D60 Lens Question

[Maggiemw]

I'm being given as a loan a D60. I plan on buying the D90 sometime in the fall. Since I'm going on a once in the lifetime vacation this summer I would like to get a few lens that fit the D60 but will also work nicely with the D90 when I upgrade.

I would like a wide aperture lens like a 20 mm 2.8 but I know that the D60 won't auto focus it. Can I get this lens and just manually focus with the D60? Super Wide Angle AF Nikkor 20mm f/2.8D Autofocus Lens?

I would also like any other suggestions of lens I should get. The D60 and the D90 will come with the 18-200 lens.

Thank you.

[OsmosisStudios]

You can mount any Nikon F-Mount lens to your D60, which means back to the AI period. You just wont get full features.

Any AF lens will mount, meter and interact with the body, you just wont get AF on the D60 (you will on the D90).

As for the lens choice: 20mm is quite wide on film or the larger FX sensors (like the D700/D3/D3x) but is equivalent to 30mm on the D60/D90/Dx bodies. This means its actually closer to a normal.

If youre looking for a wide aperture lens, you can also do better than f/2.8. NIkon makes several great f/1.8 and f/1.4 (1stop and 1.66 stops faster) than the f/2.8. Things like the 50mm f/1.8, f/1.4 (both versions) and the 35mm f/1.8 all work great and cost less. The cheapest is the 50mm f/1.8, which will NOT AF on the D60, but will on the D90. There are 2 versions of the 50mm f/1.4, a D and a G series: the D will not AF, but the G will. You also pay hansomely (though even less, still, than that 20mm). The latest is the 35mm f1.8, which is designed specifically for DX (so it works great on both the D60 and D90) and has an AF-S motor, so it'll AF on all cameras. Of course, there are others: 85mm, 105mm, 135mm, 180mm, 200mm, etc. They're just much longer.

If youre looking for a wide-angle lens, then youve really only got 2 Nikon choices: the 12-24 and the 10-24, representing a 18-36 and 15-36 range, respectively. They're true ultrawides. The 12-24 is an F/4 constant whereas the 10-24 is a f/3.5-4.5 variable. Those will get you the field of view of a 20mm on FX, but not the aperture

It really depends on what youre looking for. Is it fast aperture or wide angle?

[Wooglah]

What about 14mm f/2.8 D? It's a little bit expensive for begginers, but it would go nicely with D90 and it has ~20mm on DX cameras. No autofocus on D60.

There are also some fisheyes (10mm f/2.8G DX, and 16mm f/2,8D) which are less expensive, but I dont think you are after that...

I'm just mentioning, it's not a recommendation or something.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by Wooglah

What about 14mm f/2.8 D? It's a little bit expensive for begginers, but it would go nicely with D90 and it has ~20mm on DX cameras. No autofocus on D60.

There are also some fisheyes (10mm f/2.8G DX, and 16mm f/2,8D) which are less expensive, but I dont think you are after that...

I'm just mentioning, it's not a recommendation or something.

The 14mm is $1700 (CAN). The 10-24 is about half that. I'd trade a stop for 4mm and $800

[Chip]

If I understand you correctly, both the D60 and D90 will be used with the 18-200mm?

If so, you already have the wide (but maybe not super wide) focal length covered.

One thought is to use the 18-200 for a while, then - with experience - you might well have a better feel for what you need (or want). Learning this way may help you avoid buying a lens that doesn't fit your style.

Just a thought.

And yes, you can manually focus the 20mm D on the D60, and then it will auto focus normally on the D90.

[light shot]

It is a good idea to use the 18-200 for a while to see what range you tend to shoot at, then you can buy another lens to use once you know what your needs are. I did that with the D60 and an 18-55 and 55-200 lens.

The 18-200 is a good walk-around lens, and as a pp said, will give you plenty of range so you can narrow down your future lens needs.

[Maggiemw]

Thank you for all the suggestions and help.

I appreciate it.