New kit... what to buy?

[GilPhilbert]

Hi,

I have one question, but it's really a few together, so apologies if this gets a little long!

I bought a D60 two years ago, and fell in love with photography. I bought a couple of lenses, but nothing special. I recently sold my D60 and upgraded to a D300 and I've also decided that I'll replace pretty much all of my existing (and mostly cheap) kit for something a little nicer.

At the moment I own the following:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 28-80mm f3.3-5.6G AF
Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 APO DG Macro AF-S

Plus the following, which I'm getting rid of:
Sigma 55-200mm f4-5.6 DC
Set of cheapy filters


I'm really into macro photography and love playing with water and reflections. I also take some family (mainly of my younger brothers) and sunrise/set shots with a spattering of landscape stuff (but nothing too special). You can probably get a good idea from my Flickr link in my signature.

There are a few things I'm thinking of and I'd like a little hand from you guys as to whether I'm on the right lines or cooking up a recipe for disaster!

Nikkor Prime (35mm / 50mm)
I've played about with a 50mm prime, but found the zoom to be a little tight, so I'm considering the 35mm.

Nikkor Micro (probably Nikon 105mm AF Micro)
The Sigma has a macro feature, but only from 200-300mm and it's not awesome.

Cokin Filters (ND4/8 Graduated, Circular Polarizer)
Really like the idea of this for my sunrise/sunset pictures and it's a great system I can add to.

Flashgun (Nikon SpeedLite)
Pretty obvious why I want this. The built-in flash isn't great.

Some advice would be great here, as although I've done research I'd like to make sure I'm on the right track.

Thanks!

[OsmosisStudios]

What's the aperture on the 70-200? Why are you getting rid of it?

I hate to say it, but I'd ditch the other two lenses and invest heavily in other stuff, depending on what you intend to really focus on. If it's landscapes, then get a good relatively wide angle lens and go to town. If it's portraits, then get a portrait prime. etc

[GilPhilbert]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

What's the aperture on the 70-200?

My apologies, it's actually a 55-200 f4-5.6 AF-S.

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Why are you getting rid of it?

To be honest, it's not very good. The optics aren't particularly clear, it focuses quite slowly and it tends to hunt pretty badly. It came with my D60 as part of a bundle.

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

I hate to say it, but I'd ditch the other two lenses and invest heavily in other stuff, depending on what you intend to really focus on. If it's landscapes, then get a good relatively wide angle lens and go to town. If it's portraits, then get a portrait prime. etc

Hmm. I was planning on keeping the 28-80 because although it doesn't really pack a lot of punch, it's got a nice range and the picture clarity is surprisingly good. It also focuses very quickly. Oh, and it only cost me 26 quid - a bit of a steal

I'm not too worried about portrait photography - I'm more likely to go macro or landscape I think.

Thanks for the advice

[ravncat]

There's not too much reason to ditch the 28-80 , it's not bad, though has some pronounced distortion - it's sharp enough on film, but is a little dated on digital, it's not bad - but it's very plastic, and - not worth much in the resell world anyway (I think the 18-70 is a much better kit lens)

[senorpyz]

i would get ride of the 70-300 and the 55-200 and get a sigma 70-200 f2.8 (but thats just me)

[GilPhilbert]

Hmm. I've had a couple of Sigma lenses and I've really not been impressed with the build quality and image clarity of either of them; that's why I'm planning on buying Nikon lenses.

Is the f/2 any good?