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Sensible Nikon Systems |
In addition to the cameras, lenses and accessories mentioned in the various systems below, I strongly recommend having the following as part of your system:
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1 - A Sturdy Tripod and Head |
5 - Graduated Neutral Density Filter (2 or 3 stop) |
All prices mentioned below are B&H Photo USA prices as of early June 2005. When two prices are given, the first is the imported gray market price, while the second is the USA price.
Updated June 8, 2005
Note: I have dropped my comments and suggestions for a maual focus system. Not because I've given up on them, and I still believe that's the best way to learn, but simply because for all intents and purposes manual focus is virtually dead in today's socieity, with the vast majority of people only interesed in film autofocus or digital cameras.
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A Beginner Film Auto-Focus System Nikon's film autofocus cameras have improved so much over the past ten years that I wouldn't suggest buying used older models. However, if you can find a used N8008, N60, N65, N80, or N90s that would be a good way to start. Otherwise buy a new N55, N75 or N80. As of this writing, the F6 ($2000) is Nikon's newest autofocus film camera, but that isn't a beginner camera, and thus the N75 is the latest model in this category, and sells for around $180 or $270 with a 28-80mm G lens as a kit. The N55 with the 28-80mm lens sells for $200. The N80 goes for $325 and can often be found with a $50 rebate, bringing it down to $275 - and is the camera I would most highly recommend. Even without the rebate, it's the best bargain around for a camera that has many features found on professional models like the F100, F5, and F6, and not found on the N55 or N75. You can find most of the above cameras as kits with one or both a 28-80mm or 70-300mm G lenses. Both are good, average lenses, and a good way to start. However, if one can afford to do so, I'd suggest starting out with the a 50mm f/1.8 lens ($90/$100), and a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 ED ($280/$310). These will give you great quality and enough variety until you decide what other lenses, if any you might need. Recommended: N80 with 50mm f/1.8 and 70-300mm f/4-5.6 ED lenses - $635 USA before any possible rebates that may apply at time of purchase. Note: If you know you have the passion to become a photographer, amateur or professional, start out with the best camera you can afford. Go for that new F100 or F6. |
A Beginner Digital SLR System Digtal SLR (DSLR) photography is hear to stay for the foreseeable future. There's do doubt about that. However, digital SLRs are more expensive, with the D50 at $749.95 being at present Nikon's least expensive. The next step up, arguably, is the D70s at $900 or D100 at $1000. Both have advantages, but I would recommend going with the D70s, and do so by buying the kit ($1199.95) which comes with the Nikkor 18-70mm. This AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED-IF DX lens is of excellent quality and can be had at less cost in the kit than buying it seperately, $300 in kit as opposed to $340 seperately. The 18-70mm lens has a 35mm equivalent angle of view as a traditional 27-105mm lens. The D70 can still be bought new as of this writing for $780, making it a very good buy. Just having the D70 or D70s and the 18-70mm DX lens is a good way to start with DSLR photography. However, I will mention two other lenses which would be good additions for a beginning digital photographer. Those are the Nikkor 35m f/2 ($260/$305), which gives a more "normal" angle of view in 35mm format of 52.5mm, and the 50mm f/1.8 ($90/$100), , which at a 35mm angle of view is equaivalent to a 75mm makes for an excellent portrait lens, with both having lower light capabilities. Other lenses for wider and telephoto views will be discussed in the bottom sections of this page. Recommended: D70s, with 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom lens - $1199.95. |
Of course when I was beginning there was no such thing as autofocus or digital. I began my journey into photography with a Petri camera and 50mm lens. And my first Nikon was a used FE2 with a 50mm lens.
Once you've learned the basics and moved beyond the beginner state, you'll discover what type of photography appeals to you. That might be landscape, bird and/or mammal, sports, photo journalism, portraiture, macro (flowers and insects), cityscape, any combination, or maybe even all. The type of photography you are interested in will dictate, to some extent, the lenses you'll need.
