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I'm just getting into photography. This will actually by my first DSLR camera.
I ordered the Nikon D7000. Before anyone mentions that it's much more than I'll need for being a beginner, I realized that I'd rather pay more to get more features that I will be using in the future. Basically, I wanted a camera I could grow into as opposed to grow out of.
When I ordered it, I got the D7000 with the body only (as it was an option and substantially cheaper). I read a lot about the lens that came with it, and from what I read, it wasn't worth it (18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED if anyone wanted to know). There was a deal going on through Amazon that if I bought that camera, I could get $100 off a Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR lens. I got it for $94 after that discount, so I believe it was worth it. The reviews I read on it were also very positive, so I think it was a great choice.
Now, I want to know whether I should go with the 50mm or the 35mm? I could get the 50mm for about $100 and the 35mm for about $200 (though it's sold out on Amazon, that's the best price I could find). I keep on seeing endless babble about what they think is better. Price isn't necessarily 100% the issue here. It's more - what will consistently give me a better shot? I heard 35mm is a better lens because I don't have to be all too far away to get a great portrait shot. What is are the opinions of the people here at CD?
Also, can someone recommend a good "all-around" lens? Should I even bother with an 18-55?
I think you'll find that you will really miss a lot of shots if you don't go down to 18mm. Although you'll find posts that indicate it does not do well in low light, the Nikon 18-200 is a very good choice for an all around lens.
i own the 35mm f1.8, the 50mm 1.8 and the 50mm 1.4.
on a dx sensor camera the 35mm is the most useful as a walk around lens. the 50mm acts to much like a short telephoto on a dx camera and things usually are to large when your fairly close
Being that you will have the 55-200mm range covered I would go with the wider 35mm if I had to choose. As previously posted something even wider than that would be more ideal for landscapes and the like, in the 16mm 24mm range. A flash unit will help as these lenses arent particularly "fast".
Interestingly enough, since your new to photography, the 18-105mm would've been a nice walk-around lens for you to get a feel of the camera and see what you enjoy shooting. The 18mm is wide enough and ideal for landscapes while the 105mm end would work well for portraits.
With that said, we can't really answer the question of which lens is best for you because that will depend on the what you like/plan on shooting and what focal range you will use the most. Optically speaking, both lenses are very good and have good image quality. Both have a constant 1.8 aperture so will also work really well in indoors and low light shots. Keep in mind though that with your crop factor, the 50mm will essentially be a 75mm focal length on your camera, so may be too long for indoor portraits, if that is your goal.
My advice would be to hold off on getting any more lenses, go out and shoot for a week or so, and get a feel of what you may need. One of the mistakes of many people who are starting out is buying gear that they don't need and it becomes a constant cycle of buying/selling/buying gear all the time!
Thanks for all the input and different opinons guys! After a lot of research I decided to go with the 35mm 1.8 lens because it would fit the style of pictures I would like to take. So, when I receive my D7000, I will have 3 lenses:
The 18-55, 50-200, and 35mm 1.8. These I believe will cover a large range and should be great for me being a beginner!
i scrapped all my expensive ,heavy zooms for a nice set of lightweight low light primes and havent regreted it for a second.
a few steps forward or back 99% of the time takes in the range just fine.
i use a 24mm f2.8, 35mm f1.8 ,50mmf1.4, 105mm macro and only zoom i kept 80-200mm f2.8.
the ability to have a low light lens with you all the time far out weighs having a cheap zoom. the other plus is that if you ever decide to go full frame your lenses are all just fine. im going to go full frame and had to get rid of my expensive 17-55mm and 10-20mm sigma in preperation.
(I posted my flickr URL since it was easier than uploading to C-D. )
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