What lense - D40?

[cK]

What lense would you recommend to be used with the D40 instead of the supplied lense?

I see loads of different ones posted and i'm not clued up on which is best...

I don't want anything f**king huge but ideally after a bigger zooming in & out range but want to retain a crisp as possible image. What are the wide lenses like that I see on ebay and which is the best one for those?

Also where is the best place to buy the lense? Ebay?

 

[cK]

I'm defo getting a 50mm prime lense...

With regards to the lense with a wider zooming in/out range am I going to need a Nikon one to retain the AF feature?

 

[ukaskew]

A Nikon 18-200 is an idea "one size fits all lens", very well reviewed and it's finally widely available.

It costs just over £400, will offer you loads more zoom and VR, but won't give you anything wider than your kit lens.

With regards to the lense with a wider zooming in/out range am I going to need a Nikon one to retain the AF feature?

Nope, any Sigma lens with "HSM" in the title will be fine.

 

[unofficialPete]

http://www.tamroneurope.com/flc.htm

http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/

Best ultra wide, probably the Sigma 10-20 for the money.

Best walk around/massive zoom range, the Nikon 18-200 VR.

Best starting lens, the one supplied IMO!

Use what you have until you are more clued up.. you need to decide what you want to cover, budget,apertures, auto focus, stabalisation, build etc etc..

 

[cK]

Jesus I knew they were expensive but £400 lol. I don't think i'm into it that much to warrant spending that amount.

I think i'll buy some fixed lenses i.e 30mm and 50mm maybe for closer crisper shots?

What would you recommend?

 

[cK]

What's the difference between the..

Nikon AF 50mm f/1.4£187.00
Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8£75.99

 

[cK]

bump

 

[ukaskew]

What's the difference between the..

Nikon AF 50mm f/1.4£187.00
Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8£75.99

50mm 1.4 is a 'stop' faster, have a look at the Aperture Priority bit of my guide.

Basically, the lower that f number is, the more expensive a lens is going to be and as a general rule, higher quality. For example, a 70-300 f4-5.6 (meaning it's f4 at 70mm but f5.6 at 300mm) costs around £100, yet a 120-300 f2.8 (meaning it can operate at f2.8 throughout the whole range) costs about £2000. A low f number lens is known as a fast lens (f2.8, f2.8 etc) and anything above f4 is generally classed as slow.

Not only does a lower f number mean you can get nice blurred backgrounds, it also means you can use them in lower light. One 'stop' doesn't seem like a big deal at first, but once you get more into it you start wanting faster and faster lens.

 

[cK]

Can the D40 benefit from the F1.4 or is the camera "not good enough"?

 

[JJ!]

The D40 is good enough! But for the price of the F1.4 your better off getting the Sigma 30mm.

 

[cK]

Why? Is the sigma 1.4?

 

[Oil C Park]

Everyone should own a 50mm f/1.8 (unless you can afford better)

Crisp and fast. 50mm means you have to get close to your subject, but there's nothing wrong with that !

 

[Clart]

Chris, the 50mm f1.8 won't auto focus on your d40 - i think thats why JJ is recommending the sigma

 

[Oil C Park]

Oh yeah, no drive motor on D40 body. Makes buying lenses a little unpleasent as you have to steer away from the cheapest AF lenses.

50mm/1.8 is still not a terrible choice for D40 if you dont mind manual focus. (tbh, most dont enjoy it....)

 

[BenWall]

Don't worry about no auto focusing. Your'll get use to it.

 

[cK]

I've ordered a sig 30mm F1.4 asm just gotta decide on what larger lense to buy now in conjunction with the D40...

I still have my std 18-55 that came with the camera.

JJ is recommending the sig 50-150mm F2.8

 

[BenWall]

nikkor 18-200 vr.

 

[cK]

That ideally is the one I want but pretty expensive...

 

[BenWall]

In that case the one you mentioned sounds ideal.

 

[JJ!]

The Sigma 50-150 is about the same price as the 18-200VR, but its a constant f2.8 throughout the zoom.