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Advanced Film Auto-Focus System Unless you are considering going professional, are a very serious amateur, or just have a lot of money to spend, you need not buy an F5 or F6. The F5 sells for $1800 imported, nearly twice the price of an F100 at $900 to $950, and which has nearly as many features. The price of the F6 at $2000 is for body only, without the built-in motor drive found in the F5. You can get by with an N80 or N90s, but the expense of the F100 is well worth the features and hardiness it has over the N80 ($325) and N90s ($750), which has been discontinued but still can be found new. In my opinion, everyone should have at least one standard lens. A standard lens is usually considered one of a fixed focal length of around 50mm. The 50mm f/1.8 is economical ($100), extremely sharp and good for low light situations. The faster 50mm f/1.4 sells for $230/$270. Before considering any specialty lens you might need for the type of photography you are interested in, a couple of zoom lenses should be added to your kit. The 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 mentioned above at $90 is both economical and a good lens. The 28-70mm f/2.8 covering this same basic range sells for about $1335/$1435. But, a more economical and still good choice would be the 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 AFS ED-IF G lens for $310-$355 or the 28-105mm 3.5-4.5 at $290/$325. For your second zoom, the beginner 70-300mm f/3.5-5.6 G zoom ($100/$130) mentioned above would suffice. However, if you can still find one, the 70-210mm f/4-5.6 is a far better lens, as is the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 ED ($280/$310) lens. The 70-210 has been discontinued but still be found used. Better yet is the 80-200mm f/2.8, but it sells for $800/$920 while the newer AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 G EDIF AF-S VR goes for $1620. For flash an SB-800 DX Speedlight sells for about $310/$320 and is highly recommended, but the SB-27 can be bought for $190/$210 and is also a very good and powerful flash unit. A less powerful, but better flash than comes built-in to some cameras is the SB-50DX, which sells for $150. Additional lenses for your type of photography need also be added, but
for your basic advanced system I recommend: This system would cost about $2035 with an F100, or around $1410 with an N80, USA prices. A simple and far less expensive alternative would be an N80 with 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 G and 70-300mm f/4-5.6 G lenses, and SB-27 flash for about $755 - and still have a good basic system to begin with. You'll have to decide whether you'll need wide or ultra-wideangle lenses, telephoto, macro or very fast lenses for the type of photography you plan to pursue. More on those below. |
Advanced Digital SLR System As of this writing, available Nikon digital SLRs include the D50 ($750), D70 ($780), D70s ($900), D100 ($1000), D1X ($3900), D2Hs ($3500), and D2X ($5000). Even as an advanced digital photographer, the D70, D70s, and D100, as well as any of the others, are a good choice. The D1X and D2X are the top of the line models, while the D2H and D2Hs is more properly designed for sports and action photographers, and journalist. The D70, D70s, and D100 can give you pictures as good as the more expensive models, but if you need more hardiness and advanced features, consider one of the more expensive models. Even with a 35mm equivalent angel of view of 75mm, the 50mm f/1.8 would be an excellent choice as an addition to any of the above cameras. It is one of, if not Nikon's sharpest lens. However, most people prefer zooms, and an excellent zoom is the same as mentioned above, the 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 DX ($290/$340). An excellent, but quite expensive alternative would be the Nikkor AF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 G ED-IF DX ($1300/$1350), or the Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 G AF-S vibration reduction VR lens ($490/$510). As an advanced digital photographer, you will likely want at least two other zooms, one which gives a wider field of view, plus another that reashes out into true telephoto range. Without going into more specialized lenses here, my two recommendations are, for the wideangle Tokina's 12-24mm f/4 ($500), and the Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6 ED ($280/$310) or Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 ($800/$920). The 12-24mm gives a 35mm equivalent angle of view of 18-36mm lens on a film SLR. And reports say that the Tokina is as sharp as the Nikon which sells for several hundred dollars more, and the Tokina is as fast and as well built as the Nikkor 12-24mm f/4 lens ($900-$940). Respectively, the 35mm equivalent angles of views for the 70-300mm are roughly 105-450mm, and for the 80-200mm is roughly 120-300mm. I say roughly because the actual digtal magnification factor is closer to 1.52X instead of 1.5X. For flash on digital SLRs and to take full advantage of it and your camera's flash capabilities, one needs either the SB-600 ($180-$195) or SB-800 ($310-$320) Speedlight, or equivalent off brand flash. Additional lenses for your type of photography need also be added, but
