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

[CVP]

Andy

I guess it all depends upon what form of photogrpahy she's into and how much you are off to spend. Hope my simple explanations are not too simple

The ones you have highlighted are original Nikon lenses and are good stuff. Mrs CVP uses the 70-300 F4 - 5.6 and likes it a lot. It's quite light and hence easy to carry all day. The downside being it's quite light and so might not take some of the punishment the heavier old pro-spec f2.8 zooms might take (simply put the smaller number means bigger diameter hole in the lens to let light in, which can be very useful). However of course the old pro spec ones will be heavier and more expensive and may have had a bit of a hard life by now.

Have a subtle chat with her and get to know what she wants the lens for. If she's looking to do wildlife photogrpahy maybe a simple 400mm f5.6 by someone like Sigma may be a good idea as it would give her that extra bit of "reach" which is useful when starting on wildlife photography. If it's more for general purposes the zoom may be the best bet.

On the whole when buying second hand I have always tended to be a bit cautious and buy froma recognised dealer as then at least you have a desk to go back and bang. If buying privately try and shoot a roll of film through the lens just to make sure all apetures work and that there is nothing iffy in the lens (scratches etc).

Hope this helps

Chris

[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

[CVP]

hookster said:

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

Yep, I'd say stick with a Nikon brand one if you can, but some on the independents like Sigma make some decent stuff

hookster said:

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?

In that case the 70-300 sounds a good option for what she wants to do.

In bald terms what you see equates to the same field of view as approximately 50mm lens. So with the 70-300mm you are getting a slight zoomed in view at 70mm to a reasonable amount of zoom at 300mm. Conversely the 28mm gives you a wider angle view than you get when just looking at somehting (without moving your head or eyes!) and then slightly zoomed in at 100mm.

If I only had to have one lens then the 28-100 is a good bet, but if this is a second one the 70-300 would complement it will.

It's always a difficult compromise to get good close up and zoom capabilities. The 70-300 is pretty reasonable at both ends.

Chris

[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

[simpo two]

Hookster: Welcome aboard

OK, my thoughts. Firstly, I can tell that photography is not your 'home' subject. No problem, BUT it might be better to ask your g/f what lens she'd actually like, rather than trying to guess. If she has her heart set on a more expensive lens, you could contribute something.

The links are for the same lens, the Nikkor 70-300 G. The G designation means the aperture is controlled from the camera, so make sure her camera is compatible with G lenses.

This particular lens is rather a budget model. I saw one first hand recently and it seemed rather plasticky. First rule of lenses: you get what you pay for! You could have a crack at this, which is the same as mine and has better quality glass: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3343&item=3842608762&rd=1&ssPageName=WD2V

But if you need a fairly powerful telephoto for not much money, the one you've spotted is certainly excellent value.



>> Edited by simpo two on Monday 27th September 13:12

[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

[CVP]

hookster said:

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.

The G designation on a Nikon lens means that the lens does not have a manual control for the aperture, it's all done elctronically by the camera.

As a dummies guide if you think of a picture you need a certain quantity of light to make the image. You can either have a lot of light for a very short period of time or a small amount of light for a longer period. In photgraphy techie speak these are the shutter speed (length of time light comes in for) and the aperture (size of the hole the light comes in).

To recognise a non-G lens from a G lens look at the bit that connects to the camera body. A G one has no moving parts, a non-G one has a ring that twists with numbers marked on it. If you actually get a chance to play with both in a shop, hold the non G one up to the light and look through it and turn the ring. Then you will see the aperture actually closing and opening as you twist the ring (no pun intended ) For a G lens the camera does this electronically.

You'll have not problems using a G lens on the F65, it is fully compatible.

I'd forgotten the one Simpo Two has highlighted. Don't know how much they are but he's absolutely right, go for this one over the standard one. The difference is the marker "ED". This means it has some of Nikon's better quality glass in it giving better colour definition and crisper images, but this will make it a bit more pricey.

Chris

[simpo two]

hookster said:

how would i be able to tell from the camera if it is 'G' compatable? all i know that its a F65.

Luckily CVP has aswered that for me!

hookster said:

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?

You're dead right. Not only do you get what you pay for, but often people will upgrade the camera body and keep the lenses. I paid £225 for mine in 1999. Given current trends, I'm quite surprised that (a) it's still a current model (b) it seems to have gone up - now around £275 I think.

hookster said:

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!

OK, tell her you've found a lens that will 'neutralise reciprocity failure at shallow DOFs whilst maintaining a constant guide number'. She will either kick you in the nuts or marry you

[ThatPhilBrettGuy]

simpo two said:

OK, tell her you've found a lens that will 'neutralise reciprocity failure at shallow DOFs whilst maintaining a constant guide number'. She will either kick you in the nuts or marry you

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]

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.

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

[simpo two]

ThatPhilBrettGuy said:

It'll be nuts.

That would explain your strange walk then, Phil!

(Simpo Two wishes to apologise to Hookster for the appalling behaviour of his PH colleagues)

[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

[simpo two]

hookster said:

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

If you can find one, maybe 75% of that, but you'll be lucky. I think eBay is your best bet.

[hookster]

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

[te51cle]

Just poking my nose around and found this:
www.morrisphoto.co.uk/cgi-bin/manniklens.asp
which you might find useful, and if you want to impress her even more get a UV or a Skylight filter to go with it. Hoya are a good brand for them.

>> Edited by te51cle on Monday 27th September 19:21

[pug406]

Well, I looked at the lenses you found on ebay and bought this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3343&item=3842138324&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW I will let you know what it is like when I get it

Dave

[ThatPhilBrettGuy]

simpo two said:

That would explain your strange walk then, Phil!

No, but it does explain my squeaky voice.

[marcevo1]

top tip - america! what we pay here in GBP they pay in dollars - yep about half price!

www.adorama.com are very good - but dont forget to add the dreaded import tax if doing it over the internet!

just got a 80- 200 f2.8 nikkor for £400!

marc