Which lens for farther zoom than kit lens for Nikon?

Question

In the market for a zoom lens. Basically, I want it to further than what the kit lens does.
What's the route to go? Recommendations on a moderately priced one?
Will be used to get shots that I need to zoom with.. nature, animals, etc.

TIA

Answer 1

I've always heard that the Nikkor 70-300 VR is the way to go for reasonably priced telephoto zooms.



I take it you are talking about the 18-55mm lens. On a crop body (DX) Nikon the 70-300mm VR is a good lens for the money. It costs just about $600.



It is the longest lens you will find for under $1000. The next lens would be the Nikkor 80-400mm which costs close to $1700.



For a non Nikon lens you could pick up the Sigma 50-500mm for around $1500.



All in all I think the 70-300mm is the way to go.



Happy shooting.

Answer 2

AF-S 55-200mm DX and the AF-S 55-300mm Dx are the best options. Realize though that there are two different 55-200mm lenses; one with VR (Vibration Reduction) and one without. The 55-300mm lens has VR.



Unfortunately, the least expensive lens; the 55-200mm non VR version is still $200.



You can get it refurbished though for around $100.



http://www.adorama.com/NK55200DXR.html



And you can get the 55-200mm VR refurbished for only a few dollars more - so this might be the better value:



http://www.adorama.com/NK55200VRR.html



And finally, the 55-300mm refurbished is still in your price range:



http://www.adorama.com/NK55300VRR.html



Thing about refurbished - they are still new lenses, but they cannot be sold as new. They might be a demo unit, lenses that did not initially meet factory specs off the assembly line, or a return. They are checked out by the factory and have a 90 day warranty. At least that is a better deal than used.



I would only buy factory refurbished though, not store refurbished. All of the refurbished lenses at Adorama and B&H are factory refurbished.



The 55-200mm in my view has a slightly better lens construction as it has internal focusing. The 55-300mm on the other hand does not. This means the barrel rotates as the lens is focused. If you want to use a polarizer filter on this lens, each time the lens focuses, the filter will change position.



And there is not a significant difference in focal length between 200mm and 300mm, so you are trading a slightly better lens for slightly longer optics.



Look at this webpage for a comparison between 200mm and 300mm.



http://www.althephoto.com/concepts/lenses.php



And don't forget the 70-300mm, which is superior to the other two. It is more expensive, but you can get one refurbished from Adorama for probably less than you can buy the 55-300.



http://www.adorama.com/NK70300AFVRR.html



The 70-300mm lens is a step up from either of the Dx zooms. I bought mine refurbished, and have had no problems with it.

Answer 3

The 55-300mm lens is very good.

It has the same glass quality as the Nikon 70-300mm lens.

The focus is slower though.

You may want to get the Nikon 55-200mm lens.

It is an amazing little lens for the money.

It is sharper then the Nikon 18-200mm lens.

If you got some big bucks get the Nikon 70-300mm lens.

You could get it off of eBay for about $400.

I would stay away from third party lenses.

You will be running into compatibly problems and stuff.

If you do some research and make sure it will work with your camera you are probably fine.

I would get the Nikon 55-200,55-300, or the 70-300mm lens.

The Nikon 55-200mm lens will be sharper then the 55-300mm lens.

It is not noticeable to the eye though.

If you want manual override and a little bit faster focus get the Nikon 70-300mm lens.

If your cameras has a built in focus motor and you do not care about VR,

you could get the old 70-300mm lens for about $150.

Have fun. :) :)

Answer 4

The telephoto zoom closest to your budget that can give decent quality is the 55-200mm AF-S VR. The 55-300mm is pretty good, but it costs more. There is a 70-300mm AF-S VR even better, but it costs even more. There is a cheap 70-300mm that is inferior in quality to the 55-200mm. Don't waste your money on it.

Answer 5

Not zoom. Focal length. You're interested with making far objects seem closer to you. That's telephoto. Telephoto focal lengths start at around 40mm for APS-C and around 60mm for full-frame. The more mm the lens has, the closer to you that distant object will look. Go for something like 70-300mm or 75-300mm if you want a zoom lens or get 400mm, 500mm or beyond if you can afford a fixed focal length lens. For nature especially with wildlife in their natural habitat, get the lowest f/number you can afford for better shots in low light.



http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Brand_Nikon&ci=274&N=4293344976+4291315846