Looking for a new lens 18-55mm to ?????

[mmjk84]

I'm thinking about getting a new lens so I went to one of the stores (RitzCamera) and I told the associate that I have the 18-55mm lens and I was thinking about getting the 55-200mm lens. She told me that there would be no point in getting the 55-200mm lens because I'll always be wanting to get more zoom later on and I'll be better off getting the 70-300mm lens. She's a Nikon fanatic to the bone so she was going on and on explaining why and shown me pictures and actually let me sample the lens as well taking shots around the store.

I was really amazed how sharp and clear the images turned out, 300mm zoom is insane!, and it's surprisingly light. You could also use that lens for pretty close up macro photography as well or closer than usual that I've experienced. So my questions are, would the 70-300mm be a good partner use of the 18-55mm? Am I better off getting the 55-200mm instead? If I do get the 70-300mm, will I be missing out on a lot on ranges between 55 to 70mm?

[inquiries]

I have a 70-300mm and have never really missed the 55-70mm area. I think an extra 100mm in reach is better then having that 15mm bit.

So I would go for the 70-300mm
Hope this helps!

[sybren]

I have the 70-300 as well (if you're talking about the EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM) and love it to bits.

The lady in the store wasn't completely honest with you, though. There is a very good reason to pick the 55-250mm, and that's the weight. It's much lighter and also a bit smaller than the 70-300mm, and if you're in a situation where size and weight matter it could tip the scales.

[Footski]

I am not sure myself. A great question though. I look forward to the answers rolling in.

[FoG]

I got the 70-300 do I miss the 15 mm not really but I do enjoy the extra reach ... time will tell however costs wise if you are limited work out what you need it for and if the 55-200 suits you best then get that you can always get the 7-300 later but I reckon you would not miss the 15mm missing by jumping straight to it also the Siga I have doubles as a macro to some extent which is very nice cost was £150 but I have seen then for £135

[ARKreations]

I think it would depend more on what kind of shooting you intend to do with it. When I bought my D80/18-55, I also had the option of 55-200 or 70-300. I chose the 70-300 and never regretted it. But then under the conditions when I use the 70-300, I use 200-300 much more than 55-70. (I've since also replaced the 18-55 with a 24-70).

The 70-300 VR is a very sharp lens and well worth the investment.

[Aegea]

I have both the 18-55 and the 70-200, and the missing 15mm has never been a problem for me. I've never tried the 55-200, but the 70-300 VR is a very nice lens indeed. Just a bit soft at 300mm sometimes.

[mmjk84]

The model I'm looking at is the AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm
f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED. I've just recently started this year in photography, with 18-55mm lens, I could only shoot so much with it, so far I've shot landscapes, plants, signs, buildings, and etc. There are times where "I wished I could have gotten a little closer" in anything that I shoot. I don't really have a preference on significant style of shooting yet, so maybe a new lens would open my horizons on what I like to shoot.

I've seen through the lens like I said before, I love the quality, sharpness, extreme zoom close ups, and reasonably light weight. I like it a lot, just didn't want to jump into anything just because I like it, done that plenty of times in the past and always ended up regretting, question yourself, think about positive and negatives, and then decided. Live and Learn. I wanted know everyone's thoughts because I'm expecting they have more knowledge than I do...

[rbickel]

my problem with ritz is that they don't have anyting in store besides the entry level lenses. They didn't have any primes, including the nifty fifty. I live very close to you. I would suggest you check out Penn camera, their nearest store is in Laural on route 1,

[mmjk84]

Originally Posted by rbickel

my problem with ritz is that they don't have anyting in store besides the entry level lenses. They didn't have any primes, including the nifty fifty. I live very close to you. I would suggest you check out Penn camera, their nearest store is in Laural on route 1,

Thanks I'll check them out as well~