Nikon D7000 and what len(es)? Very First DSLR camera

[warakawa]

hello all,

I am shopping for my first DSLR camera, I have made up my mind to go with the Nikon D7000, however it comes with different lenses at different prices from different sellers. I am really confused by the different packages that's on offer.

there are the

D7000 & Nikkor 15-108mm single kit
D7000 & 18-55 55-200mm twin kit
D7000 & Tamron 18-200mm

I am really confused about the number, since the tamron is 18-200mm, does that mean it can do the job of the two lenses from the twin kit? Which would you recommend to a noob with no experience at all who would like to shoot all types of shots (maybe more into macro)

Thanks.

 

[Neil S.]

Welcome,

This is a good question, and something that pretty much all people getting their first DSLR will have. My recommendation is to get glass you can use on a full frame body, as long as you can afford it.

In my case I bought like 5 EF-S lenses, and now if I get a FF body I can't even use those on it. Your best bet is to buy a zoom that can be used on both FX and DX bodies for your first lens.

Also, you should consider buying good glass (again if you can afford it) because the quality of your photos wil depend more on glass than what body you have. The D7000 is a great camera, and I can promise you that if you put some high quality glass in front of it the results will be killer.

Please tell us how much $$$ you are willing to spend on glass, and then we can make better recommendations. Right now I dont really know where to begin.

Neil

 

[warakawa]

hi, Neil

I have a budget of $1700AUD including the body. When you say glass, I assume you mean lens? Also, I can I know if a lens will fit with full frame camera or DX?

 

[Neil S.]

Yes glass means lens.

AUD/USD are about the same exchange rate.

That leaves you about $500 for glass, and for that much I recommend you go with primes then.

get this first

AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G Autofocus Lens - $440

then when you get more money get these

AF NIKKOR 28mm f/2.8D Autofocus Lens - $280

AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D Lens - $465


This is exactly what I would do if I was going to go Nikon (including getting the D7000) for that exact $$$.

This way you can use these lenses if you upgrade to full frame.

Primes are cool too because they open up more possibilities over zooms since they are usually faster (bigger aperture). Primes are also generally sharper, and are much more affordable compared to zooms (image quality being mostly equal) .

With 85mm, 50mm, and 28mm primes you would have a nice focal range for different shots.

The next thing you should get then is a 70-200mm 2.8, but those are not cheap. It would be worth it even if it means saving for quite a while.

Neil​

 

[warakawa]

I need to get a zoomable one, can the one I can in the kit be used on the full frame such as D700?

The reason is that for the next 3 months, I will be teach photography "skills" (Yes, I know I have none) to people at my local organisation as part of my uni course. So I need a zoomable one that can take variety of photos.

 

[Neil S.]

Why do you need to get "a zoomable one"?

The D7000 is a crop body, not full frame.

No I believe the kit lenses that come with that are DX only.

DK=crop, FX=full frame.

Also if you didnt know, you can get the D7000 as a body only (no kit lens).

Trust me that primes are a good way to go for that money. They are great for helping you learn about depth of field, and usually have pretty good image quality.

 

[warakawa]

zoom lens, the ones that goes from 15mm to 200mm for example. I don't want to carry a lot of prime lenses, I am not a professional lol

 

[warakawa]

can you just recommend me a general zoom lens that I can use on a full frame as well, don't worry about cost I can move my budget to $2000 or more

 

[Neil S.]

If you would be willing to spend this much, I would get this zoom then.

AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Autofocus Lens (Black) - $1720

or

AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR Zoom Lens - $1170

Both of these are good lenses and will give you great image quality, but the 2nd one is only f4 though and not as "fast". Just keep that in mind.

 

[warakawa]

what does the number after f mean?

 

[Stradawhovious]

what does the number after f mean?

After reading this, and your previous statement about teaching photography, my recommendation would be to get the 50mm f/1.8, then spend the remainder of your budget on books about photography. Please don't take offense to this, but if you have to ask what the "f number" means, you shouldn't be teaching a class on photography skills.

 

[warakawa]

my classmates doing the same subject with me are teaching them with a $99 point and shoot camera...

 

[Vtec44]

This thread must be some sort of a joke.

 

[Neil S.]

This thread must be some sort of a joke.

Ya I have been wondering more and more if I am being trolled?

 

[warakawa]

you guys are very knowledge, but you may want to think from a student's perspective. Sure if I have a job or have a rich dad, I'll get heaps of primes, but as I said, I just want something cheap and versatile as my first Dslr.