Best 1st lens? Nikon D60

[veedy]

I'm looking to buy a Nikon D60 soon - what is the recommended lens for a beginner (aside from the included lens?) Thanks

[dazza74]

If you are looking to replace the kit lens I'd say there's a few good options, of the top of my head :

Nikkor 16-85 VR
Tamron 17-50 2.8

If your after a telephoto a Nikkor 70-300mm VR. Depends on your budget really.

[Yandros]

Do you mean as well as, or instead of the kit lens?

Also, note that there are two flavours of 18-55 kit lens - spend the extra 20 quid and get the VR version.

For covering the 18-50 range, my shortlist would be:

Nikon 18-55VR, (excellent value when bundled with the D60)
Nikon 16-85VR (sharpest Nikon consumer zoom, but pricey)
Tamron 17-50 f2.8 ('fast' glass that's optically as good as the £800 Nikon version)
Nikon 18-200VR (best superzoom on the market)

For a second longer lens, on a budget, the Nikon 55-200VR, but better to spend more and get the Nikon 70-300VR.

[veedy]

In addition to...

Looking for something fairly sharp and with a large zoom, ideally with autofocus +/ VR

[Yandros]

Originally Posted by veedy

In addition to...

Looking for something fairly sharp and with a large zoom, ideally with autofocus +/ VR

In that case the Nikon 70-300VR (£290), no question about it.

If you're after a wildlife lens, the Sigma 150-500mm OS HSM at £674 is the next step up after that really.

[veedy]

Thanks for the advice - are there any similar lens at a cheaper price?

[Yandros]

Originally Posted by veedy

Thanks for the advice - are there any similar lens at a cheaper price?

Yes, but then there's no such thing as a free lunch I'm afraid.

The 55-200VR is only £122, but you're losing out on the reach
The Sigma 70-300 is about £160, but you don't get the image stabilisation (though you gain closer focussing)

Both lenses get rave reviews though.

[konastab01]

Listen to Yandros mate,hes the man for nikon advice on here(Or so I have found)

[Fozzybear]

A friend of mine recently bought a D60 with 18-55VR and 55-200VR as the 70-300VR was too expensive... within three weeks he'd also bought a 70-300VR as he couldn't get the magnification he wanted with the 55-200. The 55-200VR is a pretty good lens for the price, as is the Sigma, but the Nikon 70-300 VR really is a step up from them in quality and the VR gives it a big advantage over the Sigma.

It IS a lot of cash to spend... although worth it in my eyes.

[kBm]

I bought a budget Sigma a few years ago, 28-300mm (for the D50) it was around £120. It was ok, but i felt it was lacking overall, and i kept missing shots as it was a bit slow at the 300 end.

However, it was all i could afford at the time. So, be realistic with what you can get, as there will always be a better lens on the horizon!

[julian_fraser]

I've got the Sigma 70-300mm APO with the built-in autofocus motor. It's all I could afford at £153 from Mifsuds in Devon and I'm very pleased with it. In good light it's capable of cracking shots...

I love mine for all types of situations but off the top of my head I think our resident Sigma 70-300mm expert is Holowlegs...have a look at his shots for the quality you could expect.

[Triggaaar]

Originally Posted by veedy

In addition to...

Looking for something fairly sharp and with a large zoom, ideally with autofocus +/ VR

As Yandros said, if you are getting the kit lens and you want more reach, VR and sharpness, it has to be the Nikon 70-300VR. You can ask for the thread to be closed now

Which kit lens are you planning to get and how much could you save by not getting one? If you just had the body, you may instead think of getting the 18-200, which is a nice starter lens due to its range and VR.

[Boldonion]

Originally Posted by julian_fraser

I've got the Sigma 70-300mm APO with the built-in autofocus motor. It's all I could afford at £153 from Mifsuds in Devon and I'm very pleased with it. In good light it's capable of cracking shots...

I love mine for all types of situations but off the top of my head I think our resident Sigma 70-300mm expert is Holowlegs...have a look at his shots for the quality you could expect.

Just ordered the Sigma 70-300 APO myself for this weekends Sunderland airshow. It can be had for £129 from Microglobe.

[noidea]

Hi
I have recently bought the D60 with the 18-55 VR kit lens.
I am not by any means a photography afficionado and my main reason for purchasing the camera is to get around the speed of shot and indoor picture quality of non SLR digicams. I'm enjoying the new camera and one day I hope to understand more than a fraction of what it can do, but 95%+ of the time I will probably use it on full auto as a better, faster point and shoot camera than I've had before (last one was a TZ3).
One thing I do miss though is the additional zoom capability of the TZ3 and feel that I have to get a longer reach out of the D60.
I have been researching online and see that the 18-200 VR lens could be just what I'm after - I know it replicates some of the range I have and I could save money by getting a 55-200 version but I know me and I won't be changing lenses every few minutes (or even hours).
My one concern over the 18-200 is that even though it is apparently small by superzoom standards, it is physically a bit longer and twice the weight of the kit lens I have. Would it be too heavy to use with the relatively small body of the D60? Is it really designed for one of the bigger DSLR bodies that Nikon make? Any advice appreciated

[py6km]

Depending on budget I'd get the D60 body only and put the money saved towards an 18-200 VR (around £400).

If budget is more of an issue, I'd get the D60 18-55 VR kit, and augment that with the 55-200 VR, which is about £125.