# Affordable lens recommendations?



## Vilatus (Jan 18, 2018)

Hi everybody.

I'm a beginner photographer, just doing it as a hobby. I just want a few recommendations for lenses. I mostly take pictures of my pets, of nature, and in the summer I plan to take some pictures of cars. I use a Nikon D3300. I currently own an 18-55mm lens, and a 50-200mm lens. I don't use autofocus, so manual is ok. 

I'm sort of interested in a macro lens, but I don't know where to start. I'm a student and don't have a ton of cash, so anywhere $300 and under is ok, it doesn't need to be an official Nikon lens either. 

I've attached pictures of my lenses, as well as some of the stuff I've taken so that you can see what I'm talking about.

Thanks!!














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## zombiesniper (Jan 18, 2018)

I would say learn with what you have first. If you want a look into Macro then get some extension tubes like linked below. Inexpensive and will give you an opportunity to explore Macro style shooting.

Extension tubes


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## petrochemist (Jan 19, 2018)

zombiesniper said:


> I would say learn with what you have first. If you want a look into Macro then get some extension tubes like linked below. Inexpensive and will give you an opportunity to explore Macro style shooting.
> 
> Extension tubes



Extension tubes are good but I find one of the Raynox auxiliary lenses (DCR 150 or DCR250) much quicker & easier to use & they still give great results (unlike the many cheaper diopters).
The Raynox lenses just clip onto the front of your existing lenses, like all diopters they give higher magnifications when used on longer focal length lenses (The DCR150 will be just reach 1:1 on your 200mm, the DCR250 should reach a little over 1.6x). Maximum focusing distance with them fitted depends on the strength of the auxiliary  (about 200mm with the DCR150 & 125mm with the DCR250)
Extension tubes on the other hand give most magnification with shorter focal lengths, working distance is a function of focal length (only slightly modified by the focusing control) and going behind the lens they can be quite fiddly/time consuming to get the right length for the working distance/magnification you want.


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## WB8588 (Jan 20, 2018)

The 35mm dx lens for nikon is decent. I believe i paid 200 brand new. I bought ot and have never taken it off.

One of my favorite pictures i took with it



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## Vilatus (Jan 20, 2018)

WB8588 said:


> The 35mm dx lens for nikon is decent. I believe i paid 200 brand new. I bought ot and have never taken it off.
> 
> One of my favorite pictures i took with itView attachment 152445
> 
> Sent from my LGMS210 using Tapatalk


Actually, I had seen that one and was considering it. How close up can you get with it?

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## WB8588 (Jan 20, 2018)

Vilatus said:


> WB8588 said:
> 
> 
> > The 35mm dx lens for nikon is decent. I believe i paid 200 brand new. I bought ot and have never taken it off.
> ...


I say about 5 feet. A downside is that its hard to focus with it because our camera viewfinder is really small and the lens is pretty wide. So its a lot of information inside of a tiny view.

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## WB8588 (Jan 20, 2018)

Vilatus said:


> WB8588 said:
> 
> 
> > The 35mm dx lens for nikon is decent. I believe i paid 200 brand new. I bought ot and have never taken it off.
> ...


But for 200 bucks i think its a good deal. And it has auto focus so just let the camera do the work

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## SquarePeg (Jan 20, 2018)

I always preferred the 50mm 1.8 to the 35mm especially for getting good faces in portraits.  The “nifty fifty” as it’s called, is similar in price to the 35mm.  Don’t be afraid to buy used/refurbished to stretch your budget.  Just make sure you either test the lens in person or buy from a reputable online seller like Adorama, B&H or Cameta etc.  

The Nikon kit 18-55 is not a bad lens but that 55-200 is not the greatest.  If you go for a longish zoom, I really liked the Tamron 70-300 VC when I had my Nikon.  The friend I later sold it to is also thrilled with it.  Great lens and in your budget.

