I am going to be n00b in the DSLR world soon, hopefully. How do I know what lense I need for different situations? I shoot pictures of anything that interests me, so I know that I will eventually need a wide array of lenses.

I use a kodak z612 now and i notice that it either can't focus on something close enough, or it won't reach out far enough for me.

That makes me believe that I will want a macro, indoor, and telephoto lense eventually.

I just don't know how to translate the milimeters on the lens into usable measurements, like how far will a 70-300 lens zoom out.

My suggestion for anyone starting out is to start with the kit lens, actually. It's inexpensive enough to not be a big issue to buy with the camera, and it covers a modest range for day to day usage. From there you can find out for yourself what range of focal lengths you want to extend in to, or where you want to improve. The other advantage is that as you say, you'll get a feel for what focal lengths give you how much reach.

You may find you like a focal length covered by that lens but you want a faster prime, or you may find you want a faster zoom that covers part of the range.

Another lens I've suggested a lot of people start with (or add to the kit lens) is the "nifty fifty." The 50mm 1.8, especially from Canon (and perhaps others) at around $80 is a lens that's worth having because of its low light potential. For some that gets them started on a whole new avenue of photography that slower lenses might have kept them away from.

If you're looking to focus on closer items, like you said you'd want a macro lens or at least something with decent closeup capability. Macro lenses are not the cheapest, and they're usually limited (fixed focal length in many cases). My macro lens is one of my favorites, it's excellent optically but given it is a fixed focal length lens, it's very versatile.

After the kit lens, if you want a longer lens look at a 70-300 or 75-300 like you mentioned. I only recommend these if you don't use that range a lot or don't have the money for a better lens. Some of these claim macro capability, but watch out because they don't actually get you that close. A 70-300 lens will give you a fairly long reach. It'll generally be too long for using indoors but you can go from shooting portraits at 15 feet at the wide end to shooting action across a football field at the long end.

I was going to post this last night but the forum crashed before I was done.

If I could go back and do it over I would have bought my body only and picked up a good condition used lens off ebay.

Don't get me wrong I, l thought my kit was a good lens but after about a year I outgrew it and needed something more versatile. I sold the 18-55mm on ebay a week ago and picked up something better.

Just my opinion.

Originally Posted by jblaze5779

Don't get me wrong I, l thought my kit was a good lens but after about a year I outgrew it and needed something more versatile.

That's why I recommend the lens. Because it's good for getting you started if you don't know any better.

Yeah at $100 for the kit over the body only it's a tough choice. The kit lens is great for what it is, but at $100 I'm not so sure... Maybe pick one up used for $50~$60 and get the 50mm f1.8 new when you buy the camera? Nifty fifty is a perfect lens for a n00b as with such a wide aperture you can learn about DOF in a hurry... The only down side is with a 1.6 crop it gets a bit long for every day use, but it's still well worth the $$$.

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

Nifty fifty is a perfect lens for a n00b as with such a wide aperture you can learn about DOF in a hurry... The only down side is with a 1.6 crop it gets a bit long for every day use, but it's still well worth the $$$.

Yeah, I used the heck out of my 50mm when I first got it, but lately, maybe since I got the 70-200 2.8, it hasn't seen as much use. Maybe I just haven't been shooting the type of stuff I had been using it for. Who knows. With the multiplier, it's a decent portrait lens, but I dunno about using it for a walk-around lens like I always hear people talk about.

My kit lens, as cheap looking/feeling as it is, is still my workhorse lens. It's almost always mounted on the camera, and takes really good pictures. I don't regret getting it at all.

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

Yeah at $100 for the kit over the body only it's a tough choice. The kit lens is great for what it is, but at $100 I'm not so sure... Maybe pick one up used for $50~$60 and get the 50mm f1.8 new when you buy the camera? Nifty fifty is a perfect lens for a n00b as with such a wide aperture you can learn about DOF in a hurry... The only down side is with a 1.6 crop it gets a bit long for every day use, but it's still well worth the $$$.

I have the 50mm f/1.8 and I love it but I also picked up the 35mm f/2 last week, I think it's going to be on my camera for awhile now.

Yep, that 35mm is another great lens... I just with they had more plastic <$100 primes available. You get what you pay for, but the bang for the buck with nifty is awesome... The others are great inexpensive lenses, but at over $100 it's harder to just pick them up.

