With today's economy it seems we are all on some kind of crazy budget just so we can pay our bills each month. The cost of gas, food and everything else has really cut into all my hobbies and especially my photography hobby. I don't see any $600 plus dollar lenses in my immediate future but maybe, just maybe a new budget lens could satisfy my photography urges in the mean time, all 5 under $300 dollars each.
Here is a list of my top five great budget lenses, and when I say great I mean all 5 of these lenses get great user reviews. So don't even hesitate to pick one up thinking it's to cheap to be good!
1. Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens $180 - User Reviews
2. Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR $194 - User Review
3. Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF $125 - User Reviews
4. Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX - $199 - User Reviews
5. Nikon 40mm f/2.8G AF-S DX Micro $280 - User Reviews
Let us know if you have a favorite budget lens!
13 comments:
i need a 50mm theres a newer one right the G if im correct i want to purchase just dont know how much better it is than the original one....ahhh soo much to learn!
@funkymacgirl...Yeah i'm with ya on that also! So how did you like the remote you won? I use mine all the time.
I'm looking to buy a macro lens for flower & bug shooting but don't know which to choose between the Nikon 40mm f/2.8G AF-S DX Micro & the Tamron 90mm 2.8 macro. I have found the Nikon on ebay from 260-299 euro and the Tamron from 308-399 euro.
get the tamron 90 it has more working distance at 1:1 magnification and thats better for bugs...
You can add 55-300mm to the list bought in uk of amazom for £220 nice lens auto focus not the fastest but a good lens for those on a budget
I haven't gathered up the money yet for the Tamrom 90mm macro but while looking on ebay I got a pretty good price on a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D. The reviews on this lens where all quite good and even new the price tag is only at 130 euro. The nice thing is that being a full frame lens I can use it with both my F100 & D90 :) I've been shooting all day and am very happy with the quality of the photo's which are very sharp. Up to now I've been using the Nikkor 18-105mm as my standard lens but the faster autofocus speed and the light weight of this 50mm has made me decide to keep this on the camera.
That's an interesting list and I agree with some of them: I agree with the 18-55, from what I read it's better than the 18-105, cheaper and smaller.
I don't agree with the 55-200, reviews says it's not a good one. I'll replace it with the 55-300, more expensive of course, but still in a budget. (I won't list a 70-300 as that's not a budget alternative).
The 35mm and 50 are great. 1/8 are budget, 1/4 versions are not. If you have a budget camera you need the 1.8G version of the 50mm. Else, if your body has an AF motor, get this version. You can also use this 50mm with a reverse coupler for a nice macro.
I don't agree with the 40mm. You already have the 35mm and they say 40mm is too short for macro.
If you already have the 18-55 as a kit lens, get the 55-300 and the 35mm. Save the rest of your money for a wide-angle lens, or for a sb700 speedlight.
In my previous comment I forgot this was a D90 site, you won't need the 50mm 1.8G version then :)
Since my last comment about getting the 50mm 1.8D on ebay I've had time to do some test shoots and better compare it with the 18-105mm when used at equivalent settings and some of my initial excitement has dropped... The 50mm seems to give it's best performance between f8-f11 when used at a distance for portrait and street photography. If your shooting very near,for example, to capture a small object on a table (50cm or more) when you zoom in to the picture you will notice that the edges are very slightly out of contrast and seem to blend in with the background. This same shot taken with the 18-105mm gives perfect edges. Another thing that I noticed is that when shooting at f22 the 18-105mm under the same lighting conditions, distance, ect. gives you a brighter picture, this surprised me because I would have thought that the smaller sized 50mm having less elements would have been brighter... Anybody else has any experience to share about this lens?
Thanks for the great infomation guys...Good stuff!
hi, i just got the 50mm lens and when I unlock the "minimum aperture lock" in the corner it says "fee" and won't let me take pictures, do you know why this happens? thanks
@kaitlyn, I think the FEE refers to an error the the lens is not connected right! maybe the contacts are not touching as good as they should....
Hi
I have a D90. I have the Nikon 35mm -70mm f2.8D. I paid $340 on craigslist for it. I really like it.
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