for your basic advanced digital system I recommend: These systems would cost about $1090, or $2030 with the D100, or $1930 with the D70s. By compaison, a D2X with this system would cost about $6170. You'll have to decide whether you'll need wide or ultra-wideangle lenses, telephoto, macro or very fast lenses for the type of photography you plan to pursue. More on those below. |
For the serious amateur or professional photographer there are several ways to go. First, you need to decide whether to go with manual or autofocus film cameras, a digital SLR, a combination of all, any two, or if a single camera of any of the three is enough. For the really serious photographer, my recommendation is to go with both film autofocus and digital. Manual photography is all but dead. This gives you the ease of autofocus, and the instant gratification and new technology of digital. When batteries go dead an autofocus film or digital camera is also, whch makes a camera like the manual FM3A a good choice as a backup, however. Some manual Nikon cameras will work at certain speeds without batteries, but the FM3A will work at all shutter speeds if the batteries fail and is therefore my recommended manual camera. My recommendation for the autofocus film camera is the N80, F100, F5 or F6. The N80, F100, F5 & F6 are all very good cameras and each hardier than the former with an increasing number of features, and all will last for years, if not a lifetime, if well taken care of. And, for digital, I recommend the D70s, D2Hs, or D2X. However, there is nothing wrong with starting out with only one camera or with going totally manual or autofocus or digital. I began my serious journey into photography with a single Konica T3n manual camera and Konica's 57mm f/1.2 and 200mm f/3.5 lenses. These served me very well for years before buying another camera or lens.
When considering lenses, for most of us, one must also consider price, as well as quality and individual needs. Just because a lens cost more doesn't necessarily make it a better lens, or if it is, doesn't make it necessarily the right lens. In most cases lenses between 28mm and 200mm of average speed are adequate for a good system. But, when you begin to concentrate or specialize in one or more areas of photography you'll find that you may need more specialized lenses. Low light photography is aided by fast lenses, while wideangle lenses are good for landscapes and architecture. For animal photography you'll need to reach out with a 300mm, 400mm or longer lens, while serious bird work will require 500mm or longer lengths. Macro work is best done with macro (or Micro as Nikon calls them) lenses. Nikon also has specialized lenses for medical and architectural work. Only you can decide what additional lenses will suit your needs as you you move further into the world of photography, but I'll comment on a few of these below.
Ultra-wideangle lenses, those of 24mm and wider, are some of these specialized lenses. The average photographer will never really need anything wider than 24 or 28mm. A 28mm, equal to 42mm on digital, lens covers 74 degrees angle of view. Going to a 24mm (36mm on digital) increases this to 84 degrees. The 24mm f/2.8 sells for around $300 and the 28mm f/2.8 for about $225, while the 28mm f/1.4 goes for $1470 (Gray) to $1695 (US). There are used Nikon lenses as wide as 6mm, covering 220 degrees of view, while the current 16mm f/2.8 fisheye autofocus ($600-$755) covers 180 degrees. The popular 20mm F/2.8 ($440-$485) covers 94 degrees, the autofocus 18mm f/2.8 ($960-$1310) and the manual 15mm f/3.5 ($1600 to $2100) covers 110 degrees. As you can see some of these are quite expensive. As of this writing, the Nikkor 14mm f/2.8, the widest prime Nikon currently makes, goes for $1410 (US). If you have a need on occasion for an ultra-wideangle, a better choice and less expensive than buying several wideangle lenses might be to go with a wideangle zoom which would give more wideangle range, such as the Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 ($1485) or 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5 which sells for $495, or Sigma's 12-24mm digital f/4.5-5.6 ($710), 15-30mm f/3.5-5.6 ($619) or 17-35mm f/2.8-4 ($500), or the newer Tamron 17-35mm f/2.8-4 ($500). One also need be aware of wideangle lenses with digital SLRs. Nikon's digital SLRs decrease the angle of view of a lens by a factor of approximately 1.5X. Therefore, a 24mm lens on a digital SLR will give that 24mm lens an angle of view that a 36mm lens would on a 35mm SLR. This, of course, means that you would need wider lenses to get the same angle of view on a digital SLR. To get back that 24mm angle of view on your digital, a 16mm lens would be required. Currently, the only lenes that will give true wideangle on a digital SLR are Nikon's, Sigma's and Tamron's 14mm (21mm on digital) f/2.8, and Tokina's 17mm (25.5mm on digital) f/3.5 ($390) prime lenses; as well as the zooms listed above which start out at 15, 17, or 18mm. For digital only, Nikon and Tokina also have a 12-24mm f/4 zoom lens (35mm equivalent 18-36mm). The Nikon sells for about $940, while the Tokina is $500.
