Refer me to some lenses for my Nikon d5100?
I just recently purchased my Nikon d5100 and absolutely love it! But now I'm living in a much different part of America (in a National Park), and I want to get a few new lenses. I'm looking for a good wide angle lens and a decent zoom lens and maybe even a macro. I would prefer to spend no more than $400 on either, but, of course, quality is important. Any suggestions? (I have no brand preference, btw.)
Super Wide angle lenses (under 18mm): $700-$900
Telephoto zoom lenses: $250-$10, 000
Macro lenses: $300~$1, 000
Wide lenses are going to be the most expensive. You can spend over $1000 on a good wide angle zoom and most wide prime lenses are not spectacular on the DX format. The 18mm you get with the kit lens is the best you can do without breaking the bank.
Telephoto lenses (often incorrectly called 'zoom' lenses because zoom is when you can change the focal length) are much better. A 55-200 or a 55-300 can be had for 2 or 3 hundred dollars.
The 18-55 that came with it is hard to beat. As mentioned the Nikon 55-200 or 55-300 are also good lenses for their modest price. The 55-200 with VR (vibration reduction) can be had for less than $200 in most cases and about the same for the 55-300 without VR. A $25 set of 3rd party close up lenses will make for decent close ups, $20 extension tubes for extreme close ups and a $200 500mm ebay telephoto will let you get shots of bears without having them eat you. I know that a $1000 lens is going to have superior image quality compared to a $200 lens, but will it be 5 times better? For the average person, no. For $500 you could get either of the above zooms, the other lenses and tubes, a cheap tripod and remote shutter control and you will have enough stuff for a lot of fun without breaking the bank. If you find you absolutely must have a $1, 000+ lens, you can always sell the cheap one on ebay and go for the good one but unless you're shooting for National Geographic, I suspect the accessories I mentioned will give you all the enjoyment you need.
And keep in mind that the most important component of a good photo is the person behind the camera, not the camera in front of the person.
Bestselling list of camera lens:
http://www.amazon.com/...=faurms-20
Out of this i recommend the following best selling lens for your D5100:
http://www.amazon.com/...000O161X0/
Some of its features are:
- 55-200mm zoon Nikkor lens with f/4-5.6 maximum aperture for Nikon digital SLR cameras
- 2 extra-low-dispersion (ED) glass elements for minimized chromatic aberration and superior optics
- Super-integrated coating minimizes ghosting and flare for more vivid images in dim lighting
- Silent Wave Motor produces quick and quiet high-speed autofocusing; weighs 9 ounces
- Measures 2.7 inches in diameter and 3.1 inches long; 5-year warranty
Read this review by a user about the overall performance of the lens:
Check out for Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR This lens is sharp even at wide apertures, the VR (image stabilization) works great, autofocus speed is more than acceptable, and it it is very light and compact. The fact that it costs $250 and has effective VR is pretty amazing - no other company offers a lens with this feature for anywhere near this price. As for image quality, search the various internet photo sites, such as dpreview and nikonians for sample photos taken with this lens by real users. The results are impressive!