New lens for the D5300 : Help...

stanzlavos · Nov 14, 2015

Hi

I just ordered a D5300 + 18-15mm kit lense. The next step is, of course, to invest in some lenses. I have identified 2 that are kinda cheap but hopefully will do the job :

1) Nikon Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX

2) Nikon Nikkor AF-S DX VR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED (or VR II)

Now, i don't mind investing some more I guess (maybe up to 600USD). Even if I decide to upgrade the body somewhere down the line, I would like to continue using the lenses. Any suggestions ? What I want are :

1) a decent prime (or will the 35MM f/1.8G suffice ?)

2) a decent zoom lens

Will buy a macro prime and maybe an ultra wide later on. So, any suggestions ?

jaomul · Nov 14, 2015

I suggest you get the camera with kit lens as suggested, the 55-200 gives good telephoto reach and the 35 is a great fast prime.

Use these for a few months and then you will know if there are things you need that your existing lens set does not do. It's a great kit and you may find you don't need more. In fact a flash unit may be a better buy than another lens, tripods etc are also great buys

The vr of the 55-200 is a better buy

stanzlavos · Nov 14, 2015

Hi Jaomul

Thank you for the reply.

As you said, the above mentioned lenses are good. What I was wondering was if there was a better set (even if a lil more costlier). Just so that I don't have to invest more in lenses for a veryyyyyy looooong time.

I guess I will get the 35mm. For the zoom lense, are there any better options ?

* Nikon 55-200 (VR or VR II)
* Nikon 55-300 (VR or VR II)
* Tamron 18-270

jaomul · Nov 14, 2015

I would pick the 55-300 over the 55-200. There is a guy online named Thom Hogan who does Nikon lens reviews and his opinion is fairly well respected. The ,55-300 gives loads of reach and is supposed to be optically good. A good pair of lenses going from 18-55 and 55-300 is less convenient than the tamron suoerzoom 18-270, but generally these big range lenses are not as good as a pair of lenses, all things considered.

The 35mm f1.8 is an excellent bargain lens.

One more maybe better option than the Nikon 55-300 is the tamron 70-300mm USD vc lens. It's faster to focus, better built, doesn't rotate when focussing and has fulltime manual over ride, these things might not mean much now, but you'll appreciate them when you get to using the camera more

jaomul · Nov 14, 2015

I think you also mean the 18-105mm, or is it the 18-55mm, I really enjoy the flex of the 18-105 over the 18-55, changing lenses around less

SquarePeg · Nov 14, 2015

It really depends on what you're going to be shooting. If you're going to be shooting portraits I like the 50mm over the 35mm for a prime. For landscapes you may want something wider. The one piece of advice I got that has been most useful is to consider used/refurbished. You can save quite a bit if you don't buy new.

goodguy · Nov 14, 2015

You also need to consider if you see yourself going to full frame in the future.
If you do then it will be wise to get FX lenses rather then DX lenses.

ruifo · Nov 14, 2015

Top quality would be:

Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DG OS HSM Art [DX lens]
Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.4G [FX lens]
Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/1.8G [FX lens]
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD [FX lens]
Sigma 150mm f/2.8 DC OS HSM Macro [FX lens]

Mid level quality would be:

Nikkor AF-S 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR [DX lens]
Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8G [DX lens]
Nikkor AF-S 60mm f/2.8G ED Micro [FX lens]
Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/1.8G [FX lens]
Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/4G ED VR [FX lens]

Entry level good quality would be:

Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II [DX lens]
Nikkor AF-S 40mm f/2.8G Micro [DX lens]
Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD [FX lens]

SCraig · Nov 14, 2015

In my personal opinion the Nikon 55-200 is a great paperweight but that's about all. I had one. Lost it for a couple of years, finally found it stuck in a closet, and gave it to my sister.

stanzlavos · Nov 15, 2015

Hey

Thanks for the replies guys.

