HI, im about to buy my first DSLR and i've finally narrowed down the list to the D7000. However, im still struggling to select the right lens kit for my D7000. Im initially inclined to ditch the 18-105VR that comes with the D7000 kit (thanks
to Ken Rockwell) and pick the 18-55VR for the time being. I realize i wont be able to do justice to the D7000 in the beginning, hence I just want to enhance my skills with the 18-55VR. I later plan to add the 70-300VR and the 35mm/1.8 for indoor photography.
Now, my only concern here is if im doing the right thing by ditching the 18-105VR for the 18-55VR?
I couldnt find much reviews on the D7000+18-55VR lens combination and hence I look for your advice on this issue.
Thanks :) Looking forward to owning a Nikon DSLR :)
D7000 +18-55VR lens. Wise choice for a beginner?
(84 posts) (20 voices)-
Posted 2 years ago #
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You're making a great choice in the D7000. If you want to further convince yourself that you're buying the right camera, check this review out: http://www.bythom.com/nikond7000review.htm
This guy is very fair minded and extremely thorough... I'd frankly also check out his lens reviews too..
My personal opinion would be for you to invest in some glass now that you won't have to replace as well as something that'll do your camera justice now and going forward. I own the 16-85 VRII and I think you'll find that even though it is a rather expensive 'walk-around' lens, it is built very tough, and is very sharp. Also quite wide for a DX format camera as I find 16mm (24mm equivelent on FX) to be really about as wide as I'd need to go.. A good lens to add to this down the line is the aformentioned 70-300 (which I also own)...
More money now yes, but a lens that will last longer than the camera and one you won't feel you'll need to replace anytime soon..
Posted 2 years ago # -
actually, allow me to post something directly from that review of the D7000...
"Resolution
Yep, 16mp is better than 12mp. Mostly. Poor lenses start showing just how poor they are with this level of pixel density, and you definitely need to watch to make sure that diffraction doesn't start robbing back much of what you gained. For a 19" print, for example, you'll see clear diffraction impacts starting at somewhere around f/9 or f/10, depending upon your viewing distance and eyesight. The 18-105mm kit lens is not quite as good a performer as the 16-85mm DX lens. You can't tell that on the 12mp cameras, but on the D7000 there is a small, but discernible difference. That's not to say the 18-105mm is bad on the D7000. It isn't. It's just that the 16-85mm delivers a tiny bit more performance (as does the 17-55m). I've got a couple of cheap third-party lenses still hanging around, and they look cheap on the D7000 ;~). So I'll just put it this way: don't buy the D7000 for it's resolution and then wimp out on lenses. You'll achieve nothing that you couldn't get on the 12mp cameras. If you're going to invest in more pixels, you need to invest in good lenses. The 18-105mm is at the bottom of the scale of what I'd use on the D7000. The D7000 is going to force me to go back and re-evaluate a lot of lenses. The 18-200mm starts to look more like a mediocre performer on the D7000, as do several other lenses. If you're buying the camera for resolution, you need to look seriously at your lenses, just as D3x users have to."I think that about says it all...
Jon
Posted 2 years ago # -
Well, i wont be printing such huge pictures but i do see your point. Just the kit lens (18-105) will be soon useless as i will later on pick a 70-300 VR. And since 18-105 is also a bottom-performer, im thinkin to save some cash (200$) n go for 18-55 n use that money later on when ive developed some skills.
Perhaps, later on i could replace the 18-55 with a 16-85? :)Posted 2 years ago # -
If you're eventually going to replace the 18-55 with the 16-85, why buy the 18-55 now? Just do it right the first time and don't look back. For DX, the 16 vs 18mm on the wide end will make some difference and you'll definately appreciate the extra reach of 85mm over 55mm. That coupled with a higher quality lens.. Just buy the D7000 body only and a make your own kit with the 16-85.. :)
Posted 2 years ago # -
Sorry to perhaps confuse the issue in your mind now, but given what you said above about printing (and also that the D7000 may be too much camera bearing that in mind too), I'd say go with a D90/18-105VR kit lens and learn to use it properly. You will not be disappointed, and you will still be challenged by the technicalities of the camera and getting good shots with it. The 18-105 and 70-300 are a great pairing. I'd say you would find that you would take plenty of shots in the 55-105 range with that lens that you would not get with the 18-55 so think carefully. You said that that 18-105 will be useless as you would soon get the 70-300? I don't know of anybody who does not have and use a lens below 70mm so you need to re-think that whole area of your thinking I reckon. As you are thinking of investing so much money on the D7000 body, you will probably find that not only will you realise that you do need a lens below 70mm, but probaly one below 18mm too!
