I own a D3100 and I'm planning on getting new lenses. I do a lot of field work in Alaska and the Everglades, plus I do a lot of outdoor activities like kayaking, hiking, nature trails, biking, etc, so I mainly focus on wildlife, scenery, and the occasional portraits.
I currently have the 55-200mm lens kit, but I'm stuck when it comes to ordering new lenses.
I use the 55-200mm for practically everything. While I enjoy the lens immensely, there are times when getting pictures of landscapes, closeups, portraits, or just wide-angle shots are either extremely annoying, difficult, or just not possible. Since the lowest I can go is 55mm, I can never get full landscape images or any clear images of things or people less than 5 feet in front of me. Also, there have been multiple times throughout my time owning this camera where I wished I had more reach to take pictures of animals (like birds and whatnot) or anything in general that were farther away (heck, an extra 50mm would be crazy helpful).
I was thinking about getting 2 lens, an 18-55mm kit lens for when I need to take a picture of something close (or a wide angle shot), and a 55-300mm kit lens to get things farther away.
A friend from work, or the field station that I currently work at recommends that I go for the 2 kit lenses. He feels that since I'm still relatively new to photography, the 2 lenses would be good for me get some experience using and changing out different lenses, and since I'm not really having any issues with my current 55-200mm, the 55-300mm would offer the extra reach I so desperately wanted and wouldn't be much different than what I'm used to now. Plus, if I'm ever gonna do some light photography around a town, concert, or social event, the 18-55mm would be perfect since it's smaller, easier to handle, and wouldn't draw too much attention from people.
Someone else on the other hand recommended that I should get the 18-200mm lens instead as a jack of all trades lens. It'd be easier to use because I won't have to switch lenses back and forth at the cost of it being heavier, longer, and a bit pricer. While I won't have that extra reach, he argued that it'd be the only lenses I'd probably ever need until I decide to buy better lenses in the future (assuming I take photography to the next level). While I seriously like the convenience factor, he mentioned that anything over 200mm is overkill for someone who's still relatively new to photography and not really worth it unless I have steady hands (which I don't have) or a tripod (which I also don't have currently).
What would you guys recommend?