Second Lens Advice For A Newbie

[FlipFlop]

Hi all,

As stated I'm a newbie photographer packing a Nikon D3100 which I recently treat myself to and am working hard to learn the ins and outs of photography.

I only have the standard 18-55mm lens that came with the camera and am looking to buy a second lens to carry around.

Now my initial impression was to get a lens with a better zoom i.e. the Nikon AF-S 55-300mm f4.5-5.6 G ED VR Lens - DX Format.

I thought it would be good to take to some footy matches and so on.

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/78033/show.html

However I'm not looking to take any particular kind of shots and in fact I will probably just be out and about walking on my own whilst practicing resulting in plenty of landscape shots.

Can anyone please advise or recommend what type of lens I should be looking to add to my collection bearing in mind I do not take any particular kind of photos right now, I'm just learning. Instead of the 55-300mm is it possible that I should instead be looking at something to offer me wider angle shots i.e. Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 EX DC HSM Nikon fit lens?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007U00...de=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B0007U00XK

I will only be looking to get one lens right now and don't want to really go beyond this price range hence the lenses with the better f ranges are probably out my price range.

Any advice where to go next is highly appreciated - thank you!

 

[Snapshot]

I suggest waiting a bit until you have a better idea of what shots you want to take. Have a look at what you have taken and see if they're tending to the short or long end of the zoom range. Then buy the appropriate lens to take you further in that direction.

Both the lenses you're thinking about will be fine but only you can answer which one you should buy first.

 

[kidloco]

id edcho that. its a lot of cash to spend when your not sure what you are interested in.

I was in exactly the same boat recently. I bought a D90, which I was using with my existing Nikon 18-70. I really felt I needed to buy a new lense. Ended up picking up a Nikon 50mm F/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens in the end. Only cost £75 and its a nice way of me learning my new camera.

Ive now made the decision to stop spending money and start using what I have.

 

[FlipFlop]

Thanks guys that sounds like good advice. I suppose I was really targeting these particular lenses due to the price range. I found the 55-300mm for only £199 which is why it tempted me however I would prefer the wide angle - it's just a lot of money for my photography hobby right now

@kidloco

How are you finding the 50mm? I take it you added that due to the larger aperture available hence better images in lower light conditions? Is that the only advantage?

Sorry I don't know much about lenses other than what I'm reading up on day to day.

 

[kidloco]

Thanks guys that sounds like good advice. I suppose I was really targeting these particular lenses due to the price range. I found the 55-300mm for only £199 which is why it tempted me however I would prefer the wide angle - it's just a lot of money for my photography hobby right now

@Kidloco

How are you finding the 50mm? I take it you added that due to the larger aperture available hence better images in lower light conditions? Is that the only advantage?

Sorry I don't know much about lenses other than what I'm reading up on day to day.

Really enjoying the lense. Havent used anything else since buying it. The fixed length not only gives excellent sharpness, low light speed and great depth of field which makes portraits pop. But it also makes you think about the framing.

Im still learning my camera, just reading what I can and pratice pratice pratice. Just trying to get consistantly sharp images as that was my first hurdle.

 

[Meds]

Hi FlipFlop, I too have bought the 50mm 1.8 and for the price its an absoloutely Fantastic lens, Its a lot better than the 18-105mm @ 50mm. (Kit lens I got with the D90)

Even when I set them both to same aperture etc... Photos are just so more vibrant

 

[Namistai]

I'd agree with the above advice re learning what you want to shoot first. However, a 50mm prime is a safe bet to buy as it's almost always useful for something, it's cheap, and it will easily sell second hand if you don't like it. In fact, if you buy second hand then you're unlikely to lose much money on any lens that you buy and then sell on - a good way to try things to see what you like!

 

[bLuEuK]

I was in a similar position to you after playing with my D3100 and kit lens I decided that I wanted to try a new lens. I found that I was wanting more reach and so opted for the Tamron 70-300 lens as it was relatively cheap (compared to other lenses ) and gave me a little more flexibility when out and about. Also considering grabbing a 50mm 1.8 as I have a voucher that needs spending and its a nice cheap lens that gets great reviews.