Beginner photographer Nikon d5100 - what lens do I want?!

CarlE

CarlE

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Carl
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Hi all,

My first post....woo!

So I'm looking to buy the Nikon d5100 as it seems like a great SLR to start with!

Basically I'm unsure on what lens to go with...

Most places offertl the 18-50mm lens kit for not too much more than the base option. But wondering whether to just go for a 18-105mm or something along those lines?

I'm going to try and do a bit of everything so....yeah!

Any advice would be amazingly appreciated!
 
CarlE said:
Hi all,

My first post....woo!

So I'm looking to buy the Nikon d5100 as it seems like a great SLR to start with!

Basically I'm unsure on what lens to go with...

Most places offertl the 18-50mm lens kit for not too much more than the base option. But wondering whether to just go for a 18-105mm or something along those lines?

I'm going to try and do a bit of everything so....yeah!

Any advice would be amazingly appreciated!
Click to expand...

It's difficult to recommend anything without knowing what you'd plan to shoot. Are you interested in action/sports? Landscapes? Children? Portraiture? In what kind of lighting conditions?

I'd also keep in mind that there won't be one lens that can do everything (otherwise why would we have cameras with interchangeable lenses?).

For many people, the 18-55mm is a good place to start and may be all you ever need (depending on how deeply into photography you venture). Personally, I find zoom lenses a bit slow for my tastes and prefer to use fast primes (e.g., 35mm f/1.8), but it's all to personal preference.
 
If it's not too much extra then the 18-105 could be all you ever need - most people (IME) tend to want a little extra reach than the 18-50 offers. Image quality is about the same from each (although the 18-105 has a bit more distortion which is to be expected as it covers a larger range).
 
For now I would go with the kit lens and add the 55-200 which you can pick up second hand for £70-£100, you may never need anything else
 
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It's probably too early to ask if you're likely to end up swapping lenses a lot, but if you're not sure what type of pictures you want to take then 18-105 will offer significant advantages for composition over 18-50. I've been using my Sony 18-55 kit lens, and TBH it's frequently too short when walking closer won't fix things.

Helens suggestion is a good one, but from past experience, one is always wanting to take a picture at 35mm, then straight after one at 100mm and you end up playing the musical lenses game. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's nice to have a single lens for walking round with that will cover *most* requirements adequately, even though there will be times you wished it were longer or wider.

Alternatively, try to pick up a 'standard' lens with a fast aperture - say 28mm or 35mm - that you just leave on the camera and develop your skills until you know whether you need wider, longer or both. There's a lot of control available with a fast prime lens, and it's really nice to use depth of field to isolate a subject.
 
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Nawty said:
If it's not too much extra then the 18-105 could be all you ever need - most people (IME) tend to want a little extra reach than the 18-50 offers. Image quality is about the same from each (although the 18-105 has a bit more distortion which is to be expected as it covers a larger range).
Click to expand...

Agree that 18-105 will cover 95% of situations generally and if you develop interest in a specific area, then go for more lenses.
 
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