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Help me pick out a lens for the Nikon D80



 
 
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  #11  
Old April 29th 07, 04:25 PM posted to rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems
babaloo
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Posts: 127
Default Help me pick out a lens for the Nikon D80

For most amateurs the 18-200 lenses by Nikon, Sigma and Tamron are
reasonable performers.
Any of these lenses outperform the Nikon 55-200 in that focal range. However
Nikon did recently add IS to their otherwise execrable 55-200.
The Nikon 18-200 is the most desirable because of image stabilization but it
costs twice as much as the others, is difficult to find, and its optical
performance otherwise is not much different regardless of what Nikon
partisans say. These lenses all distort at the wide end, which may not be
noticeable to some users, but the distortion is correctable in Photoshop. I
love Nikon but you pay a premium for the name tag that does not consistently
translate into performance that justifies the price for the purposes for
which the lens will actually be used.
Sigma announced a new IS 18-200 last September but never actually produced
the lens. The last time I checked they had not given retailers a release
date and they had not said they were not going to make the lens. Vaporware
marketing as in the computer industry. Check out the Adorama web site on
this lens.
A wider angle lens is desirable. Again the Nikon 12-24 is more costly than
the Tokina but the Tokina may be better optically. In fact the Nikon and the
Tokina may share more than an identical focal length and fixed f-stop.
Lenses longer than 200mm (equal to 350mm in 35mm film SLRs) for dSLRs are
infrequently used by amateurs in the real world. If you don't know why you
need one you do not need one.



  #12  
Old April 29th 07, 08:34 PM posted to rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems
David Dyer-Bennet
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Posts: 1,814
Default Help me pick out a lens for the Nikon D80

Gary Seven wrote:
Hello all. Can some of you good folks here help me out here? I am thinking
about buying the Nikon D80. I don't want to start or hear flames either for
or against Canon/Nikon, just looking for some advice here.

I will probably go for the D80 mostly because it fits my hand much better
than say, the Canon 30D. There are other little "pleasantries" I like,
especially the viewfinder. I'm at a loss though, of the type of lens or
lenses to purchase with the body. There are two types of shooting that I
do: (1) family shots of my two little girls (indoor and outdoor) and (2)
landscape style photography, mostly of my vineyards here in Priorat (Spain).
Along those lines I like to do shots of vines, overall vine/row shots,
background "mountain" shots, and I would also like to do very close-up
(macro?) shots.


The 18-70mm kit lens gets good marks. I've got one (purchased
separately used, though), and it indeed works well in general. I had
some flare problems with it, and it's not overall as good as the
17-55/2.8 that I eventually upgraded to, but it's quite decent.

So, for a D80, and on a budget, I'd suggest starting there.

You're probably eventually going to want a real "macro" lens; for
serious closeups, zooms with "macro mode" just don't cut it. The 60mm
macro is fairly cheap, and long enough focal length for most purposes on
a 1.5x crop body like the D80.

I'd suggest that as a good starting point, and then see. You might want
either wider, or longer, or both; after you have more experience using
those, you'll be in a better position to choose what the most valuable
thing to add next will be. (I'd guess an 80-200 of some sort; but you
probably aren't me, so who knows what you'll want?)
  #13  
Old April 29th 07, 10:44 PM posted to rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems
Just D
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Posts: 207
Default Help me pick out a lens for the Nikon D80

"Rita Ä Berkowitz"
The 18-200mm VR
It does have a decent FoV equivalent to a 135mm lens, but it would
have been nice for it to have the same as a 200mm lens.


Is there any lens having significantly better DoF at this range?

