Just bought D7000 Camara?
I have just bought a Nikon D7000, I have just come from a HS10 Finepix point and shoot ( you maybe thinking that I'm not very bright) and I should have gone for an entry level Camera instead, but the way I looked at it if I bought the entry Level and, I liked it then 6mths down the line I would have had to buy the D7000 anyway, so it would have cost me a lot more money, but to my Question I need a 70-200 f2.8 lens for shooting ice skating, it is in a really low lite Ice Rink, and I have been looking at a Nikon but it is more money than the Camera I bought is there a different Lens out there which is as good if not better than the Nikon, that won't brake me for the rest of the year and if any one can give me a few pointers on any other lenses that I might need for every day pictures that would also help Thanks
Get to know your camera first. Even for an intelligent person with a copy of "photography for dummies" on standby it will still take a few weeks and a few thousand pics to get the hang of the basics. The kit lens, I'm assuming it's the 18-105, will do just fine to discover for you what you really need.
As to ice skating, if it's soon then do not expect miracles at all.
There's not many good lenses for that kinda thing that are cheaper. If you shoot from a monopod you couuld make do with the previous sigma 70-200 f2.8
Another option, and a better one in my opinion, is to rent what's needed.http://www.lensesforhire.co.uk/ for example but I'm sure there's other rental companies as well.
Yeah it's pretty normal to see lenses more expensive than your camera body. If you are serious about this you will need to be thinking about investing in the right equipment.
Lenses are expensive because they are what makes the picture- not the camera. All DSLR cameras nowadays are more than capable of producing professional photographs, so it's just up to photographer's skill, and the lens to some extent.
This is why it is often better to invest in an entry-level body, and acquire better lenses than you could have if you went for more expensive cameras. Lenses also happen to last and retain their value a lot longer as well. While lenses will still be useful for a decade or more to come, camera's would already have been replaced by 4 generation by then.
You may find that the AFS Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G can work just as well as the 70-200mm f/2.8
This is because it has an even wider aperture so it works even better in low light.
Congrats, the D7000 is a great camera - no reason why you shouldn't have got it - just take some time to learn the basics of photography (exposure, lighting & composition) otherwise it will be a waste if all you do is use it as a glorified point & shoot.
A fast telephoto zoom is not going to come cheap - the Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 is one of the best out there - you could buy a cheaper Sigma version and be reasonably pleased with the results.
The good news is that your D7000 has excellent low light capabilities - it will ramp up the ISO with little or no noise issues - that's its major selling point. You may find you do not need the f2.8 aperture & can get a way with f4 or so.
A good 'general' lens I use (on a D300) is the Nikon 18-200mm, but I tend to use other specific lenses for specific jobs. I use 50mm f1.8 & 85mm f1.8 for studio & location work and the 24-70mm f2.8 as well.