My very first DSLR

[Johnny5]

I am going to buy a D90.I am looking to get a tripod & a couple lenses.I would like to know what Lenses would best suit me for what I take pictures of. They would be - Wildlife-Lightning, night time & everyday pictures. I am the 1 who see's something I think is a great shot and shoots. I Have done alot of looking into what makes a great shot & I have read that I will need a couple lenses so please give advice on what ones to look at..I also know I will need auto instead of manual for I am just starting out & I will experiment with the manual...Thank You In Advance

[RecurrentNerve]

What's your budget? For wildlife shots a long lens is useful. For everything else something a little wider is useful.

[TheMoons678]

Welcome to the forum! check out this basic article on buying lenses:

Three Lenses Every Photographer Should Own

I'd personally start with the kit lens the D90 comes with (18-105mm VR?) before you start throwing out lots of money on more expensive lenses like the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR ($1400+.)

Probably the most common lens collection among beginners (like me) consists of a kit lens that has OK zoom coverage (18-105mm, or even 18-135mm) or includes what I have:

(prices in USD, average going rate of used lenses that I have seen locally)

Beginner (semi-budget) lens combo:
A kit "wide" angle: 18-55mm VR ($130) or 18-70mm ($150)
+
A telephoto: 55-200mm VR ($150), or 70-300mm VR ($375)
+
a fast (wide aperture=low f/stop) prime lens like a 50mm f/1.8 for portraits/low light photography. (<$100)

Nikon obviously makes much nicer/more expensive lenses than these, but this is a start. (This combo would run you ~$1100 for a used D90 + these 3 lenses).

Or some buy the 18-200mm VR II for around $600. Double the price of buying the same zoom coverage of the 18-55 + 55-200, but is more convenient. With the money I saved on buying them separate, I bought a flash and prime lens.

[Almond.Butterscotch]

Hmm... well, if you're serious about landscapes+lighting, you'll want a serious tripod (not the dinky ones at Best Buy- I'm talking about the ones that'll set you back $200-300 and have different heads and all). For wildlife, monopods are generally recommended more, but you're in luck- some tripods (like Giotto’s Vitruvian tripods) will detach the center column and you can use it like a monopod.

That said, RecurrentNerve nailed it on focal lengths- wildlife, you want something long (and fast). Meaning, not cheap. Landscapes, you want wide. And not necessarily fast (long exposures come in big, especially for lightning).

[sk66]

Re: the article linked...
I would agree with those lenses except I would trade the macro for a faster lens...especially if "night" is one of your chosen "subjects".