The biggest problem with this lens is its
poor build quality and poor light gathering properties. The lens creep
and
many complaints of the front element working its way loose and falling off
are totally unacceptable. And what compounds the problem is the need to


That's really scary! I've never seen any complaints on the Internet about
these fall outs. It would be interesting to know where these ones have been
built? Do you have any statistics? I know that Nikon has at least 3-4
different factories making lenses including Japan, China, Thailand, etc. The
price can be slightly different as well.

have a lot of light to wake this lens up. I find it near impossible to
shoot below ISO 400 and +0.7 EV compensation. It's a decent walk around
lens in principle, but takes a lot of work to get used to if you are


I'd expect this lens to do that. The diameter is not very large comparing to
other better zoom lenses.

accustomed to shooting with good glass. It's overpriced for what you get.


I notices that its price is coming down and it went out of backorder in
several companies. Maybe people noticed more drawbacks of this lens t be
more careful. I saw couple interesting reviews on the Internet and the test
shots that I was not very happy with.

Fortunately I was able to sell a total of three of these dogs to offset
the
cost of justify keeping mine. At $750 it is a rip-off and Nikon should be


Could you recall the country where these lenses came from? Just wondering if
this is a country/factory related fault or it's very general for this lens?

ashamed of themselves. Pity the fool that paid more than $750 MSRP,
though
I'm glad they do.


Just wondering why?

Just D.


  #14  
Old April 30th 07, 02:27 AM posted to rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems
Neil Harrington
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Posts: 2,001
Default Help me pick out a lens for the Nikon D80


"Gary Seven" wrote in message
...
Hello all. Can some of you good folks here help me out here? I am
thinking
about buying the Nikon D80. I don't want to start or hear flames either
for
or against Canon/Nikon, just looking for some advice here.

I will probably go for the D80 mostly because it fits my hand much better
than say, the Canon 30D. There are other little "pleasantries" I like,
especially the viewfinder. I'm at a loss though, of the type of lens or
lenses to purchase with the body. There are two types of shooting that I
do: (1) family shots of my two little girls (indoor and outdoor) and (2)
landscape style photography, mostly of my vineyards here in Priorat
(Spain).
Along those lines I like to do shots of vines, overall vine/row shots,
background "mountain" shots, and I would also like to do very close-up
(macro?) shots.

So what to do here? I have the feeling that buying just one lens (I
assume
a tele-wide) will NOT be a one-size-fits-all solution. I get the feeling
I
will need two, but simply don't know which way to go here. Of course, my
budget is not unlimited and I simply can't plop down another $2000 in
glass
on top of the $900 I will be spending on the body.

Thoughts anyone? TIA.


For a general-purpose lens I think it's hard to beat the 18-70mm kit lens,
or perhaps the 18-135mm kit lens that was introduced with the D80 if you
need or want the extra reach at the long end (I have no personal experience
with the 18-135 though). Either of those should be wide enough at the short
end for most ordinary purposes. If you feel the need for something
ultrawide, the obvious choices are the 12-24mm Nikkor (expensive!) or the
12-24mm Tokina (half the price, and reportedly just as good as far as
optical performance is concerned). I have the Tokina 12-24 and it's great.

For macro there are a couple of current and some older Nikkors that should
suit you if you don't mind paying the price. For non-Nikon macro lenses the
Tokina 100mm Pro D reportedly is outstanding. I just ordered one myself,
don't have it yet so can't comment on it from personal experience.

Neil


  #15  
Old April 30th 07, 03:49 AM posted to rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems
george[_2_]
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Posts: 65
Default Help me pick out a lens for the Nikon D80


"Rita Ä Berkowitz" ritaberk2O04 @aol.com wrote in message
...
george wrote:

A real "sleeper" of a lens, is the 28-105mm. It is incredibly sharp,
covers most people's most often used range, has nice bokeh, and has a
good macro mode and even better is that it is about $250 US, has no
queue of people waiting to pounce on every one that becomes
available, and no battery draining VR mode (nor does it "need" one).
I suggest you go to www.dpreview.com and search on 28-105mm and see
the sample shots people have posted. It is a very impressive bargain
Nikon lens.


Good call on this lens. It's a bit slow and the front rotates which makes
it a bit of a pain under some situations, but an overall excellent lens.
It's definitely the 18-200mm VR killer for a third of the price. I've got
a
lot a use out of mine back in the day.






