So...
Whether I have decided to get D300 or not, (most probably I will )
Its is better to look into a "1 for all" lens first.

Now calculating budget ma.

Since I donno much about Nikon or third party lenses, I need you guys' help to advise which lens is good. I mean if budget is not a problem here. These lenses price range from RM11xx to around RM2500.

So... need advise please.

1st to vote..............

1st choice for the win. Why? since you already have the budget then there's no question that if that's the lens you're gonna get then you should just go for it without questioning.

Really, the VR is really a bonus, not to mention the zoom length

Deng!!! I can't see the result without voting myself.



So, any comment?

The rest also got zoom length...
I mean is it so obvious?

If you already have the budget, then go for the ones with VR. Unless, your main concern is getting sharper pics rather blurry ones.

thats the main concern. I want good 1 for all lens.

D300 advertisment today on newspaper with 18-200vr.
my comment. Nikkor lens and vr help a lot.
if u like to test out 18-200vr u can see me @ zoo negara tmrw. lyn photo gath.

I tested the other day with the D300.
T'row not free la friend. Somore I noob. If go to Zoo Negara t'row without a camera, scared u all laugh at me... He! He!

lense quality and finishing.....by all means...

among all 18-200...nikon wins....

1. Got VR
2. The aperture range is better compare to others
3. Budget is not a problem, go for nikkor!

18-200 nikkor...
IT'S NIKKOR!

Ha! Ha!... Feel the dark force coming again....

it's not coming AGAIN...
it never stopped coming actually! =)
muahahhaha...

Just told my wife that I wanna buy D300, Monday go pay deposit... or should I go t'row? He! He!

nikkor FTW ~~

Aya, dont hesitate, just get it

Nikkor 18-200 VR, the best walk-around lens.

Seems like hands down all on Nikkor...

Nikkor AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF DX VR = [95.83%]



yes, i voted that. the only reason I'm using the Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS is because i'm on Canon.

u should not put nikkor overhere. of coz they will vote for nikkor lenses.
neway after 1 year i use this lens still can selling it at RM2000 now
only lost around rm500 the r a lot of demand for this lens out there

Ha! Ha!... thanks. That really helps.

My vote goes to N18-200VR as you're looking for a walkaround lens.

You mean the rest are not walkaround lens?

well, i'll choose the nikkor because its a nikkor!

look like our clear winner is NIKKOR lens

What i mean is that since you're looking for a walkaround lens , the Nikkor will do the best.
I'm more into fixed aperture though.

Oh... Yeah, Nikkor 18-200 A only 3.5 when at 18... at 200, it is 5.6 or something.

i would rather go for some prime zooms or even fixed focal lenght lenses... seeing that you are using it with D300.

Well, I am really reconsidering whether I should get D300 now. Ha! Ha! But I am kinda lazy to change lenses along the way. So, all in one lens is better. The 2nd lens will be my macro lens.

if you are looking for something like that... i would propose you to go for the D80 or the D200.

well, you wont be able to see the differences (in image wise) between the d80/d200 and d300 if you can accept the quality of the 18-200VR

Thats the thing. That's why I am saying that whether I should fork out extra RM2800 for D300 compared to D80....

no ler... i wont recommend. d80 is good enough. might as well use the additional rm 2800 for the 18-200vr

That's the problem with me now. On 1 hand, I wanna buy the latest model with all the features on it. Stupid features that don't really matter... like920mil 3" LCD.
Live View which I tested but not so live after all. 12mp.

On another hand, I've been telling myself, at times, we need to treat ourselves better. And Poor man pays twice.

Haiz.... Need to do comparison again with D80...

Walao... for a starter... D300 is too high tech edi... Can always start with a D80 and see if you are really into this. D80 is also a very capable performer le...

I worry I gonna use the same phrase on myself..."Poor man pays twice".


D80 has been in the market for 2 years now... or 1 year plus.
Unless the new D80x or D90 come out, sure I will move to that.

