So with the release of the new lenses and the D3100 where do you think Nikon is headed? I don't really understand what the deal is. I assume the new body doesn't have the screw driving AF motor in the body. So what I am wondering is what Nikon is trying to do. Every new lens I have seen released other then the new kit lens is ultimately unaffordable to a normal consumer like me (over $1000). Not even that I couldn't save the money to buy it, but I can't justify $1000 for a lens especially when I have a D5000 body that I got for ~$430. So why are there no lenses for the people that purchase the D3000, D3100, D5000. You are limited to AF-S lenses. Well how many of the new AF-S lenses are even affordable? Not too many. Why would you make the lowest body cameras without the ability to use lenses that people as just a consumer level photographer might actually be able to afford? Do they expect everyone that buys anything lower then the D90 to be satisfied with the kit lenses? It seems like if the lower level camera bodies are a big chunk of the sales for Nikon then they would releases lenses to go along with those bodies. I mean I have the 18-200 lens and just ordered the 35 f1.8 lens, but where do I go from there? All the affordable lenses from here are very specialized lenses. The 12-24 lens would be cool, but how often would I use that? The 105 f2.8 might be sharp, but I would probably use it about the same as the 12-24. The only other lenses that fall sub $1000 are the kit lenses and these are covering the same range of zoom over and over and all have pretty much the same build quality and picture quality. No kit lens is really better then the others. So me switching to another 3.5-5.6 lens isn't going to help me out much.
Bottom line I will keep my 18-200 kit lens to have as a general purpose lens, but then when you want to move out of the kit lens line you have to spend the big $$$ or there isn't much you can do other then buy another brand. I don't know why there aren't more intermediate lenses that are more within the reach of the average person that wants something more then just the kits. It doesn't make sense for Nikon to move toward just pro level stuff especially now with the direction that they have moved especially with the sales of their entry level cameras. Also with the venues that Nikons are now sold at you can't expect Target or similar stores to carry any pro level lenses.
