Nikon D80 Lenses - Where to begin?

[Jimbob89]

Hi all,

I need some advice on lenses to go for on my D80, i have a standard kit lens coming with mine but i am after a good Macro lens on a finite budget. I have been recommended to get a Tamron 90mm which i would like to get at some point.

I would also like to get a good zoom lens. Any recommendations on where to start folks?

Thanks

 

[gad-westy]

Hi all,

I need some advice on lenses to go for on my D80, i have a standard kit lens coming with mine but i am after a good Macro lens on a finite budget. I have been recommended to get a Tamron 90mm which i would like to get at some point.

I would also like to get a good zoom lens. Any recommendations on where to start folks?

Thanks

The Tamron 90mm 2.8 is a decent lens. I guess you'll be looking at a bout £200 for a used one. For a similar amount, the Sigma 105mm is also worth a look. Not a lot to separate them, so take your pick.

When you say you're looking for a zoom lens, do you mean a long zoom. I know I probably sound pedantic but your kit lens will be a zoom lens (i.e variable focal length) so I'm assuming that you might want something a bit longer as well? That being the case, it's very budget dependent but two good options are the Nikon 55-200 VR or if you're feeling flush the Nikon 70-300 VR is superb.

 

[ronnus]

I've a Tamron 90mm and can't fault it, other than the lack of image stabilisation which is by no means a deal-breaker. As gad-westy says, they go for around £200 used, which is a great price, I think one sold here recently for £190.

As for zooms, if you're after a "standard" zoom and want to stick with Nikon, the choice (IMVHO) comes down to 18-105VR, 16-85VR, and 17-55.

The 18-105 probably won't be much nicer than the kit lens (18-135 on the D80?), and I don't think the D80 will automatically correct lateral fringing from the 18-105 which was introduced with the D90, which will correct. Can be bought for around £190 new, I had one and didn't keep it long, as I bought...

A 16-85VR, which I like a great deal. I spend a lot of time at the wide-end, and the 2mm does make a difference to me. The quality of the lens is lovely in my opinion, but it is quite pricey at £400ish, down to around £300ish used. It's my walkaround, everyday lens, does almost everything I want. The only thing it could use is a faster aperture, which is where you need a...

17-55 f2.8. Lovely, high (pro) quality lens, basically the DX equivalent of the workhorse 24-70mm on full-frame, beloved of most FX users. £1100 new tho, and they seem to heamorrhage money, used ones can go for a little over half the new price.

If you're looking at Tamron/Sigma etc, they're a bit of a mine-field of models and performance, and there's apparently a great deal of variation between samples, especially among the f2.8 zooms. I recently looked at getting one of the 17-50 2.8 zooms but have given up on the idea unless one comes up dirty cheap used, and I can have a go with it before buying to ensure there's no performance issues.

HTH

 

[Jimbob89]

Thanks for the replies

Kit lens on a D80 is 18-55mm VR Ronnus. I like the look and sound of the Tamron and you seem to be able to pick them up fairly easily so i think i will go for that.

Lenses cost more than the cameras!

 

[ronnus]

Thanks for the replies

Kit lens on a D80 is 18-55mm VR Ronnus. I like the look and sound of the Tamron and you seem to be able to pick them up fairly easily so i think i will go for that.

I sense a Nikon-bore moment coming up...

When I was looking at a D80, they all seemed to come with the 18-135, but it's entirely possible they were kitted out with the one of the 18-55's later in the day. Certainly the 18-55 lens (version 1, non-VR, ED glass) was released alongside the D40 a couple of months after the D80 came out in 2006, then the second version (EDII) of the 18-55 was released with the D40x the following year. The third and latest (the VR version) of the 18-55 came out later still, early 2008 just as I was getting into photography, and I bought one for a silly amount of money compared to what they go for today

I also sometimes wish I hadn't sold it, it's a great lens, but the way manual focus worked on it wasn't for me.

Lenses cost more than the cameras!

They do, but ignoring kit lenses they also tend to keep their value way better than camera bodies do, as the product lifespan of a lens is far longer than a body. Damn technology

 

[Jimbob89]

I sense a Nikon-bore moment coming up...

When I was looking at a D80, they all seemed to come with the 18-135, but it's entirely possible they were kitted out with the one of the 18-55's later in the day. Certainly the 18-55 lens (version 1, non-VR, ED glass) was released alongside the D40 a couple of months after the D80 came out in 2006, then the second version (EDII) of the 18-55 was released with the D40x the following year. The third and latest (the VR version) of the 18-55 came out later still, early 2008 just as I was getting into photography, and I bought one for a silly amount of money compared to what they go for today

I also sometimes wish I hadn't sold it, it's a great lens, but the way manual focus worked on it wasn't for me.



