First Nikon lens? | Go Back
A lot of people wonder what to buy as their first Nikon lens. Most people new to digital photography and DSLRs don’t bother reading about cameras and lenses as much since there is too much information and too many recommendations. They end up purchasing a kit lens that they use for a year or two and then they realize how bad their lens is and end up selling it to get something better. Yes, kit lenses are a good deal but are they worth the purchase? I personally don’t think so.
When I bought my D80 it came with a 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. Anything looked better compared to my crappy Sony Cybershot point and shoot, so I was very happy for about 6 months. Then I started getting into photography more and more. I was reading books and spending a lot of time testing the camera in different conditions. I really loved the pictures in daylight out of 18-135mm when there was enough light and aperture was high enough, but low light conditions kept on frustrating me and indoor photography without a flash was close to impossible. Any camera shake resulted in blurry photos which I wouldn’t even notice until seeing the picture on my computer monitor. I ended up selling the lens for a lot less and spent more money getting better gear. The gear was truly better (18-200mm VR) and I was quite happy for a while, but I started encountering other problems such as bad image quality on shorter focal lengths and shooting wide open. As I read more, I wanted to be able to shoot in low light, have better background rendering (bokeh) and sharper image quality, so I got 50mm f/1.4 next.
I’m sure a lot of people go through a similar experience, sometimes more or less painful. After doing an analysis of my lenses and borrowing/renting other lenses and testing them, I created my own list of must have lenses. Lenses that will serve you well for a long time.
I separated the list into two categories - low budget and high budget.
Low budget:
- Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 - low light, sharp, excellent bokeh
- Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR - “all around lens”, but needs to be used properly
High budget:
- Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 or 85mm f/1.4 - low light, sharp, excellent bokeh
- Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 or the new 24-70mm f/2.8 - sharp, professional lenses, but no VR
- Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR - one of Nikon’s best professional lenses
I’m not taking into account special type of photography (such as macro, super wide or bird photography). The above lenses are good for most types of photography. I’m also not including rare lenses (such as the 28mm f/1.4) because they are expensive and hard to get. If you do not want to keep a lot of lenses and just want to buy two to three excellent lenses, the above would definitely satisfy most of your needs.
One more thing to keep in mind - considering that Nikon has gone full frame (FX), I suggest avoiding digital (DX) lenses. Not that DX will die anytime soon, but in case Nikon releases a lower-cost full frame body within a couple of years, you should be prepared. Once a lower cost FX alternative is offered, a lot of people will be selling their DX gear and you know what happens when the market is over saturated.
So, what should be your first Nikon lens? Nikkor 50mm of course! (f/1.4 or f/1.8 depending on your budget) It’s a very inexpensive lens that produces exceptionally sharp images and great bokeh. You will learn a lot from this lens and transitioning to a zoom lens or other prime lenses will be easier later. Plus, you will not have to worry about selling this little jewel.
why, oh why did I read your post.. the NAS is overwhelming me right now!
Once again - congrats on your purchase - I know you will enjoy it for years to come! Your family looks very nice, too! :)
Actually, I do have a plan - right now I live in NYC, work long hours and I simply don’t have time to improve as a photographer a lot. I am not even getting a very affordable 50mm 1.8 at this time - in a tiny NYC apartment 50mm doesn’t work that well, and I don’t shoot that much outside these days.
Once we move out of NYC, I promised myself - I will upgrade :)
Mark, very cute daughter you have there! And the pictures are superb, I really enjoyed your family gallery.
I agree that Nikonians.org does have a lot of NAS-afflicted members. Some people buy $5K+ lenses, D3 bodies and have nothing to show in their galleries :)
Regarding DX glass not falling in value when FX is affordable - it’s very arguable :) Those NAS-afflicted people with deep pockets are already selling their DX gear and trying to convert to FX lenses and FX bodies. There is a big crowd of individuals who think that only pro glass creates pro-level pictures. If you have been looking at prices on both Nikonians.org and Ebay, DX gear already dropped in value. It might be because of new product introduction, but I’m sure that some of the decline is because of people selling their stuff. Now imagine when FX is more affordable - those who cannot afford D3s right now will make a switch and will be selling their DX lenses. Market over-saturation will cause prices to drop and that’s when we’ll be enjoying some good prices on used gear :)
I do agree with you on new cameras and new glass. I have seen amazing pictures taken with D40 and Canon Digital Rebel cameras. Newer gear introduces new possibilities, but only those who know how to utilize those possibilities would really benefit.
I personally switched to D300 because I shoot a lot in low-light conditions. Being able to have acceptable ISO 800-1600 is very important for me, which is why I upgraded. That was 90% of the reason why I switched. The rest 10% was because of better focus and other features that were absent in D80. I tried the D300 out and performed several tests and my conclusion was that it was well worth the upgrade. The ergonomics and the convenience of the buttons are extremely useful. The camera is heavier, but there is definitely a different feel to it. I have carpal tunnel and I noticed that I don’t have as much pain anymore when taking pictures. Changing ISO in D80 was painful, since it wasn’t available in the viewfinder. Now I can concentrate on taking pictures rather than looking for buttons and settings.
The 18-200mm VR lens you have is a wonderful piece of glass and it will work on D300 flawlessly. Upgrading from D40 will be a big jump for you though :) Get ready to learn a lot!
If you are wondering if you will be taking better pictures with the D300 - you absolutely will! If you are not convinced, I recommend borrowing/renting a D300 and trying it out. Be warned though, as NAS will haunt you!!! :) LOL
1. Even if that happens (it already happened in the Canon world with 5D), quality DX glass won’t fall in value quickly because there will be plenty of new users / new D300 like cameras to use DX lens on.
2. Most of the people who buy pro-level glass are NAS affected individuals with extra $$ who don’t even know how to fully utilize the possibilities of it. (come read Nikonians.org forums)
3. Most importantly, new cameras/ glass doesn’t affect one’s own performance - people who have older D200 and know how to use their equipment in a right way get amazing results today. Same thing with D300 - take care of it and you will enjoy using it for a decade plus.
Btw I only have my D40 + 18-200mm VR (I think about D300 on a daily basis though) and I absolutely love it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mgur
Mark, I agree with some points that Ken mentions in his article - that’s why I said DX is not to die anytime soon. Plus, some people want to keep DX bodies for longer reach, especially wildlife photographers. But when FX gets cheaper than $5K, closer to $2K range, a lot of people who use higher-end DSLR’s such as D200 & D300 will start switching to FX. And considering that you can only go up to 6 Megapixels with a DX lens on an FX body, investing into DX might not be such a good idea. Again, this applies only to those, who would eventually switch to FX when it is affordable. There will always be a consumer market in the DSLR world, so it is expected that both Nikon and Canon will continue selling DX-type bodies and lenses.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/fx-dx-future.htm - postmotri - interesnaya stat’ya
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