I do agree with zombiesniper that you should wait until you can identify what it is exactly that your current kit is lacking before you add to it.  Is it that you’re struggling in low light?  A 1.8 would help with that.  Can’t get close enough to wildlife?  Then a long zoom.  Want more magnification?  Extension tubes or the diopter.  Not getting good focus?  Practice practice practice.


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## Vilatus (Jan 21, 2018)

SquarePeg said:


> I always preferred the 50mm 1.8 to the 35mm especially for getting good faces in portraits.  The “nifty fifty” as it’s called, is similar in price to the 35mm.  Don’t be afraid to buy used/refurbished to stretch your budget.  Just make sure you either test the lens in person or buy from a reputable online seller like Adorama, B&H or Cameta etc.
> 
> The Nikon kit 18-55 is not a bad lens but that 55-200 is not the greatest.  If you go for a longish zoom, I really liked the Tamron 70-300 VC when I had my Nikon.  The friend I later sold it to is also thrilled with it.  Great lens and in your budget.
> 
> I do agree with zombiesniper that you should wait until you can identify what it is exactly that your current kit is lacking before you add to it.  Is it that you’re struggling in low light?  A 1.8 would help with that.  Can’t get close enough to wildlife?  Then a long zoom.  Want more magnification?  Extension tubes or the diopter.  Not getting good focus?  Practice practice practice.



Absolutely no issue with buying used. Got no problem with saving big on a lens someone treated well, haha

I feel I'm lacking in terms of zoom mostly, which is why I bought the 55-200, but it's not enough for wildlife. I'm bumbling my way through teaching myself how to operate my camera pretty well I feel like, so no issues with focus or light or anything. The Tamron long telephoto lenses have caught my eye, but I've heard that the Tamron lenses aren't very good at capturing sharp details, is that true?

Thank you so much for the in depth reply. 

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## Vilatus (Jan 21, 2018)

SquarePeg said:


> I always preferred the 50mm 1.8 to the 35mm especially for getting good faces in portraits.  The “nifty fifty” as it’s called, is similar in price to the 35mm.  Don’t be afraid to buy used/refurbished to stretch your budget.  Just make sure you either test the lens in person or buy from a reputable online seller like Adorama, B&H or Cameta etc.
> 
> The Nikon kit 18-55 is not a bad lens but that 55-200 is not the greatest.  If you go for a longish zoom, I really liked the Tamron 70-300 VC when I had my Nikon.  The friend I later sold it to is also thrilled with it.  Great lens and in your budget.
> 
> I do agree with zombiesniper that you should wait until you can identify what it is exactly that your current kit is lacking before you add to it.  Is it that you’re struggling in low light?  A 1.8 would help with that.  Can’t get close enough to wildlife?  Then a long zoom.  Want more magnification?  Extension tubes or the diopter.  Not getting good focus?  Practice practice practice.


Also sorry I feel like my reply was badly worded. Replying before bed so I'm a bit out of it

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## ac12 (Jan 21, 2018)

So WHY are you not using the AF?
dslrs do not have the best screen for manually focusing a lens.

IMHO, I concur with the others.
USE your lenses till you clearly identify a need that they will not fill.  Then you can make a better decision to determine if you need to buy a lens to fit that need or not.

For close up  photo, I would get a 3 lens closeup filter/lens kit.  This is the cheapest easiest way to get into close up work.
Alternatively an old 55mm f/3.5 manual focus macro lens.  This is the macro lens that I use on my D7200.  Just be CAREFUL which version you get, as there are compatibility issues between different Nikon lenses and bodies.  There are compatibility charts out on the web.


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## WB8588 (Jan 21, 2018)

I use AF. But sometime i want a shot out of focus to a certain extent. Hope that makes sense

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## Vilatus (Jan 21, 2018)

ac12 said:


> So WHY are you not using the AF?
> dslrs do not have the best screen for manually focusing a lens.
> 
> IMHO, I concur with the others.
> ...



