Nikon Lens With Good Zoom

I'm an amateur photographer with a Nikon D3200, I currently have the standard 18-55mm lens but it doesn't zoom much. I'm useless when it comes to all the jargon, so do you have any recommendations on the kind of thing I'm looking for? Thanks! ^-^ :smile:

Reply 1

dhr90

Original post by MiniMacaroon

You want something to zoom out a little more? A lot more? Or to zoom in a little/lot more?

What do you photograph or want to photograph? General things you see walking round or things at a distance?

Reply 2

username612415

Original post by MiniMacaroon

As above, we need a bit more info about the stuff you want to shoot. Also, are you looking for something to use alongside your 18-55 or to cover the wide angle range as well as zooming further? What's your budget?

Reply 3

MiniMacaroon

Sorry for the vagueness! It would be for more general use, for example I wanted to take some pictures of the Eiffel Tower last weekend and I couldn't zoom in enough. I'm definitely a tourist photographer, so I usually take landscape photos, and this is where I sometimes need more zoom. I would probably want to keep using the lens I've got at the moment, so just something to use alongside it. I don't have a specific budget, but I'm not after anything mega expensive either! Thanks guys! :smile:

Reply 4

username612415

Original post by MiniMacaroon

The stuff you're describing, landscapes and shots of large buildings, is typically the sort of thing people typically shoot at wide angles, especially landscapes. That being said, if you still want a new lens then we do need a rough budget, when it comes to hobbies with as expensive gear as photography people can have verrry different definitions of cheap and expensive :ahee:

Reply 5

MiniMacaroon

Oh gosh the pressure! I don't think I'd want to spend more than £350, knowing my luck there won't be anything suitable!

Reply 6

username612415

Original post by MiniMacaroon

Oh gosh the pressure! I don't think I'd want to spend more than £350, knowing my luck there won't be anything suitable!

£350 is plenty for a decent telephoto :smile:

I don't shoot with Nikon so other users will be able to make recommendations based of more experience than I can, but the Nikon/Nikkor 55-300mm and 70-300mm (both f/4-5.6 VR) seem to be very popular sub-£400 teles at their respective price points.

Reply 7

MiniMacaroon

Sounds great, I was getting confused with all the jargon and needed to know what to look at, so this is perfect!! Thanks a lot! :smile:

Reply 8

Scott1541

If you just want something to use occasionally then get a 55-200 VR. They are comparable to the 18-55 in quality and have a plastic mount but for the price it's a great lens. I have one and got it for £95 about a year ago, but now they seem to be selling for a little more now, and at £150 on amazon. The 55-300 is a bit better made and obviously can zoom to 300mm rather than 200mm, these are a bit more expensive than the 55-200 VR.

Then there's the 70-300mm VR, which is an even higher quality lens with a couple more features than the previous two. As you would expect this lens is a fair bit more expensive than the other two and IMO I'd only suggest buying it if you were going to use it regularly. It's an expensive lens to leave in your bag for the odd occasion you might need it.

Reply 9

anadowndo

Personally, I'd go with a good second hand lens. The sigma 70-200mm F2.8 is a great lens with a fixed aperture ( so useful, and makes a huge difference when shooting in low light). I think you can get them pretty cheap off eBay these days