9 replies to this topic

[qtjodi]

Looking for recommendations for lenses for my D5600, I have the 18-55 and the 70-300 that it came with.  I shoot wildlife and outdoor scenery, and looking for recommendations.  

[Photosbyjaws]

35mm & 50mm

[Jerry_]

Already a good proposal.

But what type of captures do you take (portraits, wildlife, sports, landscapes, architecture, ...) - that will help to identify the best lenses for your need.

[qtjodi]

I mainly do wildlife, outdoor scenery, I am doing a trip to Canada this year and Africa next year. I have the two lenses that it came with. Looking more at used don't want to spend a fortune yet.

[ScottinPollock]

The kit lenses are slow (their maximum apertures don't let in a lot of light)... this means lower shutter speeds and higher ISO settings (recipes for blur and noise) in low light.

 

Most folks with only kit lenses want to acquire at least one lens that is significantly faster for use in low light situations. As it turns out the 35mm F1.8 and 50mm F1.8 recommended above are much faster than the kit lenses, have excellent optical quality, and due to their simple design, offer up the best bang for the buck in the Nikon lineup. Thus a lot of photographers would recommend owning at least one of them.

 

My question would be... since you already have those two focal lengths covered by your 18-55 kit lens, do you find yourself taking a lot of photos at those focal lengths? AND do you find that you are not getting good results due to too high an ISO setting or too slow a shutter speed?

 

I know well the lure of adding lenses to an interchangeable lens system, but today's kit lenses are quite good. Of course they are not pro quality, but unless you are an accomplished photographer, you will run into a lot more hurdles in the way of taking great photos than the quality of your current lenses.

 

If you're not finding yourself handcuffed by the kit lenses, and you do not own a solid, quality tripod, I would suggest the money might better spent on one of those (as well as a remote shutter release) before another lens.

 

Thoughts?

[Merco_61]

A fast prime or two is great advice. Before you get anything else, shoot enough so that you have an idea about what you want, and what hinders you from getting the photos you want. You might find that you enjoy shooting in available dark, in which case faster zooms or primes are what you need. You might find that you are always at 300 mm and have to crop. This is remedied by getting a longer tele zoom. You might find that you are always at 18 mm, in which case you need an ultrawide lens. Scott's suggestion about getting a good tripod is a good one.

 

In your position, I would start by getting a tripod if you don't have one, followed by either a 35 or 50/1.8. To check which of the cheap primes suits you best, put a piece of vinyl tape on your normal zoom so that it locks the lens at either 35 or 50 mm and then shoot for a day with either focal length to see which suits your vision better. Hold off on getting more gear after that until you know what your needs are.

[fallout666]

like other said 35mm or 50mm but if have cash why not get third party 70-200mm lens would be great since get long end reach and short end too. also  makes great sport wildlife and portraits lens too. also ultra wide angle lens might be good too. if someone else wants to expand on my remark to help thanks.   

[leighgion]

Have you considered not buying anything?

While your lenses aren’t glamorous, they are perfectly good optically if you don’t shoot wide open. Also, they have an advantage over higher end zooms in that they’re light and relatively small.

The 35mm and 50mm are even smaller and lighter and have the advantage of superior light gathering power and in most cases superior sharpness, but you need to ask yourself if they really fit into your style of shooting or not.

[emccarthy25]

Quite a while ago, I asked a similar question, and honestly, the best answer I got was to wait until I found I had outgrown what I already own. While I haven’t shot a lot until recently, I made do with the same two lenses you have for my D5500.

This past weekend, I finally have made the decision to buy a lens, which is the Tamron 90mm 2.8 macro lens(the older version). I’ve found with the different photos I take, the majority I spend more time trying to do close work, even though I do enjoy long shots and landscapes. My 18-55 doesn’t get close enough without diopter, and my 70-300 can’t focus close enough.

It’s really difficult to not run out and buy more stuff. Really, I get it, but after working for around a year with my current gear, I’ve finally found(and understand) what was holding me back gear wise.


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[TBonz]

And emccarthy25 is correct.  The 35 and the 50 are great lenses and I expect you would enjoy them, but they are not necessarily the right lenses for what you want to shoot.  The right choice is to select your next lens to fix a problem or improve your images.  To do that you need to be out shooting in order to find those potential issues.  You have a very short range from 55-70 that is not already covered out of a very long range 18-300. I seriously doubt that small range will ever be an issue.  So you can look to prime lenses or higher end zoom lenses that may give you more options for shooting in lower light.  Or, you can look to longer / wider such as a 200-500 or a 10-20. 

 

I suggest waiting and using what you have to help decide what you want out of your next lens.  If you aren't sure between a couple, you can usually rent them to test drive.  A more limited set of options will probably get you some excellent detailed recommendations here too.