Normal wideangle lenses are those from 28mm to those under 50mm, although 24mm is sometimes considered to be in this group. Prime 28mm lenses are the f/2.8 at $200/$225, and f/1.4 at $1470/$1695. The 35mm f/2 sells for $260/$305. Third Party/Off-Brand normal wideangle prime lenses only include Sigma's 24mm f/1.8 ($339) and 28mm f/1.8 ($269) lenses, Tokina's 28mm f/2.8 ($80), and Phoenix's 24mm f.2.8 ($75) and 28mm f/2.8 ($65) lenses.
Nikon makes several Micro (macro) lenses. The sharpest of these is probably the 60mm f/2.8 Micro autofocus ($340/$390). However, added working distance to subject should also be considered and longer Micro/Macro lenses might be a better choice. Those include the 105mm f/2.8 ($540/$660) and 200mm f/4 ($1125/$1340) from Nikon. The Sigma 105mm f/2.8 ($399), and 180mm f/3.5 ($689). And Tamron's 90mm f/2.8 ($489) and 180mm f/3.5 ($699). With a digital SLR, the decreased angle of view can make macro photography with any of these lenses even more spectacular.
For animal photography, one shouldn't consider anything less than a 300mm lens, and anything less than 500mm for serious bird work is nearly impossible. None of these long telephotos are inexpensive, the least expensive being the AF 300mm f/4 at $915 (Gray) and $1105 (US). One can get to 300mm for less with a 70-300mm zoom lens for around $310 for the D type lens or $130 for the G lens of this length, but quality suffers a bit. Longer lenses get quite expensive. A manual 500mm f/4 goes for $4000/$5000 and the autofocus for $5850/$7200, while the 600mm f/4 autofocus sells for $7300/$9000, and the 800mm manual focus f/5.6 goes for $5700. The faster 300mm f/2.8 sells for around $3600/$4400, while the fast 400mm f/2.8 sells for $6500/$7700. The manual focus 400mm f/2.8 sells for $5500. To justify paying out this kind of money you need be very serious about this type of photography. A cheaper way to get out to 360mm or 400mm would be to get a 2x teleconverter and add it to a 180mm or 80-200mm zoom lens. One could even get out to 600mm by adding a 2x teleconverter to a 300mm or 70-300mm lens. Quality would suffer, but one can get good results for personal, non-professional, use with the latter, and quite good results with a 300mm prime. One of the best teleconverter solutions without spending such large sums, however, is to use a 1.4x teleconverter with the 300mm f/4 lens, which would give one a 420mm f/5.6 lens that gives good quality. In telephoto lenses digital SLRs have an advantage because of their 1.5X angle of view factor. On a digtal SLR, a 300mm lens would have the angle of view of a 450mm equivalent 35mm SLR lens, a 400mm lens would have an angle of view of a 600mm lens, and so on. Third Party long telephoto lenses worth considering are Sigma's 300mm f/2.8 ($2300), Tamron's 300mm f/2.8 ($3000), or Tokina's 300mm f/2.8 ($2300). And other zoom lenses to consider are Nikon's 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR ($1230/$1430) and 200-400mm f/4 ($5000/$5100); Sigma's 50-500mm f/4-6.3 ($999), 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 EX OS ($999), 100-300mm f/4 ($899), 120-300mm f/2.8 ($2400), 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 ($559), 170-500mm f/5.6-6.3 ($699), and 300-800mm f/5.6 ($6199); and Tamron's 200-400mm f/5.6 ($469) or 200-500mm f/5-6.3 ($879); and Tokina's 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 ($490).
