My Used D-SLR Kit Recommendation

Most people tend to purchase a combination of new and used equipment, and my general rule of thumb is buy the body new and the lenses used.  Bodies are much more prone to problems, while lenses will last forever as long as they aren’t dropped.  However, for this reason, resale on lenses is far better than on bodies.  If you bought a new body and lens, expect that in 3 years time the body will be worth 35-45% of the original value; while a lens could be worth 60-70% of its original value.

Here’s my used kit recommendation, again for Nikon with approximate used values in US/Canada shown:

1^st Purchase – Semi-pro body with great features and a versatile lens - Nikon D200 (about $400) with Nikkor 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 (about $175), or a Nikkor 18-105mm f3.5-5.6 VR ($240)

STEP UP: The D90 ($650) or D300 ($800) are also excellent choices and have available video.  For a better lens, take a look at the excellent Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 (about $350).  The cheaper D80 at $300 is also a very good camera.

FOOTNOTE: Both the D200 and D300 meter with manual focus lenses, making them very versatile, and allowing the user to try also sorts of great manual lenses for a not a lot of outlay.

2^nd Purchase – Fast Aperture Prime – Nikkor 50mm f1.8 AF-D (about $100) or Nikkor 35mm f1.8 AF-S (about $220)  There’s lots of options in this area, and you could also consider the Nikkor 50mm f1.8 AF-S (about $200), the Nikkor 35mm f2 AF-D (about $270) and Manual Focus lenses if you bought a D200.   

STEP UP: This means going to a very fast f1.4 and the options here are Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AF-D (about $270), the Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AF-S and a Sigma 50mm f1.4 AF-S (both about  $430).  The latter two step up lenses are the best, but you pay a premium.

3^rd Purchase – Nice Lighting – Nikon SB-600 ($200) Excellent flash that works well

STEP UP: The SB-600 is great, but I like the more powerful SB-800 ($300) better.  Don’t buy any other flash but Nikon for a Nikon camera; or Canon for a Canon camera as the electronics aren’t always 100% compatible.

4^th Purchase – Follow your interest – wide, tele, macro?

Wide – Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 (about $420)  This is a great lens that offers excellent value.

Tele –Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6 G (about $120) OR Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6 VR AF-S (about $450)  If you can stretch, get the lens with VR as telephoto lenses are very susceptible to camera shake and  vibrations, which leads to blurry pictures.   The non-VR is good for a telephoto taste though.

Macro – Tamron 90mm f2.8 (about $250, $350 for Di version) OR Nikon 60mm f2.8 AF-D (about $350)  Both are excellent lenses.  If you bought a wider prime, get the Nikkor 60mm; however if you bought a 50mm lens, get the 90mm Tamron. 

Nikon D2X with Nikon 18-135mm

My New D-SLR Kit Recommendation

Recently I was chatting to my brother in law, and he like lots of other people who are just getting into photography, asked me what D-SLR kit they should be buying and what they should get in the future.  I know there are definite limits to this guide, including price point, features, photographic interests, but I’ll give it a go anyway.

As I know Nikon best, I’ve kept this review to Nikon, but the same comments mostly translate to Canon. Here’s my recommendation:

1^st Purchase – Nice body with a versatile lens - Nikon D5100 $719 with 18-105mm VR lens $379 (step up to a D7000 $1179 if you want an outstanding body, or to a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 $469 if you want a fast standard zoom)

WHY: Getting a body like the D5100 with features a step up above the base allows you to explore more things, without getting overly sophisticated or pricey.  The 18-105mm VR is a lot more flexible and usable than the standard kit zoom, giving the user almost double the zoom range.  

STEP UP: The D7000 is really a semi-pro camera in capabilities, but won’t intimidate a beginner.  It has outstanding image quality with excellent low light capabilities and will also meter with manual focus lenses and the AF will work with those lenses that don’t have a built in focus motor.  The Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 trades zoom range for fast aperture, allowing shallower depth of field and much better low light capabilities.

2^nd Purchase –Fast Aperture Prime - Nikon 35mm f1.8 AF-S $279 OR Nikon 50mm f1.8 AF-S $249

WHY:  A small, cheap lens that allows you to explore the world of shallow depth of field photography.  Both are excellent optically and won’t break the bank.  I prefer the wider 35mm as this focal length on a DX camera is very similar to that of the human eye. 

3^rd Purchase – Some light on the subject - Nikon SB-600 Speedlight $279 (or step up to a SB-900 $539)

WHY: A good flash is an excellent choice, allowing for much better portraits and having the ability to create much, much light than the in-camera flash.  The more recent SB-700 is also excellent.  I don’t think the SB-400 has enough use above the in-camera flash to warrant purchasing it.

STEP UP: I much prefer to have more light available to me than not enough, so that is why I chose the SB-800 (predecessor to the SB-900).  More light allows for better fill flash on bright, sunny days, and will allow more options and power to bounce flash in large rooms.  Everyone I have recommended to get the biggest flash they could have never regretted it.

