Advice on lenses for Nikon D750

Esther

Esther

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Esther
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I'm upgrading to the D750 and will initially have around £800 to spend on lenses and wondered what people recommend?

I currently have the D5300 which has a crop sensor and mainly use my 35mm prime so I'm assuming the 50mm prime will replace that one?

I recently bought a Sigma 10-20 and love the effect it gives and find it my go to lens for getting snaps of the 2 kids indoors as it's easy to get them on the same photo but I don't find it as good quality as my Nikon lenses, that could be though that it's mainly used indoors so prone to noise, I also have a 55-300mm which I use for wildlife and the kit 18-55 which is barely on the camera.

I'm happy to buy 2nd hand but didn't know whether to stick with a 35mm or go for the 50mm and I'd like a walkabout lens which would cover most situations on a day out so I'm not swapping lenses all the time.
In time I'll definitely be replacing the 55-300 but would like more reach as I found mine quite limiting at times and will definitely be needing a wide angle lens, I know I wont get all those for £800 but for now would like a prime and walkabout to get me going then the zoom and WA for the summer.
 
I have 24-85 (latest)and find it fine. The 24-120 is also a good walkabout but heavier and more expensive. There are lots about used for sensible prices.
50mm 1.8 is very good value.
For wide angle 18-35g is pretty good but all 3 might stretch your budget.
 
A 50mm on the D750 is the equivalent of your 35mm so a good choice. The f/1.8 version is pretty good and it's debatable if the f/1.4 is significantly better.

Your Sigma 10-20 will be harder to replace, if you utilised the widest end most, you could consider something like a Samyang 14mm which will cost around £245 but is manual and Prime rather than a zoom. To replace the shorter end would need something like a 28mm or perhaps a 35mm - a Nikon 28mm f/2.8 is £260 new. Another option at a reasonable price is the Tokina 16-28 which will cover a similar range your Sigma covered at around £460.

The classic walk about zooms for the D750 are the 24-120 or 24-85. For a longer lens could look at a 70-300 but that will offer less reach than your 55-300 does on the DX camera - to get a significant longer reach you might need something like the Sigma or Tamron 150-600.

If looking at second hand, don't forget that with your D750 you can use older AF-D lenses as well as the newer AF-S lenses with integrated AF motor you needed for your D5300.
 
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Hi Esther, i was in the exact same boat, i had the D5300 & 30mm F1.8 & 55-300mm when i upgraded to my D750.
I went for the 50mm F1.8 as you say this is the equivalent focal length of your 35mm on the DX body.
I got the kit 24-120 F4 which is a great lens as a walkabout and i would say about £450 second hand.
For a wide angle i would go for the 16-35mm F4 as this is a cracking lens again around £500 i assume.
However if you want more reach than 300mm on a crop sensor you will need 450mm+ on a FF body, I really don't know much about lenses with that much reach however it sounds like a lens such as the tamron 150-600 would perhaps be a good choice, but I'm not sure on price at all.
 
24-85 is nice and light/compact for a walkabout. The 50/1.8 is good if you like that focal length. And a 20/2.8 is a cheap option for the wide end. All bargains if bought used.

Alternatively join the loonies in the D750 thread and ask them! :D
 
Thanks everyone,
Weight will be a factor with the walkabout lens as I've got 1 & 3 year old daughters so on days out am regularly having to pick either them or their stuff up as well as having my camera around my neck, I do like the idea of the 24-120 though as it covers a lot of bases, it's encouraging to see the prices of some of the suggested lenses 2nd hand.

Michael, as you've done the same switch as me I'd be really interested to hear if you're pleased with it and what differences in image quality you found.

Ed, I'm nervous about joining that thread as they seem very knowledgable and I'm still a beginner, I've been reading it every day though for a few weeks to see if people were enjoying the camera!
 
Esther said:
Ed, I'm nervous about joining that thread as they seem very knowledgable and I'm still a beginner, I've been reading it every day though for a few weeks to see if people were enjoying the camera!
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They're all harmless, and very helpful. (y)
 
Ed Sutton said:
They're all harmless, and very helpful. (y)
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Most of us are... ;)

As others have already mentioned you could do a lot worse than pick up a used 24-85, and 50mm f1.8 - you could probably get both for around £400 - leaving you with some cash left over to spend on another lens once you've figured out which direction you want to head, or to put towards a tele-zoom.
 
If you want a walkabout lens you could do worse than the 28-300mm. It's not one for the purists but the quality isn't bad and more than good enough for family snaps. A more normal all rounder is a 24-70mm, you could look at the Tamron f2.8 version which will be in budget. I wouldn't consider the 16-35mm for portraits, it's ultra wide and suffers from a lot of distortion. Nice lens in the right circumstances though. Nothing wrong with keeping your 35mm and seeing how you get on
 
Well I've ordered the camera!

I've also ordered the 50mm so I've got something to use while I work my way through all your recommendations, I'm too excited to sleep!!
Hopefully they'll be here Thursday.
 
Esther said:
Well I've ordered the camera!

I've also ordered the 50mm so I've got something to use while I work my way through all your recommendations, I'm too excited to sleep!!
Hopefully they'll be here Thursday.
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The 50mm f/1.8 is super on the D750 as I've used it a lot on that camera - easily the best value for money prime out there.

