What is an ideal lens for my Nikon D500 for all around photos

[Photo Lady]

I do not feel that my tamron lens are really compatible with my new camera.. sometimes the photos are on the dark side..sometimes looking through the view finder i have trouble focusing to the degree i want.. i am looking for nikon lens that will do close ups as well as landscapes.. just for starters until i sell my tamrons/thanks any help apprecited

 

[LWW]

I do not feel that my tamron lens are really compatible with my new camera.. sometimes the photos are on the dark side..sometimes looking through the view finder i have trouble focusing to the degree i want.. i am looking for nikon lens that will do close ups as well as landscapes.. just for starters until i sell my tamrons/thanks any help apprecited

NIKKOR 10-20 AF-P.

15-30 film equivalent on a DX body.

Extremely sharp, inexpensive and lightweight.

It’s kind of funny, but it even has VR for such a short focal length.

IMHO a true gem.

 

[Photo Lady]

I do not feel that my tamron lens are really compatible with my new camera.. sometimes the photos are on the dark side..sometimes looking through the view finder i have trouble focusing to the degree i want.. i am looking for nikon lens that will do close ups as well as landscapes.. just for starters until i sell my tamrons/thanks any help apprecited

NIKKOR 10-20 AF-P.

15-30 film equivalent on a DX body.

Extremely sharp, inexpensive and lightweight.

It’s kind of funny, but it even has VR for such a short focal length.

IMHO a true gem.

Thank you so much.. i will look it up

 

[tirediron]

How much do you want to spend?

 

[Photo Lady]

How much do you want to spend?

As little as possible but not to lose out on quality sharp photos ..thats the main reason to sell my tamron lenses ..i want to improve.. maybe up to $600 right now.. the above from LWW sounds pretty good for starters

 

[tirediron]

If you want a single "multi-purpose" lens, than I would suggest the 24-120 f4, which can be found used for <$600. It's a constant f4 and is a "gold-ring" lens, meaning it's built to a higher standard, most importantly (IMHO) utilizing a metal lens mount vice the plastic of the 10-20. The 10-20 is fine for UWA landscape shots, but it's going to fall down for "normal" shots, portraiture, etc. Close-up capability can be obtained by either an inexpensive reversing ring, or a set of close-up tubes. My second recommendation would be the 18-70 f3.5-4.5. This, IMO, is probably one of the best kit lenses every produced (optically). It's build-quality is adequate; it has a metal mount, but a fully poly-carbonate body and suffers from "zoom creep", BUT... a used copy can be had for <$100.

 

[Photo Lady]

If you want a single "multi-purpose" lens, than I would suggest the 24-120 f4, which can be found used for <$600. It's a constant f4 and is a "gold-ring" lens, meaning it's built to a higher standard, most importantly (IMHO) utilizing a metal lens mount vice the plastic of the 10-20. The 10-20 is fine for UWA landscape shots, but it's going to fall down for "normal" shots, portraiture, etc. Close-up capability can be obtained by either an inexpensive reversing ring, or a set of close-up tubes. My second recommendation would be the 18-70 f3.5-4.5. This, IMO, is probably one of the best kit lenses every produced (optically). It's build-quality is adequate; it has a metal mount, but a fully poly-carbonate body and suffers from "zoom creep", BUT... a used copy can be had for <$100.

thank you i will look into this one..good info

 

[Designer]

This is the one I use:

nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5g vr | eBay

 

[ac12]

quote:

sometimes the photos are on the dark side..
sometimes looking through the view finder i have trouble focusing to the degree i want.​

The first item indicates an exposure problem, not a lens problem. You need to learn to expose the shot better, and you will get your lighter images. As smart as the camera is, it is not as smart as your brain.

The 2nd item needs more specific description and examples. Because I know of different situations where the camera will NOT focus on the subject. This is a matter of learning how the autofocus works, and what the different AF and exposure modes do to autofocus.

As for a replacement lens(es).
What lenses are you looking to replace?

I like my 18-140.
BUT, it is NOT a pro lens, and does not have pro lens quality.
The 18-140 range is very nice and handy. I can shoot 90+% of my stuff, without changing lenses.
But, the f/3.5-5.6 aperture is too slow for LOW light/night shooting. So it is primarily a day time lens.

If you want sharp, IMHO, you want to step up to the pro lenses:

• 16-80/2.8-4 DX
• 17-55/2.8 DX
  
• 24-120/4 FX

You are going to have to buy all of them used, to have a chance at keeping to your budget.
Note that the last 2 lenses are rather heavy.

 

[Photo Lady]

This is the one I use:

nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5g vr | eBay

thank you.. wow i am so happy that you all have given so many options..

 

[Photo Lady]

quote:

sometimes the photos are on the dark side..
sometimes looking through the view finder i have trouble focusing to the degree i want.​

The first item indicates an exposure problem, not a lens problem. You need to learn to expose the shot better, and you will get your lighter images. As smart as the camera is, it is not as smart as your brain.