Rita


That lens was such a big surprise (how good it is), that I had to buy one
even though I have it's range covered a myriad of ways. It is a really
nice, general purpose lens at a bargain price.


  #16  
Old April 30th 07, 05:31 AM posted to rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems
C J Campbell
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Posts: 1,272
Default Help me pick out a lens for the Nikon D80

On 2007-04-29 08:46:33 -0700, Rita Ä Berkowitz ritaberk2O04 @aol.com said:

Jürgen Exner wrote:

Mostly baloney, especially the bit about macro.


I can easily see that different people have different opinions about
which lenses are suitable or "best", just like with everything else
in life.
However I would honestly appreciate if you could elaborate a bit on
why feel my comments were baloney. I believe they are substantiated
by actual test results and therefore I have a hard time seeing why
you characterize them as such.


I think CJ's problem is he's never had the lens and is talking from his ass
as usual. The 60/2.8 Micro Nikkor is a stunning lens and a great performer.
The only problem for most people is the very short working distance for 1:1
macro. This is why I opted to keep the 105/2.8 AF-D and 105/2.8 VR as they
give your better working distance for more creative lighting techniques.


Actually, Rita, you still haven't learned to read, have you? Exner
faulted the 60mm f/2.8 Nikkor, saying that it performed poorly in
tests. I said that was baloney. I actually have the lens, by the way,
and agree with you that it is a stunning lens. However, you still look
like a chimpanzee.



--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

  #17  
Old April 30th 07, 05:34 AM posted to rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems
C J Campbell
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Posts: 1,272
Default Help me pick out a lens for the Nikon D80

On 2007-04-29 07:56:25 -0700, "Jürgen Exner" said:

C J Campbell wrote:
"Jürgen Exner" said:
Get the 18-135mm kit lens. [...]
except for the macro photos. For those
look at macro lens line from Sigma, [...] If you can afford
it, then the Nikon 105mm f/2.8D AF Micro will outclass any other
macro lens, [...] But it is _much_ more expensive.

Stay away from the Nikon 60mm f/2.8D AF Micro,[...]


Mostly baloney, especially the bit about macro.


I can easily see that different people have different opinions about which
lenses are suitable or "best", just like with everything else in life.

However I would honestly appreciate if you could elaborate a bit on why feel
my comments were baloney. I believe they are substantiated by actual test
results and therefore I have a hard time seeing why you characterize them as
such.

jue


As far as I know you are the only person I have ever heard of that has
said that the 60mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor does not perform well.

As for the 105mm f/2.8, you are right. It is a lot more expensive and
way out of the ballpark, considering the OP said he did not want to
spend $2000 on lenses.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

  #18  
Old April 30th 07, 05:45 AM posted to rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems
C J Campbell
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Posts: 1,272
Default Help me pick out a lens for the Nikon D80

On 2007-04-29 08:45:17 -0700, Rita Ä Berkowitz ritaberk2O04 @aol.com said:

C J Campbell wrote:

I also like the 18-200mm VR lens. It focuses closely enough for light
macro work. It has enough telephoto to bring the mountains closer for
those background mountain shots. It has decent mid-range zoom for
portraits. It goes wide enough for landscapes.


TOTAL AND UTTER BULL****!


I see you labelled your post properly. It describes pretty much
everything that followed that line.


The 18-200mm VR does *NOT* do macro it does close-up work. It does have a
decent FoV equivalent to a 135mm lens, but it would have been nice for it to
have the same as a 200mm lens. The biggest problem with this lens is its
poor build quality and poor light gathering properties. The lens creep and
many complaints of the front element working its way loose and falling off
are totally unacceptable. And what compounds the problem is the need to
have a lot of light to wake this lens up. I find it near impossible to
shoot below ISO 400 and +0.7 EV compensation. It's a decent walk around
lens in principle, but takes a lot of work to get used to if you are
accustomed to shooting with good glass. It's overpriced for what you get.
Fortunately I was able to sell a total of three of these dogs to offset the
cost of justify keeping mine. At $750 it is a rip-off and Nikon should be
ashamed of themselves. Pity the fool that paid more than $750 MSRP, though
I'm glad they do.