I like the freedom it gives me to pick exactly what I want the camera to focus on. Don't get me wrong, I use the autofocus if I just need to snap something and be done, but I'm not a huge fan. Also I have 20/20 with my glasses so the screen isn't usually an issue unless it's late and my eyes are getting tired.

I think you replied just as I did oops- I know what I feel I'm missing. I'd like to get wildlife shots and that, so a zoom lens would be best. But I figured I'd be happy to experiment as well.

Oh, ok. I'll look into those and see what I think. Also, probably a stupid question but forgive my inexperience, is incompatibility a common issue? I thought as long as it was f mount it would work.

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## Vilatus (Jan 21, 2018)

WB8588 said:


> I use AF. But sometime i want a shot out of focus to a certain extent. Hope that makes sense
> 
> Sent from my LGMS210 using Tapatalk


I think I understand. Which is exactly why I prefer manual, cause it gives me full control. But maybe that's just a lifetime of use of autofocusing cameras that never could never focus on what I wanted talking, haha

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## ac12 (Jan 21, 2018)

For AF, learn to select and move the AF point for the camera to use.
Then learn how to focus and recompose using focus lock.  I use the focus/recompose method all the time.

The 55-200 is a decent day time lens.

For wildlife, as with another thread, the problem is how much magnification do you need.  Just guessing can be expensive, if you choose the wrong lens.

Try this trick.

Take your 55-200, and set it to 200mm.

Then looking thru the screen or a full  uncropped image of your wildlife at a typical distance.
Then quarter the image.  

The area inside one of the quarters is equivalent to a 400mm lens.
Just looking at that quarter, as if it were the entire frame, do you need more magnification to get the animal larger, or is it enough?
If you need more magnification, then quarter the quarter again, to see what an 800mm lens would give you.  This would probably have to be done on your computer, as the viewfinder would be too small.
The problem is at that range of zoom, the cheaper lenses are still expensive.
The Sigma 150-600 at about $1,000, and the Nikon 200-500 at about $1,400.


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## SquarePeg (Jan 21, 2018)

I did a quick check of my Flickr. These were taken with the Tamron 70-300 VC. Hope this helps. 

Wildlife




[






Wild life


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## SquarePeg (Jan 21, 2018)

Vilatus said:


> WB8588 said:
> 
> 
> > I use AF. But sometime i want a shot out of focus to a certain extent. Hope that makes sense
> ...



When you say auto focus are you referring to single point AF or Auto letting the camera choose your focus point?  Single point AF for wildlife has got to be better than manual focus.


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## WB8588 (Jan 21, 2018)

SquarePeg said:


> Vilatus said:
> 
> 
> > WB8588 said:
> ...


Single point. I've always wonder what AF was like on high end cameras. On my d3200 its funny because it chooses exactly what i dont want to focus on lol!

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## SquarePeg (Jan 21, 2018)

WB8588 said:


> SquarePeg said:
> 
> 
> > Vilatus said:
> ...



If you’re using single point, then you are choosing what it focuses on. If your final result has a different focus point than what you chose in Camera then your camera maybe back focusing our front focusing and may need to be adjusted.


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## Cortian (Jan 21, 2018)

ac12 said:


> IMHO, I concur with the others.
> USE your lenses till you clearly identify a need that they will not fill.  Then you can make a better decision to determine if you need to buy a lens to fit that need or not.


That's what _I'm_ doing.

In the meantime I'm reading about lenses I _might_ want to fill the needs I _perceive_ I (will) have, and making a list--incl. what new and used prices are running, links to reviews, etc.   That way: When and if the time comes, I'll have already laid most of the groundwork.


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## ac12 (Jan 21, 2018)

WB8588 said:


> SquarePeg said:
> 
> 
> > Vilatus said:
> ...



For your AF problem:

Use Program mode exposure.  Then you can select where to focus on.

Auto uses "closest subject" logic, and you have no control over what the camera focuses on.