The 2nd item needs more specific description and examples. Because I know of different situations where the camera will NOT focus on the subject. This is a matter of learning how the autofocus works, and what the different AF and exposure modes do to autofocus.

As for a replacement lens(es).
What lenses are you looking to replace?

I like my 18-140.
BUT, it is NOT a pro lens, and does not have pro lens quality.
The 18-140 range is very nice and handy. I can shoot 90+% of my stuff, without changing lenses.
But, the f/3.5-5.6 aperture is too slow for LOW light/night shooting. So it is primarily a day time lens.

If you want sharp, IMHO, you want to step up to the pro lenses:

• 16-80/2.8-4 DX
• 17-55/2.8 DX
  
• 24-120/4 FX

You are going to have to buy all of them used, to have a chance at keeping to your budget.
Note that the last 2 lenses are rather heavy.

Haha I think this camera is smarter then my brain.,. but i am learning.. I use the Tamron 18-270 for everything i need to do for work etc.... .. its focus is right on and then refuses to adjust sometimes.. so i think the lens itself is just old.. it was one of my first lens that i bought way back when i bought my first digital camera.. the other Tamron lens is the 18-400 which i bought to replace the 18-270.. i just think that this does a a fantastic job but not always..like it acts up because it is not bonding with the camera.. this lens is in like new condition.. the third lens i use is the 70-300 but not often so this one is like new too.. i would like to sell and get the nikon lens because i just think they were made for this nikon camera.. and everything else is just second rate.. did not seem to be any problem with the Nikon d7500 and prior cameras.. just seems the d500 needs are different.. or is it me.. here is a photo i took this week.. thank you for all the tips on lens.. i have to investigate all of these .. i am so excited to try something new too

 

[Designer]

You might be right about the Tamron lenses not communicating reliably with your camera. This photo of the bird in branches brings up the topic of where the focus area is. Your camera might focus on a branch instead of the bird if your focus area is either too wide or just not quite on the bird. With the shallow depth of field in this shot, it is hard to say. You can see where the focus was when you turn on that option in editing.

The Nikon D500 is a superb camera, and you can expect outstanding performance. Is there a friend nearby who has other lenses to try? Or perhaps a very helpful camera store?

I have mostly Nikon lenses, only two of which are zooms; the 24-85 linked above, and a 70-300. The others are Nikon primes, but I do have a Tokina 100 macro as well. When you want to go with a Nikon 70-300, be sure to get the G-VR. There are quite a few Nikon lenses in this focal length, but only that one is worth buying.

nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6g ed if af-s vr | eBay

 

[Photo Lady]

You might be right about the Tamron lenses not communicating reliably with your camera. This photo of the bird in branches brings up the topic of where the focus area is. Your camera might focus on a branch instead of the bird if your focus area is either too wide or just not quite on the bird. With the shallow depth of field in this shot, it is hard to say. You can see where the focus was when you turn on that option in editing.

The Nikon D500 is a superb camera, and you can expect outstanding performance. Is there a friend nearby who has other lenses to try? Or perhaps a very helpful camera store?

I have mostly Nikon lenses, only two of which are zooms; the 24-85 linked above, and a 70-300. The others are Nikon primes, but I do have a Tokina 100 macro as well. When you want to go with a Nikon 70-300, be sure to get the G-VR. There are quite a few Nikon lenses in this focal length, but only that one is worth buying.

nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6g ed if af-s vr | eBay

I will check the focus area again this morning and take some new photos after i feed the birds.. i do have a feeling the tamron lenses are my problem.. but before i do anything i really want to be right about it.. I will see if i can reach out to a few of the photographers around me.. The basic need i have is i want to be able to use one lens.. just for now .. until i can advance.. one lens to do it all .. and then i will slowly progress into specific needs.. thank you.. here is new photo.. any improvement..i used the Tamron 70-300 ..

 

[Photo Lady]

one thing i just changed was my shutter speed.. lowered it and it brightened up the photo..

 

[Designer]

.. here is new photo.. any improvement..

Unfortunately, I cannot turn on the focus area indicator. You should be able to do that in your camera or your editing software. When you turn it on you should see a red rectangle that shows where the focus was in that shot. Even if it is right on the bird, the camera might be actually focusing on the branch(es) that are between the bird and your camera. Nothing you can do in that case except wait for the bird to move to a different perch.

What I do see in your EXIF is that you have your camera set to a -1.67ev. I am guessing that this was changed at some time earlier and you just forgot to change it back to 0.0. Also, this is a JPEG, which is o.k. for now, but if you start to have white balance issues, then by capturing the Raw files you can adjust the colors more accurately. No big deal now though.

Amazing how changing the shutter speed will help, isn't it? When you took the shot, do you remember where your light meter was indicating? I think your f/8 was a good choice, and the shutter speed being at 1/1000 helps to minimize motion blur, but your exposure bias should start out at 0 then you can adjust it as necessary.

Anyway, have a look at the focus area indicator and tell me what you see.