One lens or three?

cascadesjohn · Feb 16, 2010

I'm a fascinated amateur, not a pro. Just learning digital photography. For my Nikon D80 I have the 50mm kit lens, a fixed wide-angle lens, and a 70-300mm zoom. Changing lenses is the pain that I didn't foresee when I started throwing my money around

. Should I sell all three lenses and buy a Tamron 18-270mm lens with vibration control that I see advertised in the latest issue of "Outdoor Photographer"? I suspect lenses that are dedicated to a single task -- wide angle, telephoto, etc. - - do those things better than a lens that tries to do each of those things. Opinions on the truth of that statement? Any thoughts on how disappointed or happy I'd be making the above switch?

wiredhernandez · Feb 16, 2010

What I have learned is that it is better to get specific lenses as the large range cover alot of bases but arent really great in any range... Most useful to me is the 18-50mm range .. Then a longer lens .. And probably a 50mm 1.8 or so... If I had to pick that would be it.... They best you can afford...

Foques · Feb 16, 2010

^
indeed.

The larger range lens covers, the slower it gets, it seems.. And if it is covering a wide range and is fast, then it is rather costly.

KmH · Feb 16, 2010

cascadesjohn said:
Changing lenses is the pain that I didn't foresee when I started throwing my money around . Should I sell all three lenses and buy a Tamron 18-270mm lens with vibration control that I see advertised in the latest issue of "Outdoor Photographer"?

Absolutely! Stop the pain!

When convienence is more important than image quality, go for the super-zoom! :thumbup:

Overread · Feb 16, 2010

The Tamron 18-270mm probably won't have vastly different image quality to your current 70-300mm lens - might be a bit softer at the long end though. Also the 18mm end there will be a lot more distortion of the image than in a regular wider angle lens.

However many photographers use a similar lens along with their more specific lenses. The 18-270mm type lens is their holiday and do all lens - the one they slap on when they don't want to be carrying loads of gear; changing lenses and "being the photographer". They also keep the rest of their gear though for times when they do want to be "the photographer" which is when image quality and features of the lenses start to come to the fore.

If you feel that you are needing that easy all in one then go for it, but don't forget that using other - better - lenses for specific interests will give you better results overall.

cfusionpm · Feb 16, 2010

It all depends on your personal needs. If you need the best image quality, a super zoom like that isn't really the best choice. But if you want the versatility of only having to put one lens on all day (which certainly is nice), and don't mind some issues of distortion or CA, then a super zoom is just the tool for the job! All lenses serve some kind of purpose and all lenses make some kind of compromize to do that. Quality, versatility, and price are in very tight ballance, and you can't have it all in a lens.

usayit · Feb 16, 2010

cascadesjohn said:
Changing lenses is the pain that I didn't foresee when I started throwing my money around .

I think this answers the question....

Should I sell all three lenses and buy a Tamron 18-270mm lens with vibration control that I see advertised in the latest issue of "Outdoor Photographer"?

but.. I think you should save and do better.

I suspect lenses that are dedicated to a single task -- wide angle, telephoto, etc. - - do those things better than a lens that tries to do each of those things. Opinions on the truth of that statement? Any thoughts on how disappointed or happy I'd be making the above switch?

In generally this is true. A zoom is a balance of compromises between IQ and convenience... some zooms are better at maintaining IQ (often at the result of weight and size).

Think of it this way. If you find your equipment a PITA, then what is the point? After all, an amateur should enjoy their hobby.

I personally don't like lugging around stuff and prefer the equipment to fit ME not the other way around. I used to say to myself... "The next time I carry this much weight in photo equipment, I'd better be earning a paycheck." (At the time, I had decided that professional photog wasn't in my future)

PhotoXopher · Feb 16, 2010

No, buy my Sigma 18-250 instead.

kundalini · Feb 16, 2010

Get a Canon G11 if you can't be bothered to change lenses.

JustAnEngineer · Feb 16, 2010

Sure. If you do get the Tamron Di-II 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 VC, you may want to hang onto your prime lens for those occasions when you want a large aperture and very sharp image quality.

djacobox372 · Feb 16, 2010

dont do it!! image quality and speed are more important then zoom coverage. if you need more zoom just use your feet, or crop the image.

Derrel · Feb 17, 2010

You might like to read this article which discusses different user types, like th "economy DX" user, the "let's go pro" user,etc.

Nikkor Lens Assessment by Thom Hogan

Lenses can be assembled into lens kits with different end uses in mind. If you really want the convenience of never needing to change lenses, the superzooms like Sigma's 18-250mm or Tamron's 18-270mm are one possible solution. THe problem with the superzoom type lenses is that they have a number of compromises--lower sharpness and less light gathering power than more modest lenses with shorter zoom ranges.

One thing to note is that 2010 is expected to be a big year for new Nikon lenses. There could be more choices by summer.

Dao · Feb 17, 2010

Super Zoom lenses are good for what it made for. It is really a personally choice. If you do not want to swap lens, you just do not want to swap lens, you know.

If you want to minimize lens swapping, then take a look at the photos you took in the past. See what focal length or range you use the most in your photos. For me, I found that my photos falls between 17mm to 100mm the most. So I usually just carry one standard zoom lens (Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8) and a fast telephoto prime.

And I do not need to swap lens that much since the standard zoom lens covers most of my need. Of course, you miles may vary.

cascadesjohn · Feb 17, 2010

Thanks to all for significant advice! Seeing the persuasions from both sides, I think I'll maintain the status quo, along with my bank account. I'm a big boy and can change lenses, yes I can!