# lens question



## Koru (Sep 25, 2006)

i am just looking around at various options that come with the Nikon D80, seeing the prices and what i can get for my money (that i'm still saving).

my question is, you all know the kinds of photos i like taking... the close up shots and such like... and i know that i would love to be able to take photos of things about 20 feet away, to bring them up close and clear.

knowing those things, what lens would you suggest i should look for to go with this camera? would i need two?

rosesm


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## RustyBrown (May 29, 2004)

I'm sure there will be other opinions, but the 105 micro-nikkor is incredible. The issue will be that your confined to one focal length.


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## TooShallow (May 21, 2004)

AFS-Nikkor 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 ED G II.

Standard kit lens that is a very good buy for the money.


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## Gator_Nutz (Sep 27, 2006)

I second the 105mm. I love mine. I use it for things other than just close-ups (at which it excels) and the results are very nice. I do know the kinds of photos you like taking and if you could get this lens I think you would be very happy. The kit lens mentioned is a pretty good lens for the money. I like mine but the auto focus quit working for some reason and now it's manual focus only but I still use it quite a lot.
Then again, now that I think about it, the 70-300mm VR is also an exceptional value and that may be more to your liking for a wide range of uses. I'm sure this muddied the waters for you even more.


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## RustyBrown (May 29, 2004)

Kinda funny that I'm in on the Nikon discussion...

Here's some news on TS recommendation...

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0711/07112001nikkor1855.asp

I don't think VR is such a big deal on shorter lenses because I tend to shoot in low light using a tripod and vibrations aren't magnified as much at shorter focal lengths.

I'm being selfish but the 18-55mm would be great for landscapes and as TS said you can't beat the value. You can always upgrade later.

Arlon do you have a 50mm 1.8 you could ship to New Zealand?


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## Arlon (Feb 8, 2005)

I love the 18-55. That and a $30 3/4T close up filter will do a lot. Wife loves the versatility of the 18-200VR but it's also a $700 lens and has a reputation of falling apart if you don't baby it.

Here is a gallery of pictures taken with the 18-55 and a 3T or 4T close-up adapter. Be sure to look at them full size and that is still reduced almost 40% before I put them on pbase.. HERE

I don't have an extra 50/1.8 (available on ebay for around $50 though) but I have several 55mm micro nikkors. MT has one of them he may not be using anymore that could be donated for a good cause..


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## Koru (Sep 25, 2006)

okay wait up... don't do anything yet. please. i am just trying to learn what kind of lens i would need and how much it would cost here... we have a kiwi equivalent of ebay and there are some cameras there as well as cameras that come with lenses. i just didn't have a clue what kind of lens i would be needing. i still don't understand it really.

here's a link to our kiwi site:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Sea...=nikon+D80&x=0&y=0&searchRegion=2&type=Search

i will look further when i have time, as i can't see any 105mm lenses there just at a glance.

can somebody tell me what the lens sizes indicate?

rosesm


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## Arlon (Feb 8, 2005)

bigger the number (focal length) the greater the magnification. 50mm has always been considered "normal" on SLR cameras. 10mm is very wide angle like a fish eye. 600mm is very telephoto, that's what I use for my moon lens. 105mm is a small telephoto. Also 105 f2.8 is a "cult classic" portrait lens. Enough tele to fill the frame with a face without feeling their breath.. F number is also important as it determines depth of field and light required. F2.8 is fairly "fast". It shoots in lower light than an f4 lens. Depth of field (the part that's in focus) gets narrower as the f stop number gets smaller or the lens gets longer. An f4 600mm lens has about a foot of focus at 50ft (49-50ft are in good focus). At f11 a 10mm lens has everything in focus from 3ft to the horizon several miles away. P&S cameras have very short lenses which is why it's hard to blur the background with any P&S camera... etc.. etc..


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## Koru (Sep 25, 2006)

so the 105mm is f2.8 which will shoot in lower light.

what distance will the 105mm shoot clearly at, and what depth of field will i have? if it is f2.8 then it will have a narrow depth of field, so, would the whole of a sparrow/bird show clearly? i.e. just how narrow is the DOF?

this one http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=129815820&key=340084

gives me this
- Nikon D80 Digital Camera Body
- Nikon AF-S DX 18-135mm f3.5-5.6G IF-ED Lens

so this one has greater focal length (135mm) and shoots a little slower and in more 'normal' light conditions than the 105mm, am i right?

if i buy a lens with greater distance ability, do i lose the close up value?


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## Arlon (Feb 8, 2005)

The F number listed for a lens is just the minimum. Then there are the dedicated macro/micro lenses that are designed to focus much closer than the std. lenses. In doing so they generally give up a little sharpness at longer distances. Most lenses shot wide open (smallest F number for the lens) will have less than perfect images. Best sharpness will be in the mid Fstops (f8 or so) reguardless of how low they will go. It's a big juggling act. By f32 most macro lenses will have excellent DOF but will lose a bit of sharpness and have to have a flash. At f2.8 DOF will be about zero but you could take a picture in a cave with match light (ewell not quite) and again a lot of sharpness will be lost. Most everything I shoot will be somewhere in between where lens speed (light sensitivity) isn't really an issue. Faster lenses or increasingly expensive at an exponential rate too. The 105mm f2.8 macro lens is around $700 where a 90mm tamron or tokina (super lenses by the way) are less tha half that price. 

There is really no one lens to do everything, that's why they are DSLR cameras in the first place. So you can change lenses. Big question is just where to start and there are as many ideas about that as there are people with cameras.. 

One big reason I like nikons is the abundance of old manual focus lenses you can get cheap.. I just got a fine Kiron made Vivitar 200m f3.5 lens on ebay for $8.50 and it's a very sharp lens...

That 18-135 is nice lens. It's a zoom that works everywhere from 18mm wide angle to 135mm telephoto. Lot of versatility in that lens..


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## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

> MT has one of them he may not be using anymore that could be donated for a good cause..


Yes I do and I need to get it back to you pretty soon.
Mike


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## sandybottom (Jun 1, 2005)

I'm pretty excited you getting a D80 that's what I'm getting soon. I haven't had time to read the previous suggestions or replies yet but here's what I'm going to get.
http://www.wolfcamera.com/product/SLR1169.htm
http://www.wolfcamera.com/product/541536017.htm
http://www.wolfcamera.com/product/253093504.htm

sandy


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## Koru (Sep 25, 2006)

don't panic. lol i'm saving for it. it'll take me a while. i just wanted to know what lens to get for my kind of style of photography so i have some idea of what i'm looking at needing to save.

rosesm


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## Arlon (Feb 8, 2005)

MT Stringer said:


> Yes I do and I need to get it back to you pretty soon.
> Mike


Sooner or later we'll meet up at bbsp or someplce. That will be soon enough. Since I have half a dozen of those lenses and only 3 cameras, I'm not in any hurry...


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## Koru (Sep 25, 2006)

i just spent about 3/4 hour in sheer bliss. holding a D80 and listening to every tiny spec of detail the sales assistant cared to share. i'm on cloud 9 and all i walked out of the shop with was a Nikkon pamphlet detailing the camera. 

no, i'm not buying it yet. just looking and enjoying.


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## my3peas (Jan 9, 2007)

I loved my d80  I agree with the above posters. If it were me, shooting what you shoot, I'd get the 105 mm whicih also doubles as a great portrait lens. You have to get used to zooming with your feet if you use it for portraits.  

Good luck  can't wait to see what you have once you get it!


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