Lens purchase help for Nikon d7100?
I'm planning on buying the Nikon d7100. The only trouble now is picking out the right lens…
I mostly shoot videos with dslr's, so I will not be using it much for photography. Also, my budget is anywhere up to $1000.
For your budget I highly suggest the Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens. Its really good in terms of bang for your buck. If you are going to make a purchase online be sure its only amazon, they have always been most reliable. Otherwise read some additional reviews. Ill provide you a link. Hope this helps and happy shooting!
Camera Lens --
You're not interested in photography? Why not step-up and get a digital camcorder with an interchangeable lens system instead? You can use whatever lens it comes with at first then learn from it to know what you need later.
Still want to get the D7000 for video? Try the 35mm f/1.8. With your camera, it has an angle of view similar to human eyes. I've seen award winning movies shot with just a normal/standard lens like that.
I have a D7100, but never use it for video. I have a camcorder and less expensive compact camera for those needs. Video should not be the primary reason to buy such a camera.
However, my lens of choice for my D7100's mid/normal zoom is the $600 Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8.It is a tack sharp lens, and if it works for photos, it should work for video.
But if you do not need the low-light capability of this lens, then the $400 18-105mm kit lens that you can buy with the D7100 is probably OK for video.
Contrary to popular belief, video does not take nearly as much quality in a camera as photos do (at 24 Megapixels, the photo frame size is 6000x4000 pixels.), and in all honesty, it does not take a 24 Megapixel camera to get good video.
In fact, you are actually limited to the 1920x1080 full HD frame size, which equates to just over 2 Megapixels. That is right, even with a 24 Megapixel camera, the highest quality video is about 2 Mp. This is true with any camera.
So if you are not doing photos - there's no reason to have a 24 Megapixel camera. Many compact cameras these days are capable of 1920x1080 full HD.
A problem with those 24 glorious megapixels is getting a lens that can focus sharply enough to look good at full resolution. The 35mm f1.8 AF-S DX has the limited versatility of a prime lens, but it is probably sharp enough to be a good choice. A zoom with good versatility that may have adequate sharpness is the 16-85mm AF-S VR DX. To wring all the potential 24 MP detail, VR might not be good enough. Spend some serious money on a really good tripod.