Short and medium telephoto lenses, those from 85mm to 200mm, are great for portrait work, especially lengths of 85, 105 and 135mm. The 180mm f/2.8, $635 to $750, is a lengendary lens of excellent quality and when used in conjunction with extension tubes or closeup lens attachments can be an excellent closeup lens as well. These lengths are still manufactured in both manual and autofocus varieties, although every speed cannot be found in both. There is an autofocus 85mm f/1.8 ($320/$390), as well as an 85mm f/1.4 ($860/$1015). There is an f/2 DC ($770-$920). The 135mm is also a DC f/2 ($900-$1070).
Low light (fast) lenses are, for the most part, also speciality lenses that demand higher prices. Inexpensive low light lenses include the "normal" AF 50mm lenses of f/1.8 ($90-$100) and f/1.4 ($230/$270). Other low light specialty lenses include the 28mm f/1.4 at $1470/$1695, manual focus 28mm f/2 at $550/$700, 35mm f/2 ($260/$305), 85mm f/1.4 at $860/$1015, 105mm f/2 autofocus at $770/$920, 135mm f/2 $900/$1070, and the fast long telephotos mentioned above. There's also a series of fast zoom autofocus lenses: 17-35mm f/2.8 $1350/$1485, 28-70mm f/2.8 at $1330 to $1435, 35-70mm f/2.8 at $550 to $680, 80-200mm f/2.8 at $780/$920, and 70-200mm f/2.8 AF-S VR at $1620. Fast lenses allow for easier hand holding, brighter view finders, and larger apertures for faster shutter speeds, as well as being excellent for photo journalism and other low light situations.
62mm System:
What I mean by 62mm system is that 62mm is the
largest filter size of your lenses. This would include 52mm and in some cases
58mm filter sizes. A great system can be put together with lenses not requiring
larger than a 62mm filter. Using step rings to make your 52mm or 58mm lens ring
acommodate 62mm filters reduces the expense of having filters in all needed
sizes and 62mm filters are far less expensive than 72mm or 77mm filters needed
on what many call professional or some third-party lenses.
The following is the 62mm system I recommend to most of those who ask. It works with whatever camera body you have or plan to get, be it FM3A, N80, N90, F100, F5 or other Nikon body.
(1) A Wideangle Lens - 20mm f/2.8 (62mm filter), 24mm f/2.8 or 28mm f/2.8 (both use 52mm filters). Since you are likely to have a zoom that covers 28mm, I recommend the 24mm wideangle, which is usually as wide as anyone needs.
(2) Normal 50mm Lens - either f/1.8 or f/1.4. Both use 52mm filters and are among the sharpest lenses Nikon makes (the f/1.8 perhaps the sharpest of all Nikon/Nikkor lenses). They are inexpensive enough to have both, which I recommend.
(3) Telephoto Lens - 85mm f/1.8, 105mm 2.8 Micro or 200mm f/4 Micro. The 85mm f/1.8 is also one of Nikon's sharpest lenses and great for portraiture. The 105 and 200mm Micro are great macro lenses. If you just want a portrait lens go with the 85mm. However, if you also want to do great macro work go with the 105 or 200mm, both of which can also be great for portraiture. The 200mm is twice the price of the 105mm but adds working distance. The 105 and 200mm lenses use 52mm filters in manual focus versions and in autofocus the 200mm uses 62mm filters, while the 85mm takes 62mm filters. If I had to recommend only one, I'd suggest the 105mm, giving you the best for both portraiture and macro, as well as being good for landscapes.
(4) Short Zoom Lens - If you can still find a good used unit, the AF 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5 is my most recommended lens in this category. Other suggestions in this category are: AF 35-70mm f/2.8, and AF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5. The 35-70mm and 28-105mm both take 62mm filters.
