Telephoto Lens

Alrighty...I've got the D50...I've got some great photos...only one problem - with the kit 18-55 lens (which is actually pretty good), it's somewhat useless for lighthousing until I get a telephoto.

I've been looking at 4 lenses out there, and I can't figure out which is best for my purposes. There's no spot in the tables and charts for "offshore lighthouses," so where else to turn but to the fellow Wackos who would actually know.

Here's the 4 I'm looking at and my views on them right now. If you own one of these lenses, I'd love to hear some input, especially on how they work fully-extended. And, of course, lighthouse photos would be VERY helpful!

The list...

-Nikon 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Zoom-Nikkor: This is actually a discontinued lens, but it's my current favourite. The sites I have read all regard it highly, higher than the current equivalents. It's also all-metal construction, which I like. The major downfalls to me are the fact that it's a push-pull, which seems to allow more dust in as well as being a little more "loose," and the fact that I'd need to purchase it used.

-Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED/G: There's two versions of this one, the ED and the G. They replaced the 75-300. Reviews say that they're basically both the same, which is worrying, because they also say that the G is rubbish. The $140 price for the G is attractive, but it's also all plastic. The ED is extremely expensive if it were the same, however. It's got the modern advantage, but it seems that it's VERY soft on the 300 end, which I'd think wouldn't be good for lighthousing.

-Sigma 70-300 Lenses: There's a few of these, different versions. They all seem basically the same. I see a bit of mixed reviews - some say that they're better than the modern Nikkor pair, while others say that they're really just as soft, and not Nikon. I wasn't even considering 3rd party lenses - I bought a Nikon for Nikkor lenses - but I'm not 100% sure on this one. I'd need to see some photographic proof before feeling comfortable with this one.

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Right now, I'm really leaning towards the Nikkor 75-300, but I still have a few doubts. And I can be swayed.

I wish I could be looking at the Nikkor 70-300 VR, but I'm not in the position to buy a lens that costs as much as my camera did right now - maybe save up for later.

I know there's a LOT of Nikonians here...and any good lighthouser SLR user's going to have a zoom in this range. But man, is it overwhelming!

Greg,
I have the 35mm-150mm that came with my D80 and I would say go for the 300mm. If I had any kind of a comment about the D80, which I truelly love, it would be that I wish I had just a bit more reach in the zoom area which I think a 300mm would be GREAT! What you might do is take the camera to a camera shop and see if they will let you try the lens you might be interested in on your camera and just take a few shots in the store...sort of like a test run. They might let you do that. Then you can make a better decision of what you might want.

Good luck!

Most good shops will let you try the lens in the shop. I say go there and try them out. Save some images to your card, noting what image is what. Then go home and look at them on the computer screen. That should give you some idea of what you are buying.

Don't be to concerned with D vs G. Most newer consumer bodies do not allow for the use of an aperture ring. So having a D lens is moot in your case. Be more concerned with the build and image quality. Plan on spending a little more money on your glass. It will most likely be around long after the body has been replaced.

Also, don't knock Sigma, Tamron or Tokina. They make some great glass. A good third party lens can be better than a similar one in Nikkor for 1/2 the price. But as with Nikkor, you just need to know which ones are worth it and which ones are junk.

Take a look at http://www.nikonians.org . Its a great wealth of info for Nikon users. It has a message board with over 60,000 members (I am one - AuriemmaPhoto).

Alright...I think I decided.

I ruled the ED Nikkor out because of price, and because most reports say it's identical to the G. I ruled the old, 75-300 Nikkor out because it was just a touch expensive for what I think will end up a "stopgap" lens until I can afford the 70-300. So it was down to the Sigma and the Nikon G.

Both have strengths and weaknesses, and I seriously considered the Sigma (I got over my "Sigma Stigma" enough to do so). But I chose the Nikon for the reason of price - it's $150 compared to $190. That's a $40 difference. And with that $40, I can do a lot. I might even use it to get Baymen's Heritage (lighthouse) license plates for my car (which I'll have to worry about in the pretty-immediate future).

I'm planning on starting to sell some of my photos, so I can gain money from that to buy new lenses later. It still doesn't seem like the G lens is a slouch - it's not a pro lens, but it's not terrible. And if I'm dissatisfied, there's always returns.

I'm not 100% into photography so I'm not familiar with the lens that you list other than the 70-300 vr. I just picked up a D80 with the 18-70 lens and the 70-300vr.

The reason for responding here is to do just what you are doing. Ask others that have those lens. Also go to the camera shop and they should let you try it out. When we were purchasing our D80 the sales rep let us try a number of lens and spent over 2.5 hours with us to make sure we had what we wanted.

Another site I found with a good forum is http://www.dpreview.com/ On the left side is fourms and they have a spot for the d50, 70 and 80. You will get some good answers there.

Have the Nikon D80 Love it. Just got the 70 300Vr. Love it. I have been on many boat trips for the lighthouses. I have had some blury pictures using the 300 zoom I had that is why I saved up for this lens. On those boats with the light far away you might not like the result without the VR. Most of the time the boat gets up close and there is no issue. Maybe you could look for a used VR on Ebay.

Speed of the lens and image stabilzer are most important in moving targets and low light conditions. Both of these features are probably out of your price range on a new lens.

You want some extra cards for your camera, Staples has a 3 pack of PNY 1 gig cards for $40 thru Saturday.

Bugger. I was at Staples yesterday, and I kept on having that nagging thought of "what did I need here...." Then I got home, logged onto the CF, and it slapped me in the face.

Now the 3-pack is back up to $100. I feel REALLY stupid now. Just as stupid as I felt when I missed out on getting the D50 itself for $400, kit and all, at Staples on clearance. By the time I saw it, they were all sold out.

This goes to show you - keep an eye on Staples - they seem to have some serious deals, but they're very ephemeral.

I might pick up some on Amazon, though...there's some good deals there.

Oh yeah - back on the subject of the telephoto lens. I changed my mind again. I think I'm going for the old, 2-pound, all-metal 75-300. Everything says it's better than the newer ones. Plus, the extra weight compared to the very light modern lenses will help shooting far-off lighthouses. And there's something really cool about the old schoolness.

I'm looking for deals on it now...I can wait for a good one, as long as it doesn't take too long. I must say, I'm getting to the point where I need a little more than the 18-55...and I haven't gone lighthousing yet.

Greg check out Ebay I saw 2 starting at $49.00 I Bought a lens on ebay really cheap and it was in good condition. Make sure they have good feed back.