Good first lenses?

[asuyete]

I promised myself that I'd buy a lens for my D60 with my first paycheck, and the time is nearly here! I've been using the kit lens for a couple of months, but it's pretty limiting and I'd like to try something else (preferably not super-duper expensive, it's not that big a paycheck!). Since I haven't had the camera that long I don't want one without autofocus, but other than that any recommendations would be gratefully received. Thanks.

[Matthias099]

I guess it depends on what you want to do with your camera. Travel, Portrait, Macro etc. There is no lens that is good in everything. So give us some more info and I know the good people here at dps will have some suggestions for you.

[asuyete]

I'm sort of split down the middle between animals (as in pets rather than wildlife) and landscapes, so a good lens for either of those would be great.

[wulf]

Manual focus isn't that difficult if you get a lens with a decent focus ring. In most respects I think the kit lens on my D40 (18-55mm... same as the D60?) is excellent but the focus ring is narrow and not set up to make fine adjustments.

My lens history has been:

Kit lens

Raynox DCR-250 (macro adaptor... an add on rather than a full lens but it got me into manual focus and metering)

Nikon E Series 50mm f/1.8 (second-hand via eBay - cheap and wonderful)

Nikon 70-300mm (second-hand in local camera shop - a cheap way to get a long range zoom)

Vivitar Series 90mm f/2.5 macro (second-hand in local shop... heavy and all manual again but great lens and inexpensive)

Lensbaby (just for fun!)

I would strongly recommend checking out what is second hand in your local camera shops (giving some scope to try before you buy) and looking for a fast prime lens (50mm is a common and excellent choice). A prime lens gives a very different experience to a zoom lens; fast glass opens up lots of opportunities and fantastic bokeh; second-hand keeps the price down and saves losing too much if you don't get on with the lens and want to sell it.

Wulf

[Taallyn]

I have found that my Nikon Nikkor 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 has been a wonderful lens to start learning photography. I has a nice zoom range to let you experiment and it is very, very sharp. It has some compromises that you would expect to find in a consumer lens, but sharpness is not one of them.

[Cuchulainn]

I am a big fan of the Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD. While not quite as sharp as the Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G AF-S DX it is less than half the cost. I make quite a bit of use of this lens.

The Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED DX VR AF-S is also a really nice to consider as a good first lens. It will cover a LOT of ground for you with that wide range as you save for more lenses.

[asuyete]

Wow, this is fantastic - thanks everyone!

In most respects I think the kit lens on my D40 (18-55mm... same as the D60?) is excellent but the focus ring is narrow and not set up to make fine adjustments.

Yes, that's what I have - hence my lack of success with manual focus. I'll keep trying at it, but I didn't want to be stuck with a lens I couldn't use yet. If it's the lens rather than me I might broaden my search a bit...

I was planning to have a look at second-hand stuff but didn't have a clue what I was looking for! Hopefully all this should give me a good starting point. I found three lenses for £50 at the market the other week but they didn't fit my camera - not impressed

[Cuchulainn]

If those 3 lenses are older lenses the issue may be that the aperture ring extends past the lens mount surface. This interferes with the AI coupling tab on your camera, which is why it won't safely mount.

I do have a contact for a guy who does the AI modification to these lenses so that they will fit. I just had one done myself for an older lens that was passed on to me. The Nikkor-Q 135mm mention in my sig to be specific.

The cost was $35 and it now mounts and works with no problem.

[wulf]

Everything I've tried (Nikon mount, of course) on my D40 has worked. Is the (relatively brainless) D40 more adaptable than smarter camera? I do have to use most of my lenses in full manual mode but that's not a problem for me.

Wulf

[asuyete]

He couldn't tell me what mount they were (they were an unwanted present, I think), but they didn't even come close to fitting, so I just assumed they weren't made for Nikons. Well, I hope they weren't, since the market's in Cornwall and I can't get back down there that easily!