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I have bought a second-hand D200 and will be receiving it in the next few days.
The only lens I have at the moment is a Nikon AI 50mm and I would like to get a
cheapish zoom.

At the moment I am trying to decide between these two Nikon lenses:

18-55 f/3.5-5.6G VR

18-70 f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED


The 18-70 sounds like a much better quality lens than the 18-55 and
it seems like the only thing that the 18-55 has over it is VR.
I can get the 18-70 for about $90 more (from d-d photographics) than the 18-55. If it's worth it I am happy to spend a bit more.

Which one should I get? or is there another lens I should consider?

18-70 f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED is a great lens to do some learning with and produces very fine images. The only other suggestion I have is the 18-200mm but that may be out of your price range.

Yeah, the 18-200 would be nice but is too much for me at the moment. I have found the 18-70 for $390 so it is only a bit more than the 18-55.

I agree with Willy wombat 18-70 is good lens you will get very nice photos with the D200 ..anyway any choice you make good luck..

I will also concur with the 18-70 suggestion, but I also wonder what is the cost of the 18-105 VR - the kit lens for the D90. That may be in a similar price range.

Could get a Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX for $399
http://photobuff.com.au/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8_6_52

Bruce

I might go against the majority here and recommend the 18-55mm. My reasons are that it is a very inexpensive lens and based on my experience with the non-VR Mark II version is no less quality than the 18-70mm lens. I would expect that as you grow with your camera you will replace either lens something better and more expensive, you might be better spending as little as possible now.

gstark wrote:I will also concur with the 18-70 suggestion, but I also wonder what is the cost of the 18-105 VR - the kit lens for the D90. That may be in a similar price range.

I have found the 18-105 VR for $450 plus postage at dirtcheapcameras.com.au, and apparently DD photographics will be stocking it sometime soon - probably for less. I haven't been able to find many reviews of it, but it sounds OK, according to http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showprod ... 221/cat/13 it is apparently very similar to the 18-135. The 18-70 still seems better as far as optical quality goes and it is a bit cheaper (will cost me just under $400 including postage).

I suppose I really need to decide whether I need VR or high quality optics more. I am not really sure which is most important to me - I plan on taking a lot of different types of shots in
diverse conditions / times of day and I would of course like to get as good quality optics as I can. Is VR worth sacrificing quality optics for? does the difference in f-stop at the long end of the 18-70 compared to the 18-105 make up for it a bit?

Something else I like about the 18-70 is that it has a rubber gasket at the mount end, apparently sealing better than a lot of other lenses. I think this might be a good thing to go with the sealed D200 body and give me a bit more confidence in when and where I can shoot.

JC_Denton wrote:I suppose I really need to decide whether I need VR or high quality optics more.

Well, don't get hung up on the term "high quality optics" with any of these lenses. They're all entry level lenses, and they all have many compromises that will be reflected in the pricing.

As entry level glass, they are all very good lenses, and can perform very well once you understand their limitations. But you need to understand that they do all have limitations: none of them are fast, in the optical sense. VR is a modern miracle, and will allow you to use a lens so equipped in ways that, a few years ago, would be considered as heretic.

So, with the 18-105VR you get reach, and VR. And quite good optics. With the 18-70 you get glass that will be of similar quality, and maybe slightly better sealing. We've had a play with the 18-105, and found it to be very nice. Given those two to choose between, I would take the reach and VR of the 18-105: the "sealing" of the 18-70 will not serve any practical purpose given the baseline quality of the lens.

Andrew's suggestion of the 18-55 carries much merit as well. It's dirt cheap, which means that you can keep your funds for other stuff, or later upgrades. It too has VR, although in the focal lengths represented, that's not really needed. And it doesn't have the reach of the others; that may be a real issue, and for me, it probably would be.

But I'm not you.

just to confuse things a little more there is also the 18-135 for $370 from DD.

Considered the Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 ~$499 at DD.

Thanks gstark, those points make things a bit easier to think about. I wonder if should wait for DD to get the 18-105 VR in.

I also have some questions about which bag and memory cards I should get first. Should I make a seperate thread for each question and is the beginners section appropriate for these? is it OK to start several threads in a short period of time?

JC_Denton wrote:Thanks gstark, those points make things a bit easier to think about. I wonder if should wait for DD to get the 18-105 VR in.

The real question here is what do you believe that the Pacific Peso will do? DD's price is dictated by that, as are the forum's prices.

Local dealers, sourced by stock from Nikon Oz, may have stock that is somewhat more favourably priced. Shop around, and see what deals you can do.

I also have some questions about which bag and memory cards I should get first.

There's lots of threads on both of these topics. Feel free to use the search facility, but also feel free to ask whatever questions you feel have not been otherwise addressed.

In terms of bags, don't expect to buy just the one. You should expect to own three or four. At least, to cover different shooting and travel scenarios that you may encounter.

Memory? Sandisk. 2GB or larger. Watch for counterfeits: there's a way you can check on the Sandisk site, I believe.

Should I make a seperate thread for each question and is the beginners section appropriate for these? is it OK to start several threads in a short period of time?

Yes, yes, and yes.

I have been offered a used 18-70 in good condition for $200 - I think I'll get this.

I have also been offered a used Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF for $100. I wonder if it would be a good idea to get this as well, to learn a bit about using a longer lens.

lol, I think that you should get both! But then again, maybe you should get some opinions from others without a vested interest in the sale. Fancy meeting you here as well!

Go with the 70-300 if you can get it down past $99. ROFL

I think it is fair to pick up both lenses for $300.

Critter wrote:lol, I think that you should get both! But then again, maybe you should get some opinions from others without a vested interest in the sale. Fancy meeting you here as well!

Not sure wher I'll get the right answers so I have been asking the same questions on tow forums at once!

an interesting experience, I get different opinions form each forum. I was wondering if OCAU may share members with here though and whether anyone would notice!

JC_Denton wrote: I was wondering if OCAU may share members with here though and whether anyone would notice!

We have a number of members who belong to both forums. I'm not sure if I would say that means that we share members, though.

Definitely get both lens if you can. In any case, the lens doesn't have much to do with anything. It's all about light. Get the light right and just about any lens will give you champion images.

Ozi.

The 18-70mm is a quality optic at a bargain price. VR is not as useful as many think unless you spend a lot of time shooting static subjects in poor light...in which case a tripod will give better results.

gstark wrote:

JC_Denton wrote: I was wondering if OCAU may share members with here though and whether anyone would notice!

We have a number of members who belong to both forums. I'm not sure if I would say that means that we share members, though.

Depends whether the forums 'own' the users, doenst it?

I have bought the two lenses and should hopefully get them next week. Looking forward to being able to use AF and aperture control on my D200. The old 50mm AI I have been using is interesting, but not quite wide enough for me at the moment.

Thanks for the replies everyone.