Nikon d90 telephoto lens?
I have a nikon d90 and have recently found interest in taking pictures of moon, but my current lens can't even get close enough for me to continue taking pictures. I did some research and i know I need a telephoto lens, but I have no idea what kind of lens is compatible with my camera body. Can any of you recommend a beginner telephoto lens?
The Nikon D90 is a great DSLR that will autofocus with any Nikon mount autofocus lens. You can choose from Nikon, Sigma, Tamron, or Tokina optics at a wide variety of prices and features.
Your choice will depend on the focal length you want, 200mm, 300mm, or more. You can find the excellent Nikon 55-200mm or 55-300mm new and used relatively inexpensively.
Here's a webpage with some samples of what the moon will look via different focal lengths.
http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/779/how-to-take-stunning-pictures-of-the-moon/
And here's a very full discussion of Moon photos taken with a D7000, the upgrade from the excellent D90.
http://www.dpreview.com/...t/38011402
Maybe an adapter to a telescope which maybe a friend owns would be more practical?
I have two options that I often use for long distance shots:
A Tokina 80-400mm 4.5~5.6, which is extremely hard to find in the US as they are out of production, but you can still find them occasionally. I originally bought mine when I had a D90 (I now have a D7100).
http://www.amazon.com/...000G7PLCY/
But it is a bit soft at 400mm wide open, which is pretty much typical for such lenses.
My latest preference is a Nikon 1 (V1 in my case), outfitted with a Nikon FT-1 adapter and a Nikon AF-S 70-300mm 4.5~5.6. I can also use the Tokina above, but I have to manually focus it… Which is not usually that big of a problem with moon photos as you will probably be manually focusing anyway.
With the Nikon 1's 2.7 crop factor, the lens equivalent is either 189~819mm for the 70-300, or 216~1080mm for the 80-400mm.
While the Nikon 1's sensor is a bit smaller than a DSLR, it is certainly a lot better than a bridge camera.
I would recommend the new Tamron 150-600 f/5-6.3 Di VC USD. Not sure if you can get it with a nikon mount but pretty sure it will be soon