OK, you may still want to go D7000 due to peer pressure/attraction of a better spec/longer time to upgrade, but you are likely to be wasting - not saving - money with your current thinking on lenses. This forum has a high regard for the 18-105, on balance perhaps more so than the 18-55 but that is still a good little lens.
As the DSLR you buy will be your first, are you aware that using an APS-C sensor camera will make the 70-300 a 105-450 in 35mm sensor size terms? Maybe that will help you see that what you are proposing is likely to lead to regret as you learn more.
Hope that helps, that's why I typed it all!
Posted 2 years ago # -
bharatwd1 said:
HI, im about to buy my first DSLR and i've finally narrowed down the list to the D7000. However, im still struggling to select the right lens kit for my D7000. Im initially inclined to ditch the 18-105VR that comes with the D7000 kit (thanks
to Ken Rockwell) and pick the 18-55VR for the time being. I realize i wont be able to do justice to the D7000 in the beginning, hence I just want to enhance my skills with the 18-55VR. I later plan to add the 70-300VR and the 35mm/1.8 for indoor photography.
Now, my only concern here is if im doing the right thing by ditching the 18-105VR for the 18-55VR?
I couldnt find much reviews on the D7000+18-55VR lens combination and hence I look for your advice on this issue.
Thanks :) Looking forward to owning a Nikon DSLR :)I would go for the D7K (D7000) kit lenses if you are entering to the world of DSLR photography.
(I guess you are going for the 18-55VR due to the price.. but also look on the long run, sometimes it is good to spend a few $$$ more and get something more durable..)One good thing of the 18-55VR is that is almost 1/2 the weight of the 18-105VR
The 18-55VR is a nice lens but you will feel a little bit limited soon. It is a wide-angle zoom, and if you want to take some portraits or take some photos from not so close objects. Instead, the D7K kit lens will give you some additional playground for it. (It is a more general purpose lens).
The filter thread of the 18-55VR is 52mm, while the 18-105 is 67mm. If you plan to get the 70-300VR and you may also want to get a filter that is suitable for both lenses, get the 18-105. (I have the 70-300VR that has 67mm as filter thread), and share special purpose filters (ND, polarizers, etc).
If you want sharp photos, don't go for a zoom, but that is another story.
The 18-55 is not a robust lens, and its durability is not as the 18-105, and I can tell you from experience with a broken 18-55 :( (Therefore I'm not 100% objective here)
I just got the D7K this week, and I'm like a little kit playing with it's new toy, really a treasure compared with my older D70s camera, that is working with me for more than 6 years.. (D70s with it's kit lens: 18-70, also 67mm, great camera for IR photography that I will be missing on the D7K)
The 16-85VR is on my wish list...
Hope it helps.
Posted 2 years ago # -
spraynpray said:
Sorry to perhaps confuse the issue in your mind now, but given what you said above about printing (and also that the D7000 may be too much camera bearing that in mind too), I'd say go with a D90/18-105VR kit lens and learn to use it properly. You will not be disappointed, and you will still be challenged by the technicalities of the camera and getting good shots with it. The 18-105 and 70-300 are a great pairing. I'd say you would find that you would take plenty of shots in the 55-105 range with that lens that you would not get with the 18-55 so think carefully. You said that that 18-105 will be useless as you would soon get the 70-300? I don't know of anybody who does not have and use a lens below 70mm so you need to re-think that whole area of your thinking I reckon. As you are thinking of investing so much money on the D7000 body, you will probably find that not only will you realise that you do need a lens below 70mm, but probaly one below 18mm too!OK, you may still want to go D7000 due to peer pressure/attraction of a better spec/longer time to upgrade, but you are likely to be wasting - not saving - money with your current thinking on lenses. This forum has a high regard for the 18-105, on balance perhaps more so than the 18-55 but that is still a good little lens.
As the DSLR you buy will be your first, are you aware that using an APS-C sensor camera will make the 70-300 a 105-450 in 35mm sensor size terms? Maybe that will help you see that what you are proposing is likely to lead to regret as you learn more.
