Nikon D50 Best Single Lens Solution

Taking a cruise in March 2006 and want to bring my new Nikon D50 with
only one lens. Which is the most versitle, sharpest and fastest AF lens
for this new camera.

aj wrote:
Taking a cruise in March 2006 and want to bring my new Nikon D50 with
only one lens. Which is the most versitle, sharpest and fastest AF lens
for this new camera.

That's like asking what's the best shoe to wear. You need to give us
some ideas - like will you be shooting landscapes, night life, wide
angles, etc.
Without any other information, if pressed hard enough I'd probably
recommend a 28-200 or something similar for a beginning dSLR shooter.
The image quality isn't professional, but plenty good for snapshotting
and has ample range for shots in close and far away.

Dave

The Nikon 18-70mm DX 'kit' lens springs to mind as an excellent all round
choice...
Maybe pack a 2X extender too giving 27mm to 210mm ish equivalent.

Guy

"aj" wrote in message
oups.com...
Taking a cruise in March 2006 and want to bring my new Nikon D50 with
only one lens. Which is the most versitle, sharpest and fastest AF lens
for this new camera.

aj wrote:
Taking a cruise in March 2006 and want to bring my new Nikon D50 with
only one lens. Which is the most versitle, sharpest and fastest AF lens
for this new camera.

Hi AJ:

There is no single zoom that can do everything for you so there is no
single answer to your question. The right answer depends on what you
are looking for and what the primary objective of your cruise. Are you
doing a cruise for pleasure and the camera is only to take vacation
pictures? Are you planning to spend a fair amount of time taking
pictures and you want the most stunning photographs? Anyway, here is a
somehwat lenghty answer to your short question.

a. best quality / best speed / no budget constraint / large and heavy:
Nikkor 17-55/2.8 DX

b. best value / decent speed / decent quality / great small size:
Nikkor 18-70/3.5-4.5 DX

c. most extended zoom range / great all-around lens / watch out for
distortion but quite sharp around F:8.0-11.0: Sigma 18-200/3.5-6.3 DC

And here is my experience: I went on a cruise not long ago and I
wanted to enjoy the vacation while having a decent camera to get decent
photographs. I did not want to just have a point and shoot and wanted
something to give me decent flexibity. This is what I took along:

- Pentax ist-DS (equivalent to the D-50)
- Sigma 18-125DC (I want the most range in a single lens)
- Pentax 50 F:1.4 (for situations where low light prevents me to use
the zoom and this lens is small enough to fit in my pocket)
- one extra 1GB SD
- one extra set of batteries (I brought along the charger)

I am very happy with this set and got great shots when there is enough
light.

Good luck with your decision. Cheers.

Escaper wrote:
aj wrote:
Taking a cruise in March 2006 and want to bring my new Nikon D50
with
only one lens. Which is the most versitle, sharpest and fastest AF
lens for this new camera.

Hi AJ:

There is no single zoom that can do everything for you so there is
no
single answer to your question. The right answer depends on what
you
are looking for and what the primary objective of your cruise. Are
you doing a cruise for pleasure and the camera is only to take
vacation pictures? Are you planning to spend a fair amount of time
taking pictures and you want the most stunning photographs? Anyway,
here is a somehwat lenghty answer to your short question.

a. best quality / best speed / no budget constraint / large and
heavy:
Nikkor 17-55/2.8 DX

b. best value / decent speed / decent quality / great small size:
Nikkor 18-70/3.5-4.5 DX

c. most extended zoom range / great all-around lens / watch out for
distortion but quite sharp around F:8.0-11.0: Sigma 18-200/3.5-6.3
DC

And here is my experience: I went on a cruise not long ago and I
wanted to enjoy the vacation while having a decent camera to get
decent photographs. I did not want to just have a point and shoot
and wanted something to give me decent flexibity. This is what I
took along:

- Pentax ist-DS (equivalent to the D-50)
- Sigma 18-125DC (I want the most range in a single lens)
- Pentax 50 F:1.4 (for situations where low light prevents me to use
the zoom and this lens is small enough to fit in my pocket)
- one extra 1GB SD
- one extra set of batteries (I brought along the charger)

I am very happy with this set and got great shots when there is
enough
light.

Good luck with your decision. Cheers.

See! There _is_ good, concise advice available here. As opposed to
this:

Between now and March you will develop a relationship with photography
and your camera that will guide you on your voyage. You can hasten its
maturity, cruise-wise, by making a few faux cruises and absorbing the
results. Beg, borrow, or rent the likely equipment candidates or
similars.

You may discover there is no suitable balance between experiencing and
recording your adventures. Or that you prefer to emphasize one or the
other. Or that there is no perfect single lens. Or, as was the case on
a few occasions in my experience, trying to do it all at once ruined
both possible best outcomes.

Depending on the excursion, I choose experience over High-quality
Photography. Leaving the heavy artillery at home and doing a P&S
snapshoot to share or reexperience the time was most satisfying. Doing
a same or similar version with the armament complete resulted in two
fine episodes: one of pure enjoyment, another of a satisfactory or
better photo sortie. Of course I'm not that good at keeping all the
balls in the air, any more.

--
Frank ess

"Bigguy" wrote in message
...
The Nikon 18-70mm DX 'kit' lens springs to mind as an excellent all round
choice...

I'd have to second that choice. It's just a good all around lens that's
very sharp for the money. Gets good reviews as well. I have a D70 and
probably use that lens more than any other, and if I'm heading out the door
with only one lens that's it. Now, if you said you were into nature or
sports photography I would have recommended a longer zoom.

Actually the lens has only one drawback: It would be nice if it was a
little faster (wider aperture), but that would drive the price, and the
weight, way up.

aj wrote:
Taking a cruise in March 2006 and want to bring my new Nikon D50 with
only one lens. Which is the most versitle, sharpest and fastest AF lens
for this new camera.


I have this one and it's nice.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/28200g.htm


--
Walter Mitty
-
Useless, waste of money research of the day : http://tinyurl.com/3tdeu
" Format wars could 'confuse users'"
http://www.tinyurl.com

Thanx Walter & Escaper,

That 28-200mm is looking good for me!

Can you get a D50 case cover with this lens attached to it??? You
know, for those misty times at sea or by the dock of the bay on the
cruise boat. PS: i love this camera and can't seem to put it down.
AJ

Don't forget to look at the Sigma 18-200, which seems to be a perfect travel
lens. It is a budget choice as well.

I thought the Sigma 18-200mm zoom was an f3.5 to f6.3 design?

There is a review of it at:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0502/05...ma18-200dc.asp

See also: http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7524



"Thomas T. Veldhouse" wrote in message
. net...
Sheldon wrote:

Actually the lens has only one drawback: It would be nice if it was a
little faster (wider aperture), but that would drive the price, and the
weight, way up.


And for it price, and compared to other vendor "kit" lenses, it is
probably the fastest around. There aren't too many consumer zooms that
are as fast as 3.5f-4.5f maximum apeture.

--
Thomas T. Veldhouse
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