choice, budget aside.