Choosing lenses for portrait and wildlife.

[Eter]

Hi folks!

I'm little bit confused when it comes to lens choices I recently bought my first camera Nikon D3000 and really love it, but the 18-55 kit lens is just not enough for me any more. I'm really interested in wildlife photography(I've got great opportunities not far away from my house - a "bird sanctuary"). I'm also looking for a portrait lens + some filters to get a bit of warmth in to the pictures I live in Ireland and sun kinda doesn't shine here often and makes most of my pictures looking cold. My budget is about $400. I would really appreciate help in picking those lenses. Thanks.

[NikS]

As a wise person once said - "a birder always needs a lens that's 100mm longer than what he has"
Basically, on your budget, and being restricted to AF-S glass, i could recommend you either AF-S-DX-VR-Zoom-NIKKOR-55-200mm f/4-5.6 or, if you can scrape about another 150$ - AF-S-VR-Zoom-NIKKOR-70-300mm f/4.5-5.6. Or check for a Tamron substitute of 70-300mm, should be abit cheaper.
When i was i your position though, i skipped all of the above, and saved abit more, till i could afford AF70-200mm F/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro, which also has a built-in AF motor. Sadly, this tammy lacks VR, unlike both cheap nikons above, but you learn to live with it.
Also consider 50mm f/1.4 AF-S, it's a superb portrait lens, but you'll still need a zoom for your wildlife shots.

[OsmosisStudios]

For birds the 70-300 VR would be better, but it'll likely still be short
For portraits, a 35mm f/1.8 or similar would be a bit easier.
As for warmth in the pictures, that could very well just be a white balance issue.

[Eter]

Thanks for the replys guys.

I'd love to have the lenses you mentioned but my budget is too tight.
I'm trying to choose between AF-S-DX-VR-Zoom-NIKKOR-55-200mm f/4-5.6 and Tamron AF 70-300mm F4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2 Nikon+Motor for the birds, I'm just not sure which one to choose. Should i go whit the bargain price and extra 100mm of Tamron and compromise on quality or go with the Nikkor for higher quality. For portraits i found Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f1.8G I'm not sure how good it is( reviews suggest its nice) Choosing between those puts me just few pounds bellow my budget limit, which is great. If anyone could help me narrow the choice it would be just awsome. Thanks

[OsmosisStudios]

the 35mm f/1.8 ahs some chromatic abberations that can be removed if you shoot RAW, but otherwise they're visibly present. otherwise it's very good though.

As for the 55-200/70-300 debate... I'd be tempted to tell you to WAIT and SAVE. Then get the 70-300 VR from Nikon. This assumes you don't need the lenses tomorrow.

[NikS]

I wouldn't say that choosing tamron means compromising on quality. I own two of their lenses, and love them both. I have tried nikon 17-55 compared to my 17-50, and haven't noticed any IQ differences that would make me pay four times more for nikon.
About 35mm - i can't stress it enough - it's a great lens. I used to own one, and gave it to a friend, since i almost didn't use it after getting the 17-50.

[Eter]

I think i'll go whit Tamron. NikS you're right - there is no point to overpay if there is not much difference( if at all) in picture quality. At least for now.I'm still fresh in to photography. I'll start saving up monthly for some better lenses, small sum a month and by next year ill get something in the 400-500 range ^^, but for now i just want go in to the wild and shoot pictures of those birds and get some good practice

All the best and Thank You very much OsmosisStudios and NikS.

[evader]

The 35mm f/1.8 was my first additional lens upgrade from the kit lens. I have had no problems with it at all and I love it...and the price is nice too

[i speak in math]

I'm not familiar with Nikon lenses but is there a non-VR zoom up to 300mm? I ask because you will be using a fast shutter speed to capture birds, so fast that VR shouldn't matter. This may cut down on the cost some.

[NikS]

Originally Posted by i speak in math

I'm not familiar with Nikon lenses but is there a non-VR zoom up to 300mm? I ask because you will be using a fast shutter speed to capture birds, so fast that VR shouldn't matter. This may cut down on the cost some.

Don't think so, at least none of the current ones. Maybe there is a discontinued model that Eter could get used, but i don't think that even if there is such a lens, that it'll come with built-in motor.

@Eter

You're welcome!
Hope we'll see some pictures soon!