Nikon 18-105mm or 18-55?

GlasgowGunner

GlasgowGunner

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Hi there i have not long bought a Nikon D90 that came with the kit lens 18-105mm. The thing is i am going to steer towards doing landscape photography as i feel this is what i have the passion for(this might sound strange but true).

Anyway i no that most people seem to go for the Sigma 10-20mm for the landscapes but till i have funds i will ask this question.

I have been reading positive things about the Nikon 18-55mm VR lens and was wondering if anybody could tell me if this would be a better lens to have over my 18-105mm as i cant find anywhere to do a comparison and i have the chance of a swap over for free to get the 18-55mm VR and is the VR going to me needed on a 18-55mm lens as i might be able to get the non VR one of these also.

All in all i dont want to get shot of my kit lens but if its a duff lens then i dont see any point to keeping it.

I should also mention i also have a 70-300 VR in my kit.


Cheers.
 
I don't think you'll gain anything by using VR for landscapes - I take it you are using a tripod? VR doesn't really come into play (and some will say shouldn't be used) when you're tripod mounted. If not, spend your money on a decent tripod.

You're not gaining any field of view, as the 18-105 covers the 18-55.

There might be something to gain in image quality though - I've not used the 18-105 but have used the 18-55 and I find it very good for the cost.

All just my opinion, of course!
 
Have just sold my kit lens 55-200mm non vr and replaced with 70-300mm vr.
Was looking at changing kit lens 18-55mm non vr for 18-105mm to give me an over lap with the 70-300 but after a lot of research I found most people saying stick with the kit lens it provides much better quality at the shorter focal length which is what you will be using for landscapes.
 
foggy4ever said:
Have just sold my kit lens 55-200mm non vr and replaced with 70-300mm vr.
Was looking at changing kit lens 18-55mm non vr for 18-105mm to give me an over lap with the 70-300 but after a lot of research I found most people saying stick with the kit lens it provides much better quality at the shorter focal length which is what you will be using for landscapes.
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Yeah i've read along those lines too.
 
GlasgowGunner said:
Yeah i've read along those lines too.
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Why the assumption that for landscapes you need wide angle? You can isolate and frame items in the landscape far better with a telephoto lens, and what I have seen of images with that 18-105 VR I would stick with that to be honest.

We are all different and see things differently through the lens, but I would go and take some images with the 18-105 for a while, then look back through the exif data and see what focal length got the most use, then decide what lens you want to get.
 
I have been reading about the telephoto lens side of it too, but yeah i could give that a try with the exif but im not sure how you get that info.
 
GlasgowGunner said:
I have been reading about the telephoto lens side of it too, but yeah i could give that a try with the exif but im not sure how you get that info.
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If you are on Windows google Opanda Exif Viewer, and download it, will read all the exif metadata off your images ... its free.

Other option, most of the image processing software reads it.

From memory I think Vista has the ability to read basic info like lens, shutter speed etc.

To me a wide angle lens is for up close and personal, especially in enclosed places.
 
Martyn... said:
If you are on Windows google Opanda Exif Viewer, and download it, will read all the exif metadata off your images ... its free.

Other option, most of the image processing software reads it.

From memory I think Vista has the ability to read basic info like lens, shutter speed etc.

To me a wide angle lens is for up close and personal, especially in enclosed places.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. And yes i was reading that the wide angle lens does not go down well with a lot of folk.
 
you could try using http://www.flickr.com/ its a great site for viewing other peoples pictures. You can find groups for your camera and search there forums for pictures you are interested in, once you find one select the picture and scroll down and select "more properties" and it will show you all the exif data for that picture.

This is a group you could search.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/nikond90club/

This is a link to some exif data from a landscape picture in the above group
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonrphoto/3151024810/meta/

I spent a lot of time on flickr looking for specific shots with lenses to help me decide my last purchase.
 
GlasgowGunner said:
Thanks for that. And yes i was reading that the wide angle lens does not go down well with a lot of folk.
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No problem.

What you need to remember is that your brain filters a lot of what your eyes see, it gets rid of the junk that your camera will record. You may look at a scene and think great view, ignoring the eyesore in the foreground, to the left or right. A telephoto, especially a zoom will allow you to compose on the specific item that caught your attention, and fill the frame with the important part of the vista you are looking at.

The other advantage of a telephoto is that it foreshortens the image, compressing everything, this can be more effective than the wide angle which has the opposite effect of stretching the distance between foreground and background.

I started with film, you had to wait a week to get the disappointment that the great image you thought that you had captured was naff :) Digital costs nothing and is instant, go out and try loads of different things.

Look at what you think is a great photograph, and snap it at three different focal lengths and see which looks the best on your screen.

I nearly bought one of those 18-105 looks a great one choice walkabout lens, I have seen some really good images from it.
 
foggy4ever said:
you could try using http://www.flickr.com/ its a great site for viewing other peoples pictures. You can find groups for your camera and search there forums for pictures you are interested in, once you find one select the picture and scroll down and select "more properties" and it will show you all the exif data for that picture.

This is a group you could search.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/nikond90club/

This is a link to some exif data from a landscape picture in the above group
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonrphoto/3151024810/meta/

I spent a lot of time on flickr looking for specific shots with lenses to help me decide my last purchase.
Click to expand...

Thanks this is handy.:)
 
Martyn... said:
If you are on Windows google Opanda Exif Viewer, and download it, will read all the exif metadata off your images ... its free.

Other option, most of the image processing software reads it.

From memory I think Vista has the ability to read basic info like lens, shutter speed etc.

To me a wide angle lens is for up close and personal, especially in enclosed places.
Click to expand...

Do you have Elements or CS ??

If so look at my sig and try out Script Writer re EXIF data
 
If you want to see sample images from every Nikkor lens, and all the others try Pbase scroll down past the cameras to the lenses, the cameras contain sample images also.
 
GlasgowGunner said:
Smashing, cheers:thumbs:
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You are welcome, if you want to read something that illustrates composition and creative ideas have a look at THIS available for under £10, if you do check out how many of his landscapes are shot at really long focal lengths.
 
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