Newbie friendly Nikon D300 zoom lense?

[Andehh]

Hi guys,

I have a Nikon D300, can anyone recommend a neebirt/beginner friendly zoom lense, not looking for anything professional just something that will let me take photos of my daughter during horse riding lessons, so zooming into a face from around 30m away?

Thanks

[Tony1963]

It'll depend on how far away you'll be, to be frank. I'm guessing a 70-300 of some sort will be what you need. Just give yourself a price, have a look at, for example, Wex, then eBay and see what you think. Don't get too hung up on reviews if you're only spending say £200. You'll never get those hours back!

[GravelBen]

The Nikon 70-300VR gets good reviews.

[Yellabelly]

It is an excellent lens as is the Nikkor 55-300 both reasonably priced but for me the 70-300 edges it, pin sharp but just slightly soft at the edges at 300mm. It will be great for shots of your daughter at 30 yards and further out it is also a cracking portrait lens at 70mm

DSC_3228 by Ray BLAKE, on Flickr

Heron at Gibraltar Point by Ray BLAKE, on Flickr

[Andehh]

Ah, sorry I should have added that this will probably receive fairly limited use, so I am looking for something 'on a budget'?

Are there any good/bad brands to avoid when looking into lenses?

[Andehh]

Many thanks guys, some great advice. Ill start looking into 55-300, and similar.

Are there any good/bad brands to go for? I am looking for something 'budget' as I cant see myself using it very often.

[tonyb1968]

The 70-300 F4.5-F5.6 VR is less than £400 new, its a great lens for what it is, I've had mine years and I keep it in the bag all the time, it is better than the 55-300 so worth going for over it.

70-300 F4.5-5.6 VR, new on ebay for less than £270!

Edited by tonyb1968 on Sunday 12th July 18:41

Edited by tonyb1968 on Sunday 12th July 18:42

[Gad-Westy]

You can actually pick up a 70-300 vr for less than £200 on eBay but you might need to be patient and bid on ones that are either badly described or finishing at silly times of day. At that price, it's a brilliant lens. You should also consider the Tamron 70-300 VC version as well. Again probably under £200 on ebay. Make sure it's the VC version though, the other Tamron options are nowhere near the same optical quality.

If the budget is too stretched at that level, have a look for a Nikon 55-200 VR. They're cheap and a little flimsy but offer decent enough image quality. I'd guess they can be bought used for well under £100.

[Golaboots]

With some careful bidding for £250 or so you could pick up a Nikon 80-200 f2.8.

Even though these are old they're in a different league to the 55-200/300 or 70-300's for sharpness.
Also let more light in which means a faster shutter speed and/or lower ISO can be used.

They don't have Vibration Reduction but that's only useful when dealing with stationary subjects.

Downside is they weigh a ton and autofocus takes a bit of time to rack in and out.