Nikon D70S Lens

[twulynnwilson]

I have a Nikon D70S and I am looking for a good lens-something with good focal length, but also something that takes good close ups as well. I have been considering the 18-200 vs 70-300, but I am unsure which one would be better, or if there is something out there better. I am an amateur and do this as a hobby for now. I don't know much about lens and what exactly to look for or what is best. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[budman101]

For everyday use the 18-200 would be a better fit. With most DSLR's the crop factor is usually in the 1.5x range. That 18-200mm lens would be the equivalent of carrying around a 24-300mm on a 35mm camera. If you are planning to shoot in available light get the fastest lens you can afford. The price rises proportionately to the speed of the lens. Likewise the 70-300 becomes a 105-450mm superzoom.

[lowbone]

The 18-200mm Nikon lens is a pretty good compromise if you are only going to have one lens and your budget is limited. A lens with 10X magnification is never going to have the image qualiity and lack of barrel and pin cushion distortion as say 2X zoom. The 70-300mm lens is a 2X zoom and has fewer optical problems but by no means would I recommend this as your only lens. How good your lens is really depends on how fat your wallet is. Better zooms are faster ( allow you to shoot in lower light ) and they also have a constant aperture throughout the zoom range. They are also heavier and bulkier and of course more expensive. If you are starting out with a Nikon DSLR and the 18-200 is in your budget it will probably meet your needs for now. If you have some extra money and you feel that 200mm is not long enough for you the 70-300mm lens would be a good addition. You will know as you go along if you need anything better.

[Linda559]

I purchased the 18-200vr last May and it's been on my camera 99% of the time. I shoot everything with this lens. I have 4 other lenses, but haven't used them very much at all since I got this one.

Just remember to take the lens off and put it back on periodically. The connections will get loose or dirty. I was having problems last June with error messages on my camera, I went to the Nikon board and they addressed the problem. Now, I re-seat the lens whenever I think about it and it's worked perfectly ever since.

[TonyW]

Not sure about the 18-200 (I have an 18-70 and 70-300 as I wanted the extra 100mm for distance shots) but one consideration is the close focussing distance and resultant reproduction ratio for taking close-ups. The 70-300 has a reproduction ratio of about 4 to 1 (which means that an image can be up to 1/4 life size on the sensor.) I find that ideal for close-ups of flowers etc particularly since you can achieve that from about 4 ft away and so can use the on-camera flash rather than having to have a special close-up flash. I've found it works so well that I haven't found the need for a macro which gives you a bigger image but requires you to get much closer.

1/4 size on the sensor in a D70 will be 1.5 times life size by the time you print out a 4x6 - that's big enough for me :)

Tony

[epaul6]

I have a D70. Remember that the camera body is the accessory and the lenses the main purchase. You will probably keep good glass longer than your camera body.

I have the 18-200 vr and I love it. It is on my camera almost all the time. I also own the 24-120 vr which is a good walk around lens but I wanted the extra reach (I should get rid of it).

Although the 18-200 has some close up ability you can't beat a true macro lens. I have a few specialty lenses, a Tokina 100mm macro and an 80-400 telephoto. Those lenes are built like tanks and are full frame so if I move up to a full frame digital I won't have to repurchase.

To be honest although I bought them new, I would probably search for a good used lenses of those types in the future because I don't use them that often. Also if you are going to be using macro or telephoto lenses (longer than 200mm), buy a decent tripod or you will be disappointed.

[lexcell]

I like the 8-200mm for an everyday lens. It has an excellent range and is quite sharp. It's not designed for things like macro or low light. but it is a great option for a good all around lens.

If you need something specific...like a macro for close up work, a faster lens for action, etc...then you look at a specialty lens.

One option that does make the 18-200mm a bit more versatile is a Canon 500D close up lens. It threads onto the front of the lens (yes, it even threads onto the front of a Nikon lens without cross contamination :) ) and allows to focus closer than normal.

While this does not full replace a true macro lens in quality and versatility, it works quite well and expands the lens you already own.