Nikon D3100 zoom lens? - 1

I just purchased a Nikon D3100 and it came with the standard 18-55mm lens. After one weekend of shooting kids baseball, I realize I'm going to need more zoom… What would anyone recommend?

A 55-300mm AF-S VR could be okay. If you are going to do this a lot, it would be worthwhile to go for the heavier, more expensive 70-300mm AF-S VR. It should have better edge sharpness and more accurate autofocusing.
Don't get the cheap version of 70-300mm.

I used the D3100 with the 55-300mm VR lens and it's okay. Slow to focus and does have some edge softness issues, but overall it's a nice telephoto with a huge range.

The 55-200 won't get you as far, but is a bit sharper and focuses faster as a result. So it really depends on your preference. As was mentioned before me the 70-300 is probably the best 'affordable' telephoto out there, but it's definitely a bit more of an investment than those other two budget lenses I mentioned.

Skip the 55-300mm. Either buy the 55-200mm or the 70-300mm zoom, both of which are built better than the 55-300.

You can buy a factory refurbished 70-300mm for $359. I bought mine refurbished and I would not hesitate to do so again:

http://www.adorama.com/...AFVRR.html

It's still a consumer-grade lens, but it's one of the better lenses in this grade.