A good walk around lens that isn't too bulky? - 1
I have a Nikon D3100, and I also have the kit lens that came with it (18-55mm), which works great! But I'm finding more and more that it's sort of bulky to carry around when I'm travelling and on the go.
I'm just doing research right now, not necessarily with an intent to buy. But I'm interested in a lighter, more compact lens that would be good for when I'm all over the place. I do like my kit lens, but I'm just sort of looking at other options.
If you think that the 18-55 mm lens is bulky, you will not like the "walkaround" lens I'm going to suggest. The AF-S 18-200 mm will cover just about any subject you may encounter while walking around.
When I travel, I carry my equipment in a backpack and carry a minimum of four lenses.
If you take the 18-55 mm lens off your camera and hold it in your hands, you will see that it is very light when compared to the camera itself.
My guess is that you are just not used to carrying around a fully adjustable camera with any lens.
Consider the 50mm 1.8
It's really cheap and is great for portraits and low light.
The 50mm 1.8d doesn't auto-focus on the d3100 because the lens doesn't have an internal focus motor and neither does the camera body,
The 50mm 1.8g has an internal focus motor, so it will auto-focus with your camera, but is slightly more expensive than the 1.8d
If you are sticking to your Nikon D3100…
(1) serious travel out of the country or just eneral walk around, "everyday carry" type of lens?
(1a) for serious travel, go for 18-200. Your back will thank you - much better than taking 4- 5 smaller lenses
(1b) for everyday carry, choose one small prime lens. I personally like the 24mm or 28mm range on an apsc camera. It keeps the body as small as possible. THe 50mm is another popular choice, mostly due to price, but it is too long for an apsc sensor in my opinion. I prefer something shorter.
20mm F/2.8 D
28mm F/2.8 D
(note: you should verifiy if the autofocus works with these lenses with your camera. I do not shoot nikon cameras and am not familiar with the campatiability.
(2) consider other camera options…
(2a) Olympus OMD (Or any other micro four thirds camera)
- much smaller than your nikon. It might satisifywhat your photographic needs
(2b) Nikon Coolpix A or RIcoh GR
- much much much smaller. As small as a compact. No one will ever complain abou the bulkiness of these cameras.
The only thing more compact than a kit lens capable of walk-around range is a 50mm f1.8 or 1.4. You won't have the benefit of wide-angle you probably enjoy with the kit lens.
You won't get a 'walkaround lens' that is less bulky than what you have. The smallest, lightest lens is Nikon's 50mm f1.8, but that is a fixed focal length - it won't 'zoom', you have to move to frame the shot.
Maybe consider buying a decent compact or bridge camera rather than a lens for when you want portability.