Ideas on replacing Nikon kit lens?

[EdB]

Hi, all,

I've got a Nikon D40x. I'd like to replace the original 18-55 zoom with one better and faster. I recently had the camera body serviced by Nikon so it's in reasonable shape.

My goals are a) to get a faster lens and b) one with better optics than Nikon's kit.

Nikon lenses seem to be out due to their premium price, so I'm thinking of something like Sigma's 17-70 f/2.8 or the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. Even those lenses will strain my budget, but I'm ready for an upgrade.

Any ideas on this? Other recommendations? Rethink the whole process? Or ???

All comments appreciated.

EdB

[OsmosisStudios]

Fast zooms arent cheap: you pay for the speed. I'd have recommended the NIkon 17-55 f/2.8, but if the sigma and tamron are already out of reach...

[inkista]

Have you considered the AF-S 35m f/1.8? It'll give you the two things you want, and while it's not a zoom, the focal length is a good one for walkaround/general purpose use. It may be more of a supplement than a replacement for the kit lens, but certainly worth looking into if you're budget-limited.

[Narginia]

Originally Posted by inkista

Have you considered the AF-S 35m f/1.8? It'll give you the two things you want, and while it's not a zoom, the focal length is a good one for walkaround/general purpose use. It may be more of a supplement than a replacement for the kit lens, but certainly worth looking into if you're budget-limited.

+1

I rcvd this lens for Christmas and it has spent A LOT of time on my Nikon body sense then. Great lens for, in my opinion, a rocking price!

[EdB]

I've been wondering about the prime lenses. Is the 35 1.8 a better bet than the 50 1.8?

As to the Tamron or Sigma, they are out of my price range but I'm tempted to go for one anyway. Anybody had experience with either one?

EdB

[CiiVii]

That lens rocks! It IS discernably sharper than the kit lens, and nice for indoor situations where the light is low and you don't want to use a flash.

Other than that- think of what you want to photograph. Maybe a telephoto is in your future-- I think the 55-200 is less than $200 now.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by EdB

I've been wondering about the prime lenses. Is the 35 1.8 a better bet than the 50 1.8?

If you want autofocus on a D40x, yeah. If you want to see dpreview's test data of the two lenses on a 1.5x crop, side-by-side, here it is. Play with the aperture settings to see the full range of performance.

[EdB]

Originally Posted by CiiVii

That lens rocks! It IS discernably sharper than the kit lens, and nice for indoor situations where the light is low and you don't want to use a flash.

Other than that- think of what you want to photograph. Maybe a telephoto is in your future-- I think the 55-200 is less than $200 now.

CiiVii, which lens are you referring to? The prime 35?