FOOTNOTE: Stay away from third party flashes.  Often the camera electronics don’t talk to each other perfectly, creating improper exposures.  Nikon’s flash system is outstanding, and I wouldn’t mess with it.

4^th Purchase – Follow your interest, is it wide, tele or macro?

Wide – Sigma 8-16mm $899 OR Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 $589.  Both are excellent lenses, thought the 10-20mm is outstanding value, while the 8-16mm is the widest rectilinear (ie not fisheye) available today.

Tele –Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6 VR AF-S $539 (or step up to a Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 $999 or Nikon 80-200mm f2.8 AF-D $1249).  The key here is to get a lens with VR (Vibration reduction).  This feature is very important with telephoto lenses that are susceptible to camera shake.  Non-VR equivalents can be had for around $200.  For the step up f2.8 lenses, the same VR recommendation holds true, but they are very expensive; however the fast aperture f2.8 helps reduce shake.  The above lenses are outstanding optically, offer excellent value, but are not VR.

Macro – Tamron 60mm f2 $569 OR Nikon 60mm f2.8 AF-S  $579, OR Nikon 85mm f3.5 VR AF-S $499 OR Tamron 90mm f2.8 $499.  All of these lenses are outstanding.   If you bought the Nikkor 35mm, I’d get the Tamron 60mm Macro, however if you bought the Nikkor 50mm, I’d get the longer Tamron 90mm Macro.

WHY:  Once you get going your interests will naturally tend to gravitate to a certain area of photography.  If you want to try different options, a good idea is to rent lenses before you buy them.  A number of shops do rentals, and in Canada, both Headshots and Vistek are the best known. 

Have a look at my Used D-SLR recommendations, my D-SLR accessory recommendations and my Full Frame recommendations as well.

Nikon D2X with Nikon 18-135mm

FOOTNOTE:  Unless you develop very focussed interests, stay away from specialist lenses like fisheyes and tilt-shift lenses.  These lenses are quite expensive (except for the nasty fisheye add ons you can buy) and you don’t get much use out of them.  I’ve probably used my Sigma 15mm fisheye only a handful of times in the last 8 years.  Rent them if you really want to try them out.

Top 5 Most Used Photographic Purchases For Beginners

Prelude:  This week I will be making some equipment recommendations for people who are looking to set up a nice kit.  It’s something I get asked about often, so today I’ve prepared some general thoughts, with more specific recommendations to come.

There are many people who have decided they “want to take better pictures” and go out and buy their first DSLR.  A lot of people will be happy with the basic DSLR and 18-55mm lens they have bought, but very often people really get into photography and find they want to try a few different things.  Here’s my top 5 purchases for a beginner user.

1)      50mm f1.8 prime lens.  The Nikon and Canon 50mm prime lenses are cheap (approx $150-$220 new) and have excellent image quality.  Great for portraits and experimenting with shallow depth of field photography.  You could also spend a little more ($570) and get the Tamron 60mm f2, which also doubles as a macro lens.


2)      Standard prime lens.  The human eye focal length sees at the equivalent of 35mm on most DSLRs.  The Nikon 35mm f1.8 is superb, and relatively cheap ($270)


3)      External flash.  The ability to light up a large room or illuminate people without shadows in bright daylight is very useful, especially for weddings and people photos.  I’m of the “Go Big or Go Home” school.  You can never have too much lighting capabilities.  Stick to the brand that your camera is for best results.  (Nikon SB-900 - $550, Nikon SB-700 - $380)


4)      Macro prime lens or macro accessories.  Definitely a Macro lens will work better, and I prefer 90mm macros for the extra working distance ($500-$800), but a 60mm also works fine ($400-$600).  These lenses also double as nice portrait lenses.   Macro accessories such as extension rings are useful too, but harder to use.


5)      Ultra wide angle zoom or telephoto zoom.  It really depends which way your photography is going.  Most people go the telephoto route, and there are plenty of 55-200mm, or 70-300mm zooms out there.  These are great for shooting wild animals and sports, but not really for much else.  Ultra wides, such as the Sigma 10-20mm, are great for panoramas, very useful for travel photography (especially indoors) and creating unusual angles of view.

Nikon D90 with Nikkor 18-200mm VR II

Just a thought......How about upgrading your basic 18-55mm lens to an all round super-zoom.  Depending if you prefer a bias towards wide angle or telephoto will determine which route you go.  There are lots of telephoto biased 18-200mm lenses out there, and the Nikon 18-200mm is awesome, but pricey ($800); however you will never need a separate telephoto lens.  Stepping down to a 18-105/135mm type focal range will be much less costly, and look after most of your telephoto needs. 

For wider angle bias, there are less options.  The Nikon 16-85mm is excellent, but there are few competitors to choose from.  The Canon equivalent 15-85mm is also very good.  These lenses offer a nice taste of wide angle, but are certainly not as deliciously wide as the 10-20mm lenses out there.