Slr Lenses

[Conor]

Any advice on a starter lens or two for a SLR newbie. This will be a family camera (kids, holidays etc) but also landscapes and (lastly) some wildlife shots.

 

I am torn between a 18-55 mm and a 55-200 mm for my basic zoom. Any hints here? Also thinking of a 50 mm f1.8.

 

I'm looking in the $200-400 range for all or one.

 

Cheers.

[rusty]

Honestly - don't choose, just get the 18-200VR and be done with it. A little extra coin and you're covered for everything. I also have a 50mm f1.8 which is a fantastic portrait lens. I picked up one without autofocus for $129 and it's fantastic for pics of the family and such. You throw a macro lens in there and you would have 95% of your shooting situations covered.

[Conor]

$600-700 is over my budget. Not really an option at the moment.

 

I need to pick one end of that range or the other; ~18-55 or 55-200. I'm not really sure which I would use more.

[jksnijders]

Most shops are good about letting you try lenses instore, mess around a bit and get a feel for the range and see if its right for you. Most have pretty good return policies, (or so I've found) and have been able to return a lens after I tried it out a bit. Wasn't quite what I wanted, and exchanged no problem. (On 11 th Ave I think it was...)

[crookednose]

Are you shooting Canon, Nikon, or other?

 

If you have to choose between the two (18-55 vs. 55-200), go with the 18-55 - it's a more versatile lens for everyday stuff and you will probably find 55mm to "tight" if it's the shortest zoom you have. You can always rent telephoto lens from certain camera shops in Calgary for the weekend (i.e. when you know you are going to need one) for a very reasonable price.

 

After having your camera for a little while, you'll know if it's something you want to take up more seriously. That's when you can start to expand your glass collection. To me, it makes the most sense to invest in some good quality lens' because they will last (really, the technology isn't changing all that much - especially in comparison to digital SLR bodies).

 

The 50mm f1.8 will be a fun lens to play around with in low light conditions ... and it's quite affordable.

 

When looking at lens', don't forget to multiply the zoom ratings by approximately 1.6 UNLESS it's a lens designed specifically for digital SLR's.

 

I've bought stuff from this website in the past - with the dollar close to par, you can get some pretty good deals if you buy a few things to even out the shipping costs.

www.adorama.com

[Conor]

Thanks, crooked. That is the info I was looking for. I figured it was the case, given the 18-55 is the 'kit' lens, but I wanted to be sure. I wasn't sure I would use the shorter focal lengths as much a the longer on a bigger lens.

 

I've decided on a Nikon D40. Seems like a great place to start, or even end up.