I normally use it at f/2.2 and just shoot shoot shoot.
 
Personally I would suggest a 24-70 2.8 is the most versatile lens you can get (Tamron is very good and within your original budget).

Whilst significantly heavier than the 50 1.8, if you use something like a blackrapid, rather than hang the camera around your neck, you will not notice any weight, at all.

Fantastic camera, enjoy it.
 
The 18-35 is an excellent lens and not too big/heavy (from memory - I used it with a D600) and would suit your shooting FL if you liked the Sigma 10-20 on APS-C. That's my main suggestion given the info you've provided and I would also use a wider angle lens for kids.
 
I thought you decided you were not upgrading to FF because of the size increase and feel bogged down with the weight of your current gear?

Have you looked into a mirrorless system? This is the time to do it when you are in the process of replacing your whole system. You will find many members have done just that and it's liberating.

I'm in a similar position as you with two small kids one 2 the other 6 and now I have my xt1 in my pocket whenever we go out.
 
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I have a 28mm, 50mm and 70-200 F4. Thats all I need and the primes gives me nice light options!
 
rjbell said:
I thought you decided you were not upgrading to FF because of the size increase and feel bogged down with the weight of your current gear?

Have you looked into a mirrorless system? This is the time to do it when you are in the process of replacing your whole system. You will find many members have done just that and it's liberating.

I'm in a similar position as you with two small kids one 2 the other 6 and now I have my xt1 in my pocket whenever we go out.
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I did say that but I couldn't shake the feeling that I did want to upgrade so I started saving up then at the weekend my very generous Mom said she'd buy the camera for me! That's left me with the cash I'd saved free to spend on lenses, weight wise a lot of that was solved at Christmas when my husband bought me a proper backpack, I was using a normal over the shoulder bag before which was overfull and the backpack spreads the weight so I barely notice it, I also plan to only take the lenses I need instead of every one, the zoom can stay at home unless I'm going on a trip where I know I'll be needing it.
 
Esther said:
I did say that but I couldn't shake the feeling that I did want to upgrade so I started saving up then at the weekend my very generous Mom said she'd buy the camera for me! That's left me with the cash I'd saved free to spend on lenses, weight wise a lot of that was solved at Christmas when my husband bought me a proper backpack, I was using a normal over the shoulder bag before which was overfull and the backpack spreads the weight so I barely notice it, I also plan to only take the lenses I need instead of every one, the zoom can stay at home unless I'm going on a trip where I know I'll be needing it.
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The FF is a itch that's hard to shake isn't it. I'm 90% sure i don't need/want FF so went down the fuji x-series route but its still that 10% :)
 
rjbell said:
The FF is a itch that's hard to shake isn't it. I'm 90% sure i don't need/want FF so went down the fuji x-series route but its still that 10% :)
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Now you've gone the Fuji route you'll no longer want FF ... you'll be wanting their GFX :-)
 
Esther said:
Ed, I'm nervous about joining that thread as they seem very knowledgable and I'm still a beginner, I've been reading it every day though for a few weeks to see if people were enjoying the camera!
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Join the thread, I was surprised to see this separate thread really, forums are for improving your hobby, and I find this one the best for photography.
 
Hi Esther,
The first thing you will notice is the size and extra buttons and dials, however you will quickly get used to them and I'm sure you will come to love them and rely on them.
Also when you take the files into post processing you will notice how much more you can push files and also iso. I loved my D5300 but the D750 is definitely a decent step up even just the ergonomics of the D750 are great!
You won't regret it, its a great camera!
 
Esther I have the 24-120mm f4 for the D750 and can highly recommend it. I've recently posted example shots on the D750, not that they're anything special as I don't know what I'm doing with this photography malarky :runaway: You can pick them up for around £530 used in mint condition, or you buy new grey for £550. If you carry the camera on a sling strap, with the 24-120mm f4 it's not 'that' heavy. I wouldn't want it around my neck all day though.

The 18-35mm G is another great lens, and can be had for around £350 used.

You mention that the 55-300mm doesn't give you enough reach, but that gives you the effective reach of 450mm on your current camera. That mean that you'll need to be looking at something like the 150-600mm's on FF to gain any significant reach and they are pretty heavy beasts. You could get the 80-400mm that's slightly lighter, but that won't even give you the reach that you have already. Plus it's expensive. The D750 does crop well though meaning you can make up for some of the lack of reach.

As others have said, come and join us in the D750 thread. There's a wealth of useless info on there ;)
 
There are a couple of 50mm on the classifieds at the minute
 
You probably already know this Ester, but don't forget you can use your existing lenses (such as the Sigma) on the D750; either engage crop mode (1.5x DX mode or 1.2x) or let the camera take full frame but know you will have to crop in post production (you may find that the 10-20 needs only a little cropping at the longer end but needs more at the shorter end)
 
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I sold my Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 and replaced it with one of these after trying out a friends Sub £300 s/h used.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/phiggys/albums/72157629330460267
I also added a Nikon AFS 28-300mm VR but have the 24--120mm VR f3.5 version as well.
If you want something a bit lighter the AFS 70-300mm VR is a great piece of glass.
And as already mentioned the AFS 24-85mm
It's time to scoure the used sites Happy Shopping (y) :)
Something even longer the sigma hsm 150-500mm os can be picked up at a great price these days with people upgrading.
 
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