Need a new lens for my Nikon D60?

I'm looking for a new lens for my Nikon D60.

I have never bought a lens for it before, I have simply been using the lens it came with. (AF-5 Nikkor 18-55 mm 1:3.5-5.6 G).

I'm looking for something with a better zoom (this one barely allows me to zoom in on my subject) as well as an improved picture quality.

Any suggestions would be welcomed. Preferably something under 200$, and available on a reliable website.

Thank you.

Best answer will go to the one I end up buying/think works best for me.

Any other D60 tips are welcome as well, its my first DSLR camera.

You can't go wrong with the 55-200 VR. If you don't have a spare battery for your camera, get one.

First I do not care about the 10 point, you should know that quality glass give you better colors, sharper image, faster AF etc… And these lens usually cost more money than most camera body.

With $200 or less you're looking for a piece of *** zoom lens that's not even worth spending for.

You want improvement in the quality, you will have to spend way more than $200. If we stick to Nikon, these would give you some improvement.

- 70-300vr f4, 5-5, 6 by far the better choice for this price range, cheaper than that and you won't see any difference from your kit lens in the image quality, the only thing wrong here is the f4, 5 - 5, 6 aperture, in low light situation you will struggle.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/...ikkor.html

- 80-200mm 2.8 By far the better choice from the ultimate prime lens 70-200mm 2.8vr and the 70-300mm vr. This one allow you to use the f2, 8 aperture toward the whole focal range, it'S a big up for low light situation.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/..._2_8D.html

- 70-200mm 2.8vr the best that Nikon can offer us in this focal range, very sharp, very fast focus, better color etc…
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/..._2_8G.html

Quality come with a price, now you know.

If I were you, honestly I would forget about the zoom. If you need to get closer, use your feet. Try a 50mm f1.8, that will do more to improve your shots than the lens you have, and its in your budget.

You may look at the f number as a meaningless number that your not sure of, but in all reality its very important. The lower the F number, the better the lens is.

No lens in that price range is going to give you better quality. Unfortunately, good lenses are expensive and worth it.

Taylor is right, get the 55-200 mm VR (VR: vibration reduction, it really helps. There's also a non-VR version). Adorama sells them for $ 246.95 new, but they often have deals on refurbished or grey import models.

I own a lot of Nikon stuff, including a big, heavy f/2.8, 80-200 mm, but use a 55-200 VR on the smaller Nikon camera bodies when I want to travel light. Most of the time, I find it impossible to tell the difference between shots made with the big 80-200 or those made with the smaller, lighter (and much cheaper!) 55-200.It will complement your 18-55 perfectly.

It depend if you want a longer lens to go with your existing lens, or to replace it.

You could get a 55-300, 70-300, 70-200 or something like that, and keep the old lens. Then you carry two lenses and switch between them for different shots.

Or you could get a lens with a wider range of zooms, like 18-200 (Tamron do a cheap one, or Sigma) and then you wouldn't necessarily need the 18-55.

Be aware that any lens under $200 is going to be bad. The longer the range of zoom, the worse the overall quality.

Hands down, like Cedy said- get a 50mm 1.8 and MOVE. One of the THE BIGGEST MISTAKEs people make while using a camera comes down to lack of effort. If you have two feet and two legs use them to change your view on the horizontal axis. Sit down, crawl, and climb to shift your vertical axis.

Get a fifty 1.8 and you've got super shallow depth of field availability and a piece of glass that works in low light for about $100.

http://www.seanrayford.com/blog