@jaomul
The Tamron 70-300mm VC seems to be a good option. What about "AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor
70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED" ? Is it better than the Tamron (Reviews are good) ? And will it be compatible with my DX ?

@SquarePeg
I'd mostly shooting landscapes and maybe some portraits. So, I think I will go with the 35mm for the prime. And regarding used lenses, maybe later on, when I am little more experienced I could try getting a few high-end lenses.

@goodguy
I don't think I would be moving to a full frame anytime in the near future. And since currently am mostly looking at entry level stuff (which I can hopefully sell off later), I think I will stick with teh DX lenses. I guess the Nikon 70-300mm I have mentioned above is an FX ?

@SCraig

I almost bought that one.

@ruifo
Nice list.

But, until I can get a grip on stuff and due to budget constraints, looks like I will have to stick to the entry level. I will definitely keep this list though.

@All
So...

1) Nikon Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX

2) Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD [FX lens]
OR
2) AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED ????????????????????

From reviews, both of these seems to be comparable lenses. And I somehow wanna stick with the Nikon lens (for no apparent reason).

But of course, if Tamron is the better one, I will go for that. So.... ??????

Thanks in advance..

stanzlavos · Nov 15, 2015

Hey

Thanks for the replies guys.

@jaomul
The Tamron 70-300mm VC seems to be a good option. What about "AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor
70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED" ? Is it better than the Tamron (Reviews are good) ? And will it be compatible with my DX ?

@SquarePeg
I'd mostly shooting landscapes and maybe some portraits. So, I think I will go with the 35mm for the prime. And regarding used lenses, maybe later on, when I am little more experienced I could try getting a few high-end lenses.

@goodguy
I don't think I would be moving to a full frame anytime in the near future. And since currently am mostly looking at entry level stuff (which I can hopefully sell off later), I think I will stick with teh DX lenses. I guess the Nikon 70-300mm I have mentioned above is an FX ?

@SCraig

I almost bought that one.

@ruifo
Nice list.

But, until I can get a grip on stuff and due to budget constraints, looks like I will have to stick to the entry level. I will definitely keep this list though.

@All
So...

1) Nikon Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX

2) Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD [FX lens]
OR
2) AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED ????????????????????

From reviews, both of these seems to be comparable lenses. And I somehow wanna stick with the Nikon lens (for no apparent reason).

But of course, if Tamron is the better one, I will go for that. So.... ??????

Thanks in advance..

jaomul · Nov 15, 2015

If you compare the Nikon 70-300 vr online to the tamron 70-300 vc you will see they both are extremely close in spec. Where I live the tamron is much cheaper.

I have used both, and owned the tamron in Canon and Nikon mount. It's extremely good value for money. I have used the Nikon vr lots. It's good also. If they were both the same price I'd buy Nikon because it's Nikon, but as you see i bought tamron.

stanzlavos · Nov 15, 2015

jaomul said:
If you compare the Nikon 70-300 vr online to the tamron 70-300 vc you will see they both are extremely close in spec. Where I live the tamron is much cheaper.

I have used both, and owned the tamron in Canon and Nikon mount. It's extremely good value for money. I have used the Nikon vr lots. It's good also. If they were both the same price I'd buy Nikon because it's Nikon, but as you see i bought tamron.

The Nikon costs 30K INR(~450USD) and the Tamron costs 25K INR (~380USD). Saw a refurbished Nikon for lower, but not sure about it. I have an option to get it from the US, but looks like its costlier there (500 for the Nikon and 450 for the Tamron). Lemme check out the Black Friday deals. Maybe I will get lucky. If I do, I will try to stick to the Nikon. If not, I will get the Tamron. :0

stanzlavos · Nov 16, 2015

Hi All

Well, I had made up my mind. And then I saw one more option :

"Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO Macro Super II Nikon"

I checked the comparison on dxomark

Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO Macro Super II Nikon on Nikon D5300 vs Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED on Nikon D5300 | DxOMark

They seem to have identical performance. But, the Sigma is much cheaper. Inputs ?