Lens question

[Bluebell]

The Nikon D80s on ebay all seem to come with an AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED lens.

Am I correct in thinking this has both wide angle and zoom capabilities?

Are these good lenses or cheapies put in the pack to make the deal sound sweeter?

[sirhc55]

Yes, you are correct that this lens has a wide angle (18mm) with a zoom through to 135mm. These lenses are not great and are certainly a come on in the sense of it being a price point package.

IMO it is always better to go for a body then add a lens to suit your style of photography.

[losfp]

Well... It is a zoom lens - note the "18-135" which denotes how wide it can go (18mm) vs how long it can go (135mm).

You probably meant - does it have wide and telephoto capabilities (zoom means that it can change focal lengths). And the answer is yes, sort of. 135mm is a medium-ish telephoto length that is quite good for headshot portraits etc, but not quite enough for sports photography unless it is a small field/court.

I take it you would be familiar with point and shoot zoom lenses? As a point of comparison, a typical "10x zoom" camera would probably be in the region of 35-350mm, compared to the adjusted 27-200mm of the 18-135 above.

As far as "kit" lenses go, the 18-135 is not too bad. Certainly not the worst. I think the best kit lens going around is the 18-70 that came with the D70. Smaller range than the 18-135 obviously, but IMO brilliant quality for the money.

Hope that helps

[Bluebell]

Thanks for that - I guess I should consider buying body and lens separately. Is there a single lens wide angle/zoom combination lens which would be better quality for a beginner or should I get separate lenses?

[shakey]

Probably the 18-200 VR. Never used one since I had that range covered before that lens was available.

[Bluebell]

Thanks for the help everyone, it's much appreciated. Cheers

[feldy]

Hi guys - have been out of commission for a while.

Already have 18-200 VR and am thinking of getting the D80 body...any reason you can think of why you might actually get the 18-135 that comes with this kit?

Thanks

Feldy