Buying a new Lens

[Mike_Suzy]

I have a nikon D200 and wish to buy a new lens for it but dont know what to buy.
I want one of the best that i can get without paying over the top. I was thinking of the Tamron 18-250 3.5
But not sure weather to go for a 2.8 lens
I use the camera for general use and also indoors use.
What type of lens will give me the best photo quality.

[gstark]

How long is a piece of string?

What lenses do you currently own, and in what way are you finding them deficient?

You said that you do indoor and general photography, but I don't really understand either of those concepts, I'm afraid. By indoor, do you mean that you shoot people (portraits, snapshots, party type photos) indorrs, or do you mean that you shoot building interiors, or perhaps furniture or maybe studio work?

The term "general" photography is similarly ambiguous, and what you might mean by that term probably bears no relationship to what I (or others) might consider to be "general". Again, concepts that I might consider to be general might include streetscapes, candids of people, shots of buildings, landscapes, animals (wild, zoo, or pets) .... and you might not be referring to any of those. I suspect that you're getting the idea.

So ... what subjects do you like to shoot? How do you do your shooting?

Perhaps if we can start with a few basics, we can then work out your needs and go from there.

[Mike_Suzy]

My indoor work is photographing people portrates at home.
My outdoors photos are general as in Holiday shots people beach cars houses and that type of things.
i am using a borrowed lens at the moment its a tamron 28-200
I want a lens that has a crisp picture and showas the back ground ..not blurred.
I am just an amiture photographer as i just take family photos.

[Reschsmooth]

I want a lens that has a crisp picture and showas the back ground ..not blurred.

Hello and welcome

Do you mean that you want everything in the photo to be in focus? Whilst lens quality will have an impact on this, the "depth of field" is largely determined by the aperture. The smaller the aperture (higher the number), the greater your depth of field and the more will be in focus.

Also, where and how you focus will have an impact of how much of your photo is in focus (google: hyperfocal distance).

Finally, what is your budget?

[Mike_Suzy]

Yes i want everything in the photo to be in focus...i dont have a budget but would like to keep it under $1000.00 if possible.

[gstark]

My indoor work is photographing people portrates at home.

There is nothing that will beat the Nikkor 85 f/1.4. On a budget, look to the 85 f/1.8, or either of the 50mm primes. These are inexpensive, light, fast, and you should havce at least one of these in your kit.

My outdoors photos are general as in Holiday shots people beach cars houses and that type of things.
i am using a borrowed lens at the moment its a tamron 28-200

Do you own any lenses?

How satisfactory are you finding the Tamron? More importantly, where are you finding it to be deficient?

With a D200, you can look for older AI lenses to save some dollars; I picked up a 105mm f/2.5 in Hong Kong just a week ago for less than PP200, but similar bargains can be found in Oz if you know where to look and what you're looking for.

Rather than the Tamron, the Nikkor 18-200 is available, and is very suitable for the types of photography you're describing. It's also wider, which may be to your advantage.

But also consider how many times you want to buy your lenses: the best practice is to buy the best glass you can afford, as you can then upgrade your body but keep the glass which will work (mostly) regardless of the body you wear it on.

[losfp]

Do you need to take photos of objects at a distance that might require a telephoto lens?

If not, then I would recommend the Nikkor 18-70 as a fantastic budget option. It is the D70s kit lens, but IMO it is actually a very good lens anyway. Pretty wide at 18mm and goes pretty well for portraits in the 50-70mm range.

If you don't mind spending about a grand, then I reckon nothing beats the Nikkor 18-200VR for versatility. Pretty decent image quality, and lets you figure out what focal lengths you like using.

To get everything in focus, it may be as simple as stopping down your lens sufficiently, and using a wide focal length.

[Mr Darcy]

I will second the vote for the Nikkor 18-200. Mine is currently on loan (to my wife!) and I miss it sorely.

But I am aware it is a jack-of-all-trades lens, and the corollary (Master of none!) is very true for it. It will take good photos for all the situations you describe, but it every case that I am aware, there is a lens that will do a better job. However I know of no single lens that will do all the things it will do, so it is my lens of choice when travelling.

I would question your desire to have everything in focus. If that is your main requirement, any camera phone will do the job. It is frequently what is out of focus that makes a good photo great. Rendering part of the photo out of focus can add impact and importance to your main subject. A fast lens (F2.8 or wider) will not help here either as to achieve "total in focus" you need to be shooting at F11 or higher. A wide angle lens also helps here. camera phones do both, which is why they are so good at it.
EDIT: Have a look at this thread to see what can be done with OOF elements:
http://www.dslrusers.net/viewtopic.php?t=27837


Have a look at the photos you have already taken. and look at what focal length and aperture you tend to use. This information is embedded in every photo. This will give you your best clue as to what lens to buy. If you are nearly always at the wide (28mm) end, you will want a lens that will go wide angle e.g. to 18mm. If you ae nearly always zoomed right in, you might consider a lens with extra reach, say to 300mm. If you are often in the middlle, but with a wide aperture, you might consider Gary's 85mm prime suggestion (it is on my want list!)

In my case I have the 18-200, but have augmented it with the 105 Macro as I want quality close ups at times and a 10 - 20 zoom as I sometimes want to go wider than the 18-200 allows. As mentioned I have the 85 1.4 on my wish list, and a faster zoom.

[Bluebell]

Thanks everyone for your good advice about how to choose a lens. I'm also a newbie pondering over my next lens purchase and found all your input invaluable in helping me think about this somewhat overwhelming topic. There are so many choices it can be hard for a beginner to know where to start. For what it's worth I also have the 18-200VR and find it very versatile.