Good alternative to kit lens

[bbtom10]

Hi,

I am 70% thinking of getting a D90 body and wondered if ther are any alternatives to the Nikkor 18-55mm VR AF-S which seems to be the often quoted standard lens for this type of camera (I can't spring for more than £100, so the 18-105mm that gets packed with the D90 Kit is out the question).

Are there any good alternatives from Nikon, or the other big guys?

Thanks
Tom

[Nicole]

If you're keeping the lenses you already have and just upgrading the body, why not get the body only and get a 50mm f/1.8 lens? It's should come in just under your budget and it's a nice start to trying out a kit lens. The extra benefit? It would auto focus on the D90 where it doesn't on the D40.

[bbtom10]

sorry, I should add my 18-55 was stolen along with my d40.

I will look for a 35mm or 50mm prime as well, but I do use the zoom on a basic kit lens and wondered what alternatives there may be?

[ravncat]

The quality on the nikon 18-55 is pretty good. I think if you want to start looking for other zooms - you`re gonna have to start looking at much higher prices pretty quickly.

There are older nikon kit lenses that can be had and are cheap - 28-80 etc... but you`re probably going to want something wider - at least in the 18mm range - which brings you to the myriad of lens choices from nikon - all of which are likely more expensive (than the 18-55 vr)

. The cheaper 17-55 2.8 zooms from tamron / tokina / sigma still cost in the 500 dollar range (US) and I`m not sure what the price on nikon`s 16-85 is...

I think you may be best off sticking with the kit - lest you go body only and decide to put more money into glass.

[Aegea]

After I sold my D40 with the kit lens, I faced a similar question when buying a D90. From experience I knew I would want something wider than 18mm, so buying another 18-55 would not be a good long-term idea. After reading around a lot, I first bought a used 28-105 for around $190, and later supplemented it with a Tokina 12-24. The 28-105 seems optically a bit better than the 18-55, and is much better constructed (it also has a limited macro capability, going down to 1:2). It's my walk-around lens most of the time. I don't know how much the 28-105 would go for in the UK, but you might be able to get one in your budget.

[Almond.Butterscotch]

doesn't the D90 kit with an 18-105mm?

Ahh whatever. who cares. Just get the 35mm f1.8 or the 50mm f/1.8 and be done with it.

it's not big, but here's my D90+35mm f/1.8 set: D90 + 35mm ?/1.8 - a set on Flickr

here's a better sample (D40+35mm): D40 + 35mm ?/1.8 - a set on Flickr

yeah- i'm a viewwhore. oh well.

[bbtom10]

Thanks for the comments,

the 28-105mm old style seems to be just within budget at around £100 second-hand
the 16-85mm is over £400 so that's out.

The 28-80mm is well within budget at around £40 - is this a decent lens?

At the moment, I am thinking the kit lens 18-55mm VR is going to be the best option, unless I just go 35mm or 50mm f/1.8 primes!

Can you live without a small wide angle through small telephoto zoom in your bag?

[tokyotom]

How about the 18-70?
18-70 - Adorama.com

[Shokinen]

I bought the Nikon 16-85mm when I bought my D90. The only downside is the price if you compare it to other options. But the optical and build quality are very good. Metal connector, back rubber seal, ED glass, it's a good lens for a serious amateur.

On top of that, you get the far end of wide angle and enough reach for portrait in a single lens.

Hope this helps

[lemonjenny]

Check out Sigma's 18-50 f/2.8 or 17-50 f/2.8. Both are extraordinary lenses, and super sharp. But at a discount! I use the 18-50 f/2.8 as my "kit lens" replacement. It lives on my camera.