Leica 14-150...EFL 28-300 for an all round lens.


oops soli...just noticed this thread is for Nikon.

If budget no object then its plain silly not to put Nikkor AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF DX VR on top of the list. Else, the sigma 18-200 is a good cheaper alternative too.

same here...all in one lenses are really just as the name goes..image quality can't fight with those good ol' lenses like FF 17-35 f/2.8, FF 70-200 f/2.8, DX 17-55 f/2.8 etc...DX lenses are a real annoyance sometimes though, stupid vignetting and CAs...hahaha

besides, 18-200mm VR wins the all-in-one award but the image quality would be inferior even to its younger brother the 18-135mm..so you gotta decide which is more important to you..i'd go for the 18-200mm VR any day for convenience, but image quality is more important to me so i got the 18-135mm as my all-in-one instead.



i second that, if you're starting off new, just get the D80..if we're talking equipment wise, it's the lens that makes the difference, not the camera...ultimately it's the photographer..

and since you had ur budget for a D300 Body (RM 5800 onwards) and a 18-200mm (RM 2350 onwards), you could instead get the D80 Body (RM 2800 onwards) with a whole lot more cash to spare! go for the amazing FF 17-35mm f/2.8 or DX 17-55mm f/2.8 or something!

mind you the difference between Full Frame and DX lenses is that:

- DX lenses will always have that ridiculous Vignetting and Chromatic Aberrations which aren't so apparent on FF lenses

- FF lenses usually have a shorter zoom range than today's lenses designed for APS-C sensors (e.g. FF 17-35mm f/2.8 and the DX 17-55mm f/2.8)

Thanks mate.

I've thought this many many many days already. And I know it is rediculous.

I am not getting D80 because I don't want to get it and after a month or 2, a new model comes. Although the money is good, but deep inside, I will be very dissapointed if such happen.

So, I am going ahead with the D300. Pain or not, nevermind as long as satisfied.
As for lenses, I will still get the 18-200 because of convenience sake. I will then invest on the speedlight SB800 and then to a macro lens, preferably 105mm, if later on got better ones, may be I will buy that. Currently, I have not explore to that yet.

And, may be, I will invest in the "rumor" 16-85 if it announced earlier before I get the 18-200VR.
If got such lens, then I will get the 16-85, then may be 70-300 (can't afford 70-200)... Then Macro...
This way, I don't really need the 12-24.

But if I get the 18-200, my list will be

18-200, 105, 12-24. And may be the 50mm/ 1.4D (if not money, then 1.8) Then stop.

Don't like to have many lenses.
I've been travelling and changing lenses at times during travelling is a hassle. Worry dust la, moisture la, splt la... and etc.
But change at home and go out with 1 lens, then is OK.

Totally not a true statement at all. Both Nikon and Canon have full frame lenses which ranges from fish eye, wide angle all the way till telephoto. Just because the D3 is the first full frame DSLR, it doesn't mean that Nikon doesn't have long telephoto lens for their old SLR ranges. As for Canon, just look at their wide ranges of lenses for their already long list of FF DSLRs.

Also the above mentioned DX 17-55mm is not a full frame lens. Full frame lenses for Nikon would be the FX lenses and not the DX lens.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_DX_format
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full-frame_digital_SLR

Yeah... correct...

But



Based on the above remarks, vignetting only occurs if we use DX lenses on full frame sensors... e.g. D3.

The CONs
Not as wide

The PROs
Longer zoom, best for tele and macro.

Firstly, i clearly stated DX 17-55mm and nvr said it was full frame. pls read properly

Secondly, i think you misunderstood my meaning as you were comparing FF bodies..what i was suggesting is comparing the use of both FF and DX lenses on APS-C bodies..the subject of FF bodies was nvr brought up..i do get what you mean though..DX lenses are made equivalent to the 135-format as i will state below.

happy shooting!

