Some direction please

[KMH_86]

Hello forum, I'm just getting started and would like to be given some sort of direction by someone I can interact with as opposed to reading articles on lenses. I'm purchasing my first dslr (probably the d3300 is what I'll settle with) and I'd like advice regarding lenses for what I like to shoot.

I enjoy landscape/cityscape, portrait and sports the most. My favorite of the three is landscape/cityscape. I don't have a big budget and I don't want to be constantly changing lenses while I'm out and about. Regarding sports I will be shooting jiu jitsu grappling tournaments, Muay Thai and mma fights/training (all adult levels). For some I'll be up close to the action and sometimes I'll need some reach. These events are typically indoors and don't have the greatest lighting.

The 18-55mm VR II and 55-200mm VR II come bundled with d3300. Is this really all I need or should I also be looking for a 35mm/55mm prime with the addition of a 70-300mm VR? I've read a lot of people like to use a 24-70mm for ringside photos as well.

Because I'd like to have an all purpose lense, especially when I travel, is an 18-140mm VR more worth my time than having both the 18-55 and 55-200?

A lot of this information is very new to me, I'm trying to figure it out. My friend lent me his d3200 with the 35mm 1.8 prime lens, I used it for a couple weeks. I definitely felt good using it, but definitely want to have more versatility when I'm just out and about. I enjoyed it for portrait style photos and was able to capture some cool images walking around in downtown Tampa, FL, but I definitely felt the need for something wider. There also seems to be a split between the preference of the 35mm prime and the 55mm prime. Is that really just because of what their shooting or does one provide more versatility and/or quality over the other?

Thanks for reading, I'd appreciate any feedback.

 

[tirediron]

I would start with the kit lenses and learn what it is that you need that they don't deliver. The only real issue I see is the indoor sports. This is going to be a challenge for both the body and lens, since consumer lenses are typically rather slow (smaller maximum aperture) and consumer bodies don't handle higher ISOs all that well. I find indoor sporting venues typically require me to be at ISO 4000 - 6400, and I'm shooting with all f2.8 constant aperture glass. An external speedlight might help (if it's permitted) for the closer stuff, but won't necessarily be all that useful for distance work, depending on the distance.

I would keep the two-lens set over a single "super-zoom". One of the main benefits to an SLR is the interchangability of the lenses, and like any "all in one" tool, lenses that try and cover too many focal lengths wind up covering none of them especially well, particularily wide open, and at either end of the focus range.

 

[KMH_86]

Thanks. I'm willing to pay for the d5200 or d5300, but I was concerned that it's
more camera than I need and the value of the d3200 and d3300 are very good with the additional lenses.

Would it be better for me to upgrade to the d5200 or d5300 given i'd like to only have one body and also wanting to shoot adult combat sports?

 

[tirediron]

If you want to shoot events like those and shoot them well, you need to be thinking more in the D7200/D750 ballpark, along with f2.8 or faster lenses. Unfortunately, there's just no getting around the requirement to get more light onto a more sensitive sensor in cases like this.

 

[KMH_86]

Ok, thanks for your thoughts.