Which lens should i use?
I picked up my first SLR camera, it's a Nikon D3100 it came with 2 lenses (18-55mm & 55-200mm) and was wondering which one would be best for taking pictures of lightning and severe weather and the advantages of the 2 lenses? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Here's a tutorial: http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/597/how-to-take-pictures-of-a-lightning-storm/
The wider of the two, the 18-55, will give you a wider angle of view, so the chances of catching a lighting strike will be greater.
The 18-55 is the best all-around lens. It will produce higher resolution photos than the 55-200 with less chance for shaking. Remember to use a tripod and small aperture setting when possible for sharpest photos.
Use the wider lens (18 to 55). For lightning you will need to work at night. Set the camera to Manual on a tripod, set the caperture about f8, ISO 100, open the shutter on bulb and keep it open until you see lightning in the general direction where the camera is pointing, then close the shutter. You can't hope to photograph lightning by pressing the shutter button when you see lightning through the viewfinder - it has long gone before the shutter opens.
For severe weather also use the 18 to 55.