---

Added on January 11, 2008, 6:32 pm

not 100% right there , there're many types of vignetting, all lenses have a certain degree of vignetting (just depends how much)..if we're now putting a camera with APS-C sensor in comparison, a Full Frame lens will have less vignetting than a DX lens on a camera with APS-C sensor..

i think it's because an FF lens is designed for a sensor size of 36 x 23.9mm (approx)..so when it is used on an APS-C 23.6 x 15.8mm (approx), the sensor only utilises the sweet spot (centre region) of the FF lens..however, DX lenses have a reduced circle design which is why you can't use it on FF cameras coz the rear element coverage is smaller than the sensor itself..

Example:
D300 w/ DX 17-55mm f/2.8 = more vignetting
D300 w/ FF 17-35mm f/2.8 = less vigneting

simply put, the FF 17-35mm will have less vignetting than DX 17-55mm although they're of quite similar focal range...you can check reviews and try it out for yourself..i've done both

once again, we're referring to your D300/D80 which uses an APS-C sensor..



in this case, it doesnt always happen..this is why we have DX lenses..Nikon has a 1.5x crop (Canon 1.6x, Olympus 2x).

this is why if you notice our typical kit lenses are:

Nikkor 1.5x 18-55mm = 27-82.5mm / 28-80mm approx (35mm equivalent)
Canon 1.6x 18-55mm = 28.8-88mm / 28-80mm approx (35mm equivalent)
Zuiko 2.0x 14-42mm = 28-84mm / 28-80mm approx (35mm equivalent)

regardess on what digital body you buy, the typical kit zoom lens is usually 28-80mm (35mm equivalent)...so there isn't much PRO/CON comparison if you're using APS-C design lenses coz the lens' architecture is usually designed based on the 35mm equivalent variant (usually third party lens designs apply a 1.5x crop factor so if you're on an Olympus system thats a little set back).

FF has 28-200mm, DX has 18-135mm
FF has 28-300mm, DX has 18-200mm
FF has 17-35mm f/2.8, DX has 12-24mm f/4
FF has 28-80mm f/2.8, DX has 17-55mm f/2.8

notice how the DX lenses actually match the FF ones after you x1.5? so unless you're using FF lenses on a DX body, you haven't much to worry about comparing DX and FF lenses in terms of wide/tele ends...phew what a long post hope this helped

happy shooting!

Happy Happy!
Thanks much. I guess I won't have much choice of lenses at the end. FF lenses kill. Too expensive.

hahaha well maybe soon you'll get urself some!

well i'm outta here then! once again, happy shooting!

Na... don't think I will spend RM5k + on lenses... Since I only take family photo... kakaka...

wah lao.
thinking of purchasing d300 to take family photo?
geng!

Nikkor AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF DX VR

tim if it's just family photo... why bother about d300?

i dont' know how many of u read kenrockwell's stuff... yes the guy's a loudmouth in which he supports nikons and nothing else... but take everything with a pinch of salt yeah... we discern for ourselves..

having said that... he did a comparison -
d70 with a 18-200VR and
d200 with a 18-135.

he did a test and it proved (visually) that the d70 (the LOWER spec camera) with the more superior lens had the better picture.

check it here
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/image-stabilization.htm

photos are all that matters right? the final product. so have a look and let me know what u think. he even went on to show a point-n-shoot with IS (or VR) produced much superior (sharper pics) than the d200 without VR.

something he said stuck to my head -
it's better to get a not so good camera with the top lens, rahter than a top of the range cam with crap lens.

cehck out how VR helps as well
http://dipastro.pd.astro.it/~cosmo/bepi/Ph...0TEST/index.htm
(this goes to show that u should get the VR rather than sigma or tamron lenses)


if u ask me, i'd go for a d80 and get the VR lens (budget wise )
okay, but if u super rich right, just get the d300 and the VR laa! :)case settlled!

btw, with vthe VR, i can shoot at 0.5 seconds shutter speed handheld without a tripod! previously i could only do 1/30 (without VR)

Lens chosen...

I bought 18-200VR...
Not so clear leh...

Really? Show example leh...