You say close-up; I say light macro, which is probably not as
technically correct but still reasonable. The lens has the FOV of a
200mm lens when focused at infinity, which is what the OP would be
doing when taking pictures of distant mountains. That is what he wanted
it for, after all. Poor build quality and poor light gathering
qualities are subjective. Most reviewers rave about this lens. You,
OTOH, have a hatred that borders on psychopathic. "Many" complaints
about the front element falling off? Nonsense. This is a new complaint
that you made up. Neither is lens creep unique to this lens. It is
common to nearly all lenses in the price range that the OP was talking
about. Not everyone can afford to spent $1500 on a lens, Rita.

The biggest lens creep around here is you. I have had it with your
unsubstantiated claims.

Just once I would like to see where you showed that you knew what you
were talking about. The fact is, the few pictures you have posted have
been very inferior work.



--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

  #19  
Old April 30th 07, 05:51 AM posted to rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems
C J Campbell
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Posts: 1,272
Default Help me pick out a lens for the Nikon D80

On 2007-04-29 07:42:03 -0700, RichA said:

On Apr 29, 4:39 am, "Gary Seven" wrote:
Hello all. Can some of you good folks here help me out here? I am thinking
about buying the Nikon D80. I don't want to start or hear flames either for
or against Canon/Nikon, just looking for some advice here.

I will probably go for the D80 mostly because it fits my hand much better
than say, the Canon 30D. There are other little "pleasantries" I like,
especially the viewfinder. I'm at a loss though, of the type of lens or
lenses to purchase with the body. There are two types of shooting that I
do: (1) family shots of my two little girls (indoor and outdoor) and (2)
landscape style photography, mostly of my vineyards here in Priorat (Spain).
Along those lines I like to do shots of vines, overall vine/row shots,
background "mountain" shots, and I would also like to do very close-up
(macro?) shots.

So what to do here? I have the feeling that buying just one lens (I assume
a tele-wide) will NOT be a one-size-fits-all solution. I get the feeling I
will need two, but simply don't know which way to go here. Of course, my
budget is not unlimited and I simply can't plop down another $2000 in glass
on top of the $900 I will be spending on the body.

Thoughts anyone? TIA.

G7


Get an 18-135mm ED DX and some screw-on macro lenses for the front.
$350 for that grouping.


Several reviewers have complained about chromatic aberrations and
distortion. The one good thing they have said it is sharp. Also, the
zoom ring is either too stiff or else it suffers from the same lens
creep as the 18-200. Build quality is inferior to that of the 18-200.
It also does not have VR, which is an attractive feature to everyone
except you. You are the only one who posts here who does not like it
and you have made the usual litany of over-the-top unsubstantiated
claims about it "ruining" your pictures (actually, you are a bad
photographer -- it is you that ruins your pictures if your recent
postings are anything to go by).

The more I read your posts, the more I understand that you are
considerably less expert than you think you are.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

  #20  
Old April 30th 07, 06:55 AM posted to rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems
Jürgen Exner
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Posts: 1,579
Default Help me pick out a lens for the Nikon D80

C J Campbell wrote:
As far as I know you are the only person I have ever heard of that has
said that the 60mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor does not perform well.


Thank you. I truely appreciate this clarification.

I readily admit that I don't own this lens. However I have been looking for
a macro lens for myself recently and the review at
http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showp...duct/98/cat/12 for the
lens isn't all that great.
quote
At the end of the day, I'd have to say that this is only a mediocre lens,
not really worth its relatively high selling price.
/quote

Maybe the review is wrong, maybe they tested a lemon, maybe the reviewer
just had a bad day. I don't know. But if you are saying it's a decent lens
after all, then maybe I put it back on my list of candidates, too.

Thanks again

jue


 




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