They do, but ignoring kit lenses they also tend to keep their value way better than camera bodies do, as the product lifespan of a lens is far longer than a body. Damn technology

I am unsure of the history mate, i assumed that the Nikon kit came with the 18-55mm, i thought that the 18-135mm would be a lot more expensive, i received my D80 today on another note

I don't know anything about DSLR's but this is some piece of kit, i understand it may be "Vintage" if thats a good word to use, but it certainly looks good to me

I have a much more upto date Samsung digital camera with all the bells and whistles to go with it and it just looks like a Fisher Price toy in comparison!

Its good to know that this lens is good to begin with as well, i want to take some shots and get to grips with the million and one settings before i invest in a good macro lens.

Thanks for the advice thus far

 

[ronnus]

I am unsure of the history mate, i assumed that the Nikon kit came with the 18-55mm, i thought that the 18-135mm would be a lot more expensive, i received my D80 today on another note

I don't know anything about DSLR's but this is some piece of kit, i understand it may be "Vintage" if thats a good word to use, but it certainly looks good to me

I have a much more upto date Samsung digital camera with all the bells and whistles to go with it and it just looks like a Fisher Price toy in comparison!

Its good to know that this lens is good to begin with as well, i want to take some shots and get to grips with the million and one settings before i invest in a good macro lens.

Thanks for the advice thus far

That's definitely a good way to go, get used to the 18-55 then decide what's next... the D80's definitely still a very capable camera and the 18-55 should suit it well, I used mine when I first got my D90 and was very happy with the images.

Another possibility is the 55-200VR zoom lens and an add-on macro lens such as the Raynox 250, it won't be quite as nice as a dedicated macro, but it'll give you an idea of what you can do, and should get decent images if you have good light. Can pick up a 55-200 for around £110ish, and it's another great lens in its own right

 

[Jimbob89]

I've been taking some shots today Ron, must say, i am blown away by the picture quality. I have no idea what settings to put it on so i just set it to "auto" and took some.

The level of detail in some of the shots were to my eyes incredible, i love the way that when it focuses it recognises whether you are photographing an item in front of or behind and focuses in.

I know i sound incredibly noobish, but we all have to start somewhere. The only thing lacking in this lens is the lack of zoom, but even that is a minor niggle with a kit lens.

I looked up the 55-200mm lens and it looks very good for the money, the Raynox 250 is also very well priced, so i think it would be best to follow your advice and get those two rather than a dedicated macro lens for now, because i can always use the 55-200mm lens and get two uses out of the money.

Plus, the two together will cost far less than the Tamron.

As always, thanks for the advice, the photography malarky is incredibly addictive, i have an absolute mountain to climb with regards to learning about all the settings.

 

[ronnus]

There's absolutely b****r all wrong with using auto, trust me. I still miss shots that I should have just switched auto on for. It becomes one of those things that "I Must Not Do" for most folks, but for the wrong reasons. Snobbery, basically.

Hope you enjoy your new hobby... It is indeed addictive, and expensive, but when you get the result you wanted? Best feeling ever

 

[mike todd]

There's absolutely b****r all wrong with using auto, trust me. I still miss shots that I should have just switched auto on for. It becomes one of those things that "I Must Not Do" for most folks, but for the wrong reasons. Snobbery, basically.

Hope you enjoy your new hobby... It is indeed addictive, and expensive, but when you get the result you wanted? Best feeling ever

I think that many people forget that the overwhelming skill in photography is composition of the frame.

There should be no shame in using Auto to make the most of the many hundreds or even thousands of pounds that you've spent on having that sophisticated automation of exposure in the camera body

 

[SimonUK]

You can also try P mode, which is effectively auto, but gives you a little room to fiddle

I was on a photo course a few months ago, and someone ask'ed if any pros use auto. And the guy joked that program mode stood for professional auto lol it just gives you a tiny bit more room to play

 

[Jimbob89]

Simon thanks for recommending P mode, like you said its almost exactly like auto but with more freedom!

I am finally getting to grips with the physical buttons on the camera, i have not even attempted to to go into the digital menu and mess around in there yet.

 

[Kato]

I had a Tamron 17-55 2.8 when I had my D80. It was excellent. Got persuaded to sell it with the D80 when changed bodies and regretted it.

 

[samems]

With the Tamron 17-50, i hear people saying that you should get the non VR one. Is that right? I quite fancy the Tamron myself.