help with lens choice

[hookster]

hello there, im newish to PH as a whole and have never ventured in here before so be gentle :wink:

my girlfriend is into photography and i want to get her a nice xmas gift, but i havnt got a clue what im doing!

she has a Nikon F65, with a 28-100mm (1:3.5-5.6G) lens

shes been after a new more powerful lens for a while but i really have no idea what i should be looking for or how much to pay for a good powerful lens- i'd prefer second hand for the cost!

i looked on ebay and saw these- are they the right sort of ones?:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3343&item=3842237246&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
- this one looks best, but although its 70-300mm - which i presume is more powerful, the 1.4-5.6G is almost identical to my g/f current lens- is that important?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3343&item=3842138324&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
-this one looks very good, but worried about being returned- but then you get warranty with it.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=30035&item=3841310497&rd=1

any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated- im well out of my depth!

thank you
andy

[hookster]

thank you for the reply chris.

- i didnt realise the lenses were interchangable with different makes, i think she would prefer a nikon lens- she says its the best.

as for the type of photography, its more just general purpose/everyday photography- when we're on days out. she wants something general purpose, good for close-ups but also if she wants to zoom in on something from a distance then she has the capacity in the lens to do so.

have i got this right- the 70-300mm lens in 3x more powerful than the 28-100mm one? - would there be a noticable difference in the zoom power?

would it be worth going any bigger for everyday shots, or would it compromise close up quality?

thanks
andy

[hookster]

thanks for your time chris, i'll have a look in some local camera shop at their selection before buying.

hopefully one of the ones from ebay will be a bargin.

i think the 70-300mm will be perfect for her.


andy

[hookster]

simpo two said:

The G designation means the aperture is controlled from the camera, so make sure her camera is compatible with G lenses.

- is that to do with focusing? i know she manually zooms in and then the camera focuses the shot itself.
- how would i be able to tell from the camera if it is 'G' compatable? all i know that its a F65.

simpo two said:

You could have a crack at this, which is the same as mine and has better quality glass: [url]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3343&item=3842608762&rd=1&ssPageName=WD2V[/url]

that looks very nice- will keep my eye on it. id rather buy one thats good quality and pay a little more- how much do you think it is worth- i wouldnt want to pay over the odds?

i may well ask her what she wants if i cant find out on the sly, but i want to do some research first and impress her with my new found knowledge!

thanks
andy

[hookster]

thanks guys

well she has to put up with 'car talk' all the time so, finding out a little of her passion is only fair!

lol she'll only come back with some more tech talk if i try it on.

this seems to be the one to have then:
www.europe-nikon.com/details.aspx?countryid=20&languageid=22&prodId=250&catId=121

so if its £330 new - what would it be 2nd hand in the shops?

major brownie points for me if i get her xmax presant now

cheers
andy

[hookster]

ThatPhilBrettGuy said:

It'll be nuts. Tell her that you've bought her a big, black extending thingy....oh dear, I've lowered the tone as usual.

CVP said:

I thought I did quite well resisiting my reply to Andy's opening statement of "my girlfriend's into photography" too much Monty Python as a child I has twisted my little mind I guess. Chris

hee hee and who says shes not

there's a wealth of infomation on here- this has saved me from a trip to bluewater asking some halfwit sales assistant what to get.

*note to self, proof-read before posting

thanks all
andy


>> Edited by hookster on Monday 27th September 16:16

>> Edited by hookster on Monday 27th September 16:17

[hookster]

im thinking of saving up my pennies and buying it new, at least then its guaranteed and will be in mint condition.

[hookster]

hi guys, im back!

ive just started a new job so have got the money now, the past few weeks have been really hectic.

one quick question though- as this lens is a non - 'G' lens, if she chooses not to manually adjust the apature for a shot is there still an automatic mode that the camera can default to?

so unless anyone else has any other opinions i'#ll go for this lens:
www.europe-nikon.com/details.aspx?countryid=20&languageid=22&prodId=250&catId=121

i just need reassurance that in diong the right thing

[Hookster]

hello there guys, just to say a big thank you to all who gave me advice on the lens, i bought it in the end after a lot of umming and arring. i have to say even i, who doesnt have a clue when it comes to photography was impressed with it.

we got some nice piccies in a nature reserve and my brothers wedding soon so it'll come in useful.

oh, and the misses was VERY happy with it- it was the one she was going to get herself, phew!

cheers guys
andy