I want a 35mmish lens. The 35 f2 is the affordable choice, but I'd love the 35 1.4

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

Yep, that 35mm is another great lens... I just with they had more plastic <$100 primes available. You get what you pay for, but the bang for the buck with nifty is awesome... The others are great inexpensive lenses, but at over $100 it's harder to just pick them up.

got mine on craigslist, 150 with box and paperwork. It looks to be almost brand new.

the kit is $729 and the body is $659 at beach right now. i was planning on buying the kit and the 50 at the same time.

The 50 is a fairly common lens you can find it easily on craigslist for around 80-100 if it's not significantly more on beach I guess I would go ahead and order it with the camera.

Originally Posted by jblaze5779

The 50 is a fairly common lens you can find it easily on craigslist for around 80-100 if it's not significantly more on beach I guess I would go ahead and order it with the camera.

it's $80.

yeah, I sold my nifty for ~$60 I think on PotN this spring (I had 2).

Originally Posted by distorto

Originally Posted by jblaze5779

The 50 is a fairly common lens you can find it easily on craigslist for around 80-100 if it's not significantly more on beach I guess I would go ahead and order it with the camera.

it's $80.

Sounds like a sweet deal

now that I look at beachcamera I see that the canon version is 40 bucks cheaper than the nikon for some reason.

I would check several things...

Diaphragm:
Flick the aperture control on the back of the lens to make sure the diaphragm opens and closes smoothly and quickly with no sticking

Shine a light on the diaphragm blades and see if they have any oil on them

Glass:
Of course look for scratches on the glass, minor scratches may not have any effect on photos taken at wide aperture. If they are significant they will become obvious in your photos at small apertures.

Check through the back of the lens for fungus growing on the glass.

Also check for cracks, just make sure you bring some light source with you while checking out a lens.

Body:
Check for obvious signs of drops and bumps.

Make sure the lens has both lens caps with it. Usually if it doesn't then the owner probably stored it that way and may not take very good care of his/her stuff.

Check out the filter ring threads and make sure they haven't been cross threaded or destroyed from a drop. Also visually check it for roundness. Generally if the lens has been bumped or dropped signs will be obvious on the filter ring.

Check for zoom creep... hold the lens downward and see if the lens' zoom slides out. This may or may not bother you but to me it gets really annoying if my lens slides out every time I let my camera hang.




You're also going to want to bring your camera so you can check to make sure the motor and autofocus are both functional. Check your histogram and make sure it reasonably reflects the light conditions in which you are shooting. If you can only view your test photo on you camera, zoom in and pan around to check for sharpness.



Anyone else got anything to add?

I've learned from playing around that I do want a lense with more range. Right now I have the kit lense and the 50mm 1.8, how do I know what lense will fit me?

75-300 f/4-5.6 usm
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=169269&is=USA

do i need the usm on this lense?

I have the sigma 70-300 f/4 and I would really recommend a something faster. I rarely ever use this lens because it is sooooo slowww.

This was the first lens that I purchased after getting my camera and I wished I hadn't done it. In the lens collection thread someone else made the same comment directly below my post. I would save and get something faster.

The sigma version sells for about 100 bucks new on ebay and at least has a macro mode.

btw what is USM?

Originally Posted by jblaze5779

btw what is USM?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasonic_motor

Well, I get the USM/HSM/SWM (AF motor in the lens, basically) whenever I can. In the lens you mentioned, I'd definitely get it. Your AF is probably going to hunt a bit @ 300mm in low light, and the USM is going to be faster when that happens. It's probably still going to hunt, but it won't take a ridiculous amount of time.

Now, what most people mean by a fast lens, has nothing to do with AF speed. With a smaller aperture, your shutter speed is going to slow down to compensate for the lack of light, and might blur some images if you want to take pictures of something moving or if you want to hand hold. A lens with a 2.8 constant aperture will allow to keep your shutter speed high if the available light drops off a little. If it's bright outside, you won't really notice.

Another concern some people have with telephoto zooms is if they extend when you zoom in/out. Also, if the front element rotates while focusing. This will bug you if you use a Polarizer.

Originally Posted by jblaze5779

I sold the 18-55mm on ebay a week ago and picked up something better.

Just my opinion.

out of curiosity, what lens did you get to replace that range?

Originally Posted by Algonquin

Originally Posted by jblaze5779

I sold the 18-55mm on ebay a week ago and picked up something better.

Just my opinion.

out of curiosity, what lens did you get to replace that range?

Nikkor 24-120 f/3.5