Need lens advice

John Galt · Nov 14, 2014

Did a forum search and didn't quite find the answers I was looking for, though I'm sure they've been asked.

I'm new to photography. Like everything else, I'll know what I want once I have more experience. However, some advice can make the learning process a lot more rewarding. I currently own a 3200 which came with a 18-55 and 50-200 that I know aren't great quality and I would like to step up a little if possible. I live a rugged lifestyle so I'm hesitant to spend a lot due to elevated risk of breaking equipment. I'm willing to put $600 into lenses and filters. I'm not expecting Ferrari quality on a Schwinn budget. Just the best I can do with what I have.

I shoot mainly outdoor.. wildlife, flowers, old buildings, classic cars.
About half my photos are taken at dawn (not dark, but lower light)
Some movement, though typically not high speed.
Distances ranging from up close to as far as the camera will reach.

I understand distance will be sacrificed due to my low budget. A single multipurpose lens would be nice as I do a lot of backpacking, but a 2 lens set up would be fine if that gives me better quality or bang for the buck. I've mainly been looking at Nikon lenses because they have image stabilization, though I don't know how much difference it makes. Thoughts on that? As well as recommendations on lenses and filters would be greatly appreciated. Also, I realize used equipment can be a good value sometimes, but I'm hesitant when it comes to electronic or technical devices as I've had bad experiences buying used in the past.

Thank You!

480sparky · Nov 14, 2014

Why do you think the pair of kit lenses are failing you?

astroNikon · Nov 14, 2014

^^ ditto
$600 isn't much for "lenses and filters" .. especially filters where cheap ones can cause significant image degradation. And expensive ones will blow your budget.

So as Sparky is alluding too .. how are your current lenses failing you ?
or What do you think the lens can improve upon for what you use them for ?

Mr.Photo · Nov 14, 2014

The Nikon "kit" lenses including both the 18-55VR and 55-200VR offer better image quality/performance than most any other entry level gear from any other manufacturer. I have posted a few photo's taken with the 18-55VR in this post here.

AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR | Photography Forum

Also here is a photo that was selected as a "Photo of the Month" on another photo site I belong too taken with the 55-200VR.

jaomul · Nov 14, 2014

I think you need a light but strong tripod and possibly one fast prime lens, and if budget stretches a flash.

I would say a bit of practice, a tripod for dawn shots, maybe a 50 f1.8 for low light handheld shots and portraits and a flash for closer low light shots would help.

For 600 you'd bag a 50mm f1.8g, a yongnuo 568 ex and one of many tripods,

Just my thoughts

PaulWog · Nov 14, 2014

Lenses you should consider:

Sigma 17-50 f2.8 OS ($500)
Nikon 50mm 1.8G ($200 or a bit less)
Nikon 35mm 1.8G (DX version, $200 or a bit less)
Sigma 18-35 f1.8 Art ($800)

goodguy · Nov 14, 2014

The 2 kit lenses you have are very good, really I don't get why people try to run away from them.
If you know how to use them well you will get VERY good quality shots!!!
For 600$ I doubt very much you will see any serious upgrade in the IQ of your pictures.
I too think all you need is to add one fast prime like the Nikon 50mm 1.8G and that's it for now.
Work on your skills, the best and most cost effective way to get good sharp pictures is by improving your skills.
I promise you most people here on this forum can make very good pictures with your current system and you can do it too.
I went on a visit to my old country where by buddy has same set as you and he too was complaining about soft pictures.
First I set his camera the way I am used too and then after 2 hours of explanation I let him play with it and man how much better his pictures are now!!!

I am not saying don't upgrade but do so for the right reasons and for now I think you should keep it, buy the prime lens and learn how to use your very good system in a good effective way.

Designer · Nov 14, 2014

John Galt said:
I've mainly been looking at Nikon lenses because they have image stabilization, though I don't know how much difference it makes. Thoughts on that?!

Hi, John Gault, and welcome!

IS, or in Nikon-speak; VR, is helpful for the longer lenses, and might be worth a premium, particularly for hand-held shots. There are some excellent lenses that do not have that, so I guess I wouldn't go out of my way to insist on it.

My two prime lenses do not have VR.

You might consider some prime lenses, or if you really want to expand your photographic horizons, get a speedlight.

petrochemist · Nov 15, 2014

The main upgrade to kit lenses is getting a lens with a wider aperture, which for a modern zoom will be over your budget. I suspect it will be many years before you find the kit lenses limit you significantly. I'm on a tight budget so still use the standard kit lenses on all my cameras.
As others have mentioned a fast prime could be a useful addition to your range, but from the sound of it (dawn shots) a tripod is the most useful upgrade for you, if you don't already have one. Even $10 could get you one that would be useful sometimes, but I think you'd want to spend quite a bit more to get one that's solid enough and still portable.
You mention close up, so you might be interested in getting some extension tubes, so that you can focus a little closer even getting into the realms of macro. True macro is demanding but flirting with it for flowers etc. can be rewarding even for beginners.
Shooting Nikon there are certainly options available for $600 to get you longer than 200mm if that's what you would want (probably best to leave it for some time though, extreme telephoto is difficult to master, and you may have to use legacy manual lenses to keep within budget). I suspect going wider than 18mm would prove expensive.

I've brought most of my gear used, and not really had any problems (one very cheap lens proved unusable, but wasn't worth returning).

I'd go with jaomul's recommendation with a possible extension tube set as well. Buying used you could have around half of your budget remaining. I'd suggest holding on to it till you know exactly where your kit can't give you what you want.

greybeard · Nov 15, 2014

The only reason (imho) to upgrade what you have would be for better low light performance, macro work, or faster focusing. For general photography in low light with a crop frame, I use the little cheap 35mm f/1.8. or a 50mm 1.8. These 2 lenses are so small that you can add them in your back pack and hardly loose any storage space. I went through a thing where I just didn't like plastic mount lenses. After dropping $500+ on a 16-85 (which is a darn fine lens) I have come to realize that I have gained little if anything in IQ over the 18-105 that came with my D7000, that took me a while to admit to myself lol. I did drop $900 + on a 105 macro but, it allows me to do things I just couldn't do with my other lenses and really is my go to lens most of the time. Your 18-55 and 55-200 kit Nikon lenses with your camera body are very good. They are light and sharp and more than get the job done.

ruifo · Nov 15, 2014

This is a quick overlook of the very best lenses for a D3200 below the USD $500 threshold, as ranked by Camera Lens Ratings by DxOMark - DxOMark

As you can see, the best ones under USD $500 are usually the prime lenses (fixed focal length), and not the zoom lenses. The first zoom lenses appears on the 19th position only. If you have a bigger budget, you would see more zoom lenses in th eupper part of the raking, like the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens, for instance.

Some of these lenses will also be manual focus only on your D3200. For instance, all Nikkor lenses with "AF" will not auto focus on you camera, as it lacks an internal focusing motor. On the other hand, all Nikkor lenses with "AF-S" will autofocus normally in your D3200.

This is why the very first lenses suggested for better image quality on DX bodies, beyond the kit lenses, are these one, here not ranked by quality as above, but now by price tag (all of them are prime lenses, and all of them autofocus normally in you D3200):

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ($200)
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G ($220)
Nikon AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G ($280)
Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM Nikon ($400)
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G ($430)
Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM A Nikon ($500)

CmazzJK · Nov 16, 2014

If you shoot landscapes and wildflowers I can't say enough about the Nikkor macro 40mm 2.8. It's alittle over 250 brand new and Is super sharp for such a cheap price. it's my favorite lens for my D7100 for wildflower season.