Hope that helps, that's why I typed it all!
Great points here, much clearer than the ones I gave before!
Till last week, I used the D70s with the 18-55 and the 70-300VR, and as Murphy's laws, you always will find out that you need the fewer or additional focus length of the non-attached lens, therefore, <b>it is great to have a good overlap between your zoom lenses.</b>
Posted 2 years ago # -
Pick up a used D90 on the cheap. Get a D7000 when you don't call yourself a beginner anymore.
Posted 2 years ago # -
the problem with taking KRs reviews without trying the equipment is just that, its KR opinion.
E.G he prefers a SB400 and encourages you to get one. That is his opinion and if you get one, very soon you will be wishing for more.
I am sure that if you get the 18-55 you will soon know about its limitations. I will guess you are making your decision based on his comments on sharpness.
Why not borrow /rent, get together with a friend and take some shots with the 18-105, look at them on your computer print a few 8 x 10s and see if this lens is for you.
You might be pleasantly supprised at the results, and this package would allow you to learn and know what direction you would like your photography to go, not the direction or lens package someone says you should go.
remember more expensive equipment does not mean beter pictures, unless you have the knowledge to really use it.
Do not get caught up in the hype, the photograph is in your head and the camera records it. think about the equipment Ansel used.
two people will look at the same scene and record different images, one will be a winner and the other junk.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Drdobs said:
actually, allow me to post something directly from that review of the D7000..."Resolution
Yep, 16mp is better than 12mp. Mostly. Poor lenses start showing just how poor they are with this level of pixel density, and you definitely need to watch to make sure that diffraction doesn't start robbing back much of what you gained. For a 19" print, for example, you'll see clear diffraction impacts starting at somewhere around f/9 or f/10, depending upon your viewing distance and eyesight. The 18-105mm kit lens is not quite as good a performer as the 16-85mm DX lens. You can't tell that on the 12mp cameras, but on the D7000 there is a small, but discernible difference. That's not to say the 18-105mm is bad on the D7000. It isn't. It's just that the 16-85mm delivers a tiny bit more performance (as does the 17-55m). I've got a couple of cheap third-party lenses still hanging around, and they look cheap on the D7000 ;~). So I'll just put it this way: don't buy the D7000 for it's resolution and then wimp out on lenses. You'll achieve nothing that you couldn't get on the 12mp cameras. If you're going to invest in more pixels, you need to invest in good lenses. The 18-105mm is at the bottom of the scale of what I'd use on the D7000. The D7000 is going to force me to go back and re-evaluate a lot of lenses. The 18-200mm starts to look more like a mediocre performer on the D7000, as do several other lenses. If you're buying the camera for resolution, you need to look seriously at your lenses, just as D3x users have to."I think that about says it all...
Jon
who are you quoting please ?
Posted 2 years ago # -
@ bharatwd1 : You need to give us more info about your experience. our advice will be radically different if you have shot 35mm slr film or if you only have had an Ipod camera. also give details regarding your fav type of photos and what you intend to shoot. A portrait shooter will need a very different lens from a soccer mom or for a bug and flower shooter or a landscape shooter etc etc. .. also what you intend to do with the photos you shoot? just view on a screen on a TV print an album of 4x6 or print huge and hang on your walls! all this has impact on what lens we will advice you to get.
LOL Hope you get your answer before niko kills this thread LOL! (Just do a search of the forum SLAM! !! LOL)
Posted 2 years ago # -
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Yes, it matters much what you'll be doing with this camera and another point to consider... Are you serious about photography because I think if you're buying this to just throw a lens on and walk around and shoot and get great pictures I think you *might* be surprised that won't necessarily be the case.
I may be alone but I found that when I bought my first DLSR (D40 w/18-55 Kit) my pictures actually took a step back before they went forward. It's not the kind of device you'll get good value if you just put it on Auto and walk around and take pictures. In the regard, save yourself a thousand dollars and pickup a point and shoot.
Jon
Posted 2 years ago # -
Around here they sell a great kit: D90 + 16 - 85. I just got one a few month ago. It is a great kit. Price for the kit is the same as D7000 body only.
First on my wish list is a 70 - 300 VR. It will be my "do it all kit".
The two lenses will still be good lenses when I upgrade to D7100 or D7200 :-)
If you are a beginner there is very little the D7000 will do for you that the D90 wont. Just my 2 cents worth.