(5) Other Zoom Lenses - 70-210mm f/4-5.6 D, 70-300mm f/4-5.6 D and 75-240mm f/4.5-5.6 lenses are what I recommend. The first two both take 62mm filters while the latter uses 52mm. I usually recomend the 70-300mm over the others mostly because it reaches out to 300mm, which makes it very popular. Many will find my recommending the 75-240mm lens odd. However, it is a good, over-looked lens dispite its plastic build and gives good pictures, and when used with a Nikon 2-element diopter does great close-up work. It will also do better with a digtial SLR than on a film camera.
This makes a great system and with 52-62mm and/or 58mm-62mm step rings 62mm filters are all you ever need buy.
The Perfect 62mm Lens Kit:
My idea of the perfect 62mm autofocus lens kit would consist of four lenses, five if you want a macro lens. The four being: 20mm f/2.8 wideangle, 85mm f/1.8 as your normal lens, 35-70mm f/2.8 as your short zoom, and the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 D as your long zoom. If you want a macro lens then add the 200mmf/4 Micro. All of these lenses use 62mm attachments and would cover nearly every focal length needed from 20mm to 300mm.
Now, With All The Above Said:
There is no doubt that quality cameras and lenses are expensive. So, what would I realisticly recommend to a family member or friend in order to have a decent all-around system?
First, I'd tell them that good SLR's and lenses are not cheap. These are not point-and-shoot cameras, you'll have to spend more than two or three hundred dollars. But getting down to it, I'd recommend the N80 camera. It's dependable, fairly sturdy, and has many of the features found on more expensive cameras. Not in the class of an F5, F6, F100 or N90 but far better than the N55, N65 or N75. And, most people don't care about manual cameras these days.
For lenses, I'd say buy two primes and one zoom, two at the most.
The primes would be a 28mm f/2.8 and a 50mm f/1.8. The 28mm for quality landscape and interior work and the 50mm because it's a normal lens and one of the sharpest lenses Nikon makes, and is also good for landscapes, portraits and travel photography. If pressed for a wider lens, I'd say go all out and get the 20mm f/2.8.
The zoom would be the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 D. It's a good telephoto zoom and reaches out far enough to do animal photography. If I had to recommend a second zoom, it would be either the Nikkor 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5, 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 VR, or a Sigma 24-135mm f/2.8-4.5 lens.
As of this writing, an N80 with 28mm, 50mm and 70-300mm ED lenses would cost about $960 and would serve the average to serious photographer very well. Adding the 28-105mm would increase this by about $325, while the 24-120 goes for around $510, and the Sigma 24-135mm sells for $359. If you replaced the 28mm with the 20mm the cost would go up another $260 or so.
However, if you're not that serious and just want something to take pictures at family gatherings and vacations, I'd say buy the N55 or N75, with 28-85mm f/3.5-5.6 G and 70-300mm f/4-5.6 G zoom lenses. This system would cost only about $330 and $410, respectively, and would still take great pictures.
If Going Digital:
If going the route of a digital SLR, I'd recommend the D70s, with the 18-70mm kit lens. If one only buys the camera, then I would suggest either the Nikkor 24-120mm VR, or the Sigma 24-135mm as their primary lens. If one also wants or needs a wideangle zoom, then at this time my choice would be the Tokina 12-24mm f/4 ($500) lens. It's reportedly as sharp or sharper than Nikon's version and is a lot less expensive. For a longer zoom, I again go back to the wonderful Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6 ED lens. I do not recommend prime lenses with a digital SLR, simply because their CCD sensor is prone to collecting dirt. Therefore, changing lenses as little as possible is highly recommended, and one is less likely to change lens as often using zooms than with prime lenses. Just the D70s with kit lens and adding the 70-300mm ED lens would give one a very fine minimal system that covers the most popular focal lengths, and would cost about $1310.
Whatever lens assortment and camera you decide upon, remember one thing. It's not the camera and lens that makes a good photograph, but the photographer. Great pictures can be made with any camera and lens. They are just tools. It takes your skill and vision to make to make a great photograph.
