Nikon Lens Recommendations Sought

[drvazrapu]

hi iam drlalitha from india,i bought my nikon D40 with 18-55/f 3.5-5.6 kit lens,iam looking forward to expand my photography world,i do understand the limitations of d40,Dx format and lack of in body motor,but that dint deter me ,i was influenced by kenrockwell site,so went for this best bang for the buck cam,..now..,i would like to know the best lenses in wideangle,tele,macro,prime larger aperture..

my considerations :

WIDEANGLE : SIGMA 10-20/F3.5 orF4-5.6 HSM VS NIKON 12-24/F4 VS TOKINA 10-24
TELE : SIGMA 70-300/ APO DG HSM VS NIKON 70-300/2.8 VR VS NIKON 70-300/3.5-5.6
MACRO : 150MM/2.8 SIGMA
PRIME :NIKON 50mm/1.8D VS NIKON 35/1.8G

Please help me regarding the best in the above categories.

I am a novice and like to shoot macro, landscapes, portraits and mostly bird photography when feasible...

[Dave Humphries]

Hi drlalitha,

As I don't own a DSLR myself, I cannot advise on choice of lenses, so I'll leave that to those that can.

However, one thing I picked up on recently is that I gather Canon and Nikon focus to infinity in opposite directions. Not sure about zoom in/out either. If you go third party (i.e. not Nikon), you might want to check that they focus and zoom the way you are used to with the kit lens. If not, I would imagine trying to do a quick focus tweak or zoom in and going the wrong way could become a constant source of annoyance.

Or I may be wrong, I too would appreciate some feedback on this from those 'in the know'.

[ajith.rajeswari]

Hi drlalitha,

Welcome to CiC, good to have you here .

On your TELE list
"TELE : SIGMA 70-300/ APO DG HSM VS NIKON 70-300/2.8 VR VS NIKON 70-300/3.5-5.6 "
you mentioned about "NIKON 70-300/2.8 VR", which one in the list below did you really mean ?

* AF-S VR NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED
* AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4D IF-ED
* AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
* AF Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4-5.6G

From portrait lens list I like NIKON 50mm/1.8D (as we get 85mm equivalent in DX sensor) than NIKON 35/1.8G .

Let us wait for the pro's recommendations .

~Ajith

[Blazing fire]

In terms of sharpness between the 3 50mm nikon primes, the f/1.4 AF-S G ranks first, followed closely by the F/1.4 AF D and lastly, the f/1.8 AF D. Some reviews claim that the f/1.4 AF-S G autofocues slower than the f/1.4 AF D when used on a D3. As for 50mm f/1.4 vs f/1.8, look at this dpreview chart. Another option is the Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM. It seems to be better than any of nikon's prime. Do note the larger size and weight.

For tele, I think most people would recommend the 70-200mm AF-S G IF-ED VR over the 70-300mm for it's faster autofocusing speed in low light, larger aperture, better built quality and image performance. Of course, you pay for it and it is heavy (~1.3kg). For more reach, perhaps the AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED?

*I don't have any of the above lens. It is based purely on reviews I've read.

Edit - Do read bythom's lens assessment! I think the most relevant section is the "Best Lens at Every Focal Length" found at the bottom of the page.

[kumar]

dear lalitha, what are planning to take pictures of.
Kumar