Good luck
Posted 2 years ago # -
I agree with the D90 comments mentioned here. The 18-105 is doesn't lose much (if anything) to the 18-55 in the range where they overlap and gives you that extra above 55mm. I think it's worth the extra money.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Well the only reason i opted for D7000 is that i dont want to reinvest in a camera again after a year. From what i read, I felt the optics of 18-105 lens were the same as the 18-55 (but more range), hence i prefered the 18-55 + 70-300 combo... and later on replacing the 18-55 with a 16-85.
ill pick the 70-300 after 6 months with the 16-85. would it be that bad to use d7000+18-55 for the next 6 months to familiarize with the camera and its features?
I do intend on getting into wildlife photography but as a hobby....hence the d7000+70-300 combo....i dont buy into the megapixel hype but i know speed will be of concern when i try to get my subject right :) again from what i read, the d7000 6fps n 39 AF points will come in handy at that stage..Posted 2 years ago # -
bharatwd1 said:
From what i read, I felt the optics of 18-105 lens were the same as the 18-55 (but more range), hence i prefered the 18-55 + 70-300 combo... and later on replacing the 18-55 with a 16-85.bharatwd1, this is exactly why I wouldn't consider the 18-55 over the 18-105 in your situation. There is no downside to having an overlap in focal lengths and it can actually come in very handy.
You may also find that the 18-105 is all you need in that range (which would save you hundreds of $$$). The main thing you get with the 16-85 over the 18-105 is a metal mount and 2mm on the short end (which does make a difference). But you lose some on the long end, too.
You'll love the D7000 (but you'd love the D90, too).
Posted 2 years ago # -
Hi,
Spraynpray's advice is pretty sound. A D90 is a terrific camera. Mine has 10's of thousands of clicks on it and still going. I routinely shoot 2-4 thousand shoots a week without a hitch, and make up to poster size prints with no problems - granted I feel a lot more comfortable with anything up to say 16-20 inches, but the posters look terrific at normal viewing distance.
You can learn a lot from an automatic camera. Let it set everything, then flip it to manual and set the same settings, for exposure, them back off either f-stop or shutter or both to fix your DOF or manage your lighting, and check your histogram to ensure you have a good printable image. These are fantastic learning and teaching tools.
While I _think_ NX2 should come bundled with Nikon cameras, one should buy it. There are tools inside NS2 that point to where the NEF file was focused when shot, a very important thing when studying files in post. Were you on top of the shoot? NX2 can help.
I have held off on the D7000 in anticipation of the D700 replacement (my wife thinks I'm crazy), but my D90 is still clicking away.
If you are a two camera guy, the D90 will be a good 2d camera, but I will admit, it likely won't sell too well if you want to sell it chasing a D7000.
If you go to the D7000, I will muddy the water with one more lens suggestion. The 70-300 is a nice daylight lens (I own it), and for outdoors wildlife you should be fine (as an amateur). But why not get a 35mm f1.8 and a 50mmm f1.8? Both primes are cheap and fast and sharp and will take your shooting to another level - making you a sharper eye - for my money. You'll have a lighter one lens kit to walk around with (w/out flash) and get some better available light pictures.
Just saying...
My best,
Mike
Posted 2 years ago # -
As a beginner, you're best to keep focused on the adage that it's not the arrow, it's the Indian, and learn to take great shots with whatever you get. The truth is that there are so many options and combinations of lenses that nobody can possibly give you the advice that fits you, except by accident.
So whether you get the basic D7000 kit (18-105) or the body and an 18-55 lens really doesn't matter. The only thing that counts is what you learn with it, which will dictate what you want to do with it when you really know your needs. Either way you choose will get you to the same place if you're serious about photography.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Looks like you can't lose with either way... I'd personally prefer the 2mm wider lens (especially since you're on DX format where you need every mm you can get on the wide end) and go with what should be a better quality lens in the 16-85 but that is debateable.. Did you read the review I sent gave you the link too?
Good stuff, you'll be happy either way...
And as for the GF... now you can take her out and take pictures of her... - she'll be happier with that! :)
Posted 2 years ago # -
Couldn't agree with this more.. at this point, with such a tool - keep the focus on the act of shooting pictures and trust the technology in your hands won't hold you back - because it won't... The D7000 coupled with any of the aformentioned lenses is a serious kick ass setup...
Posted 2 years ago #
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