I intend to buy a nikon D80 DSLR. I am not sure what kind of lens or lenses(I might buy 2 or 3) I should purchase.
What is a good lens for a Nikon D80 SLR?
Written by admin on April 24th, 2009Nikon 80 400mm Lens
Nikon 80 400mm Lens Holds A Steady Secret…
There are so many choices here. All the lens mentioned earlier are consumer grade lens, with variable aperture (varies as you zoom), lighter in weight, and less expensive. One other in this category you might want to consider is a recently released 18-200mm VR lens. I think the aperture varies from 3.5 to 6.3 (maximum opening through the zoom range). Very scarce at this time but the VR feature, which helps stabilize the image at high focal length, is worth looking at.
My lens include: a 17-35mm 2.8f AFS (Silent Wave - fast and high quality). Sells for over $1,000; a 28-70mm f2.8 AFS, 80-200 F2.8 AFS, 105mm 2.8 VR macro, 300mm f4.0, and a 50mm 1.4 (which I haven't had on the camera in years).
You have a great nikon camera if you get the D80 and I would hate to see you limit it by buying the consumer grade lens. But, saying that, you might only be able to afford those right now and could always upgrade your lens later. Or, even go on eBay and buy a used lens. Not much goes wrong with a lens unless it is beat up and abused.
Norm
Think about your shooting style. Do you like to photograph scenics or portraits? Sports or still life? Closeups? Wildlife? The answers will help determine what kind of lens you need. If you like landscapes, or take photos of indoor rooms and want to capture a wide area, you will need a wide angle lens. You might prefer a telephoto for nature shots or sports. Close-ups will need a macro lens. Dim lighting will require a "fast" lens (one with a really wide aperture, like f1.2 or 1.4)
These days you can kind of have it all with a wide-tele zoom. I have a zoom Nikkor on my nikon D70. It's an AF-S 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, and it's great for most situations. I'd start with something like that, and when you need something else, you can go wider, more tele, macro, faster, etc.
The lens that is available in kit form with the D80 is an excellent lens the 18-135 which gives you a pretty wide range on just one lens- although it is pretty hard to find at the moment as nikon doesn't seem to be producing them fast enough. Otherwise I would look at some of the Tamron lenses (they tell me at work that they have better glass, and a longer warranty than the Nikkor lenses)- like the 18-200 which would translate into about 28-300 mm on a film camera. I like the wider range lenses so I don't have to constantly interchange lenses depending on what I am shooting.