Group/area/zone focus is similar, the camera chooses what to focus on in that zone.  I forget how Nikon works (since I don't use it).  Canon uses closest subject logic.
I use single point, center point AF.


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## Dave Colangelo (Jan 22, 2018)

Ill second the 35mm F1.8. Its one of the cheapest lenses nikon makes and one of my favorites. I also have the D3300.

One thing that often goes over looked by new comers is that Nikons (D3300) will accept any F-Mount lens ever made. So that means _basically _every lens they have made since the late 50's. The only catch is that you need to run in full manual mode (not a problem once you get used to it). With this in mind you can grab some of the old macro lenses cheaper than a new one and they will work just fine. A great deal of info can be found here and you can find compatibility info here. Great deals can be had on Ebay and flea markets if you are willing to hunt a bit.


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## Vilatus (Jan 22, 2018)

Dave Colangelo said:


> Ill second the 35mm F1.8. Its one of the cheapest lenses nikon makes and one of my favorites. I also have the D3300.
> 
> One thing that often goes over looked by new comers is that Nikons (D3300) will accept any F-Mount lens ever made. So that means _basically _every lens they have made since the late 50's. The only catch is that you need to run in full manual mode (not a problem once you get used to it). With this in mind you can grab some of the old macro lenses cheaper than a new one and they will work just fine. A great deal of info can be found here and you can find compatibility info here. Great deals can be had on Ebay and flea markets if you are willing to hunt a bit.



Oh, I didn't realize that! I thought all those lenses were a different mount. (Can't remember what letter) I can manage full manual mode, I just have to take a bit more time. It's good practice and for such a deep discount (I've seen ridiculously cheap older lenses) that's definitely something I'm going to look into. Thank you for the links as well.

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## ac12 (Jan 22, 2018)

Vilatus said:


> Dave Colangelo said:
> 
> 
> > Ill second the 35mm F1.8. Its one of the cheapest lenses nikon makes and one of my favorites. I also have the D3300.
> ...



The mount itself is the same F mount from the 1950s.  
The problem is the lens/meter coupling mechanism has changed over the years from mechanical (ears) to mechanical (AI), to electronic.  
And mechanical screw drive AF to electronic AF.  The 3xxx series cameras cannot AF the mechanical AF lenses.

BIG caution, it is not as simple as mentioned.
There are some specialized lenses that project into the mirror box and require that the mirror be raised.  These cannot be used unless your camera has a mirror lift function.  Or you will  crack the mirror when installing the lens.
So study the compatibility chart.

Manual Focus works for some thing, like macro, but does not work well for other things, like sport and following fast moving kids.  dslrs do not have a screen that is easy to manual focus.


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## petrochemist (Jan 22, 2018)

ac12 said:


> The mount itself is the same F mount from the 1950s.
> The problem is the lens/meter coupling mechanism has changed over the years from mechanical (ears) to mechanical (AI), to electronic.
> And mechanical screw drive AF to electronic AF.  The 3xxx series cameras cannot AF the mechanical AF lenses.
> 
> ...


A nice summary that covers all the points I was going to add to your earlier post. 
The one failing of Nikons f-mount is when you come to try using lenses from other cameras. Practically none work for distant subjects without additional optics. Most other mounts are capable of using adapted lenses from at least a few other mounts - Canons EF mount being one of the most adaptable being able to use M42, OM, PK, F... lenses (but not Canon's earlier FD range).

Mirrorless cameras have opened new realms in the field of adapting lenses. Most mirrorless cameras can use all 35mm SLR lenses, & most rangefinder lenses via reasonably affordable adapters. Some can even use cine lenses. There's even an adapter now that gives AF with MF lenses! I suspect more of this sort will be making an appearance shortly


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## SquarePeg (Jan 22, 2018)

Don’t forget the adapters that give you a FF view on a crop sensor like the Lens Turbo ll...


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