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All Around Lens for D80

Author	Post

Posted by GerryZ: Fri Jan 27th, 2017 03:43

1^st Post

Hi,

I owe a Nikon D80 and would like to upgrade my kit lens Nikkor 18-135mm for a better all around lens. I've been looking at the Nikon AF-S DX VR II Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED but not sure it fits my 10 year older camera.

Can somebody confirm it does or recommend another good quality all around lens for my D80. I mostly shoot urban and nature.

Thanks

Posted by Eric: Fri Jan 27th, 2017 04:43

2^nd Post

Welcome to the forum.

The 18-200 will fit the D80.

Can I ask why you think this will be better than the 18-135?

Apart from the extra length it's basically the same lens...or at least the same 'stable' or generation. There have also been some queries whether an 11x zoom is a bridge too far....with some 18-200 going soft at the 200 end (some even at the 18end). Many though have been happy with their examples.

I personally subscribe to the view that you are less likely to get end effects if you keep the zoom under 10x...like your 18-135. In fact I still think the 18-105 was the best of these stablemates.

I am going to suggest that for the money you propose to spend on an 18-200 you would be better off spending on a new camera body! Here in the U.K. you can get. D5500 for the same new price as an 18-200. A D5300 or a D3000 series are even less!

Camera image quality and performance has moved on considerably since the D80....I know because I had D80 and moved on.

Unless you need more range, in which case I would look at a 70-300 FX lens to take your effective telephoto reach up to 450mm, I would upgrade the camera first.

That's my 2 cents.

____________________
Eric

Posted by jk: Fri Jan 27th, 2017 05:01

3^rd Post

I have both the D80 converted for IR use and the 18-200 that you are desiring.
The 18-200 is a very good lens but is very annoying to carry on a strap as it zooms out or extends under the weight of the lens and when in extended mode is very easy to damage and bang into things.
I would swap it for a lens version that didnt do this if such a lens existed. I already have a Nikon 28-200 which is much smaller lens and it has a small switch that locks rhe lens closed, and so it is my preferred lens except that I lose the w/a portion of the zoom range.
Optically the 18-200 lens is very good.

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Posted by GerryZ: Fri Jan 27th, 2017 09:29

4^th Post

Thanks for your input. So with a D80, what would you recommend as the best all around lens for urban photography? I also have a 35mm and 70-300mm lenses but as you can imagine, neither provides me with the all around needs for urban photos.

Posted by jk: Fri Jan 27th, 2017 09:39

5^th Post

If you are doing street photography I would say that an 18-55 VR or 18-70 is perfect as it is small and fairly unobtrusive.

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Posted by Eric: Fri Jan 27th, 2017 14:20

6^th Post

jk wrote:
If you are doing street photography I would say that an 18-55 VR or 18-70 is perfect as it is small and fairly unobtrusive.
So what's wrong with the op 18-135 for this use?

____________________
Eric

Posted by jk: Sat Jan 28th, 2017 03:59

7^th Post

That would be my thought as well. Some people would say that the 18-135 is large and obtrusive.

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Posted by Eric: Sat Jan 28th, 2017 07:56

8^th Post

jk wrote:
That would be my thought as well. Some people would say that the 18-135 is large and obtrusive.
I suppose it depends what 'urban' photography means in this context.

If it's taking buildings, signage and such general static objects, size doesn't matter....apart from maybe the issue of weight.

If the intention is to shoot candid people photos, then perhaps less obtrusive equipment might be an advantage.

Of course, 18mm isn't that wide. So adding a Sigma 10-20 or the like, could add another dimension.

I still think spending on a camera body would be more beneficial. o.O

____________________
Eric

Posted by GerryZ: Sat Jan 28th, 2017 08:54

9^th Post

So if the direction would be a new body, and with the experiance of a D80 with a potential upgrade, what new body would you recommend?

Posted by Robert: Sat Jan 28th, 2017 14:11

10^th Post

Hi Gerry, welcome to the forum.

I have a D3300 which is brilliant for less obtrusive photography, that coupled with a small fixed lens would produce image which would amaze you. It's also much better in low light than your D80 so that opens up more opportunities.

The trouble is that with the modern small SLR's you need a lens with a built in focus motor, AFS. There are quite a few good lenses but not knowing exactly what you are wanting to photograph it's hard to advise. If you use Lightroom or something similar it will probably tell you what focal lengths you are using most. That may be a good guide.

The Sigma 10-20 is a very good lens but not ideal for portraits or close up pix of people... You get very exaggerated perspective, like long noses etc.

I would have recommended trying the 45mm pancake lens but being manual that's not ideal in this case.

The D5300 or later models are little different from the D3300, except for the back screen folding out, which can be handy for candid photography because you can 'shoot from the waist' by using the screen at waist level to compose your image.

I always feel the slow, long ratio lenses are too much of a compromise and look unsightly. But that's probably just me!

____________________
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Posted by jk: Sat Jan 28th, 2017 15:48

11^th Post

D80 is a 10MP camera.
Movement upwards it to a D5300,5400,5500 or D7100, D7200 which are all 24MP which is a significant jump upwards.
These are a cost jump as well. You may also find that you need more disk space for image storage and more cpu, ram, etc on your computer.
Ultimately the quality is yielded by your camera lens capturing the image better so you will possibly want to think about this.

You are into an expensive game of upgrades. But nobody said photography was a cheap hobby.

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Posted by Robert: Sun Jan 29th, 2017 05:27

12^th Post

Hard drive and RAM has never been cheaper, but unless Gerry takes a LOT of photographs AND keeps them ALL, I can't really see storage as a major issue, even if he keeps the NEF's, as I do.

After taking note of any deficiencies in images and making a mental note not to repeat the errors; any blurred, out of focus, badly exposed or plain boring images need to be put straight in the bin. That will save a ton of space on the computer.

____________________
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Posted by Gilbert Sandberg: Sun Jan 29th, 2017 09:11

13^th Post

Gerry,
Sorry to barge in late...
re: a better all around lens.
Q: what do you consider the deciding factor for what is a better lens.
In my humble opinion there is no single perfect lens for all tasks / circumstances / budgets.
(and that is why Nikon make so many different lenses).
Some may say any fixed length lens, like your 35mm is best for unobtrusive, lightweight, walk-around photography.
Others may spend thousands on a pro-level-FX-heavyweight 24-70 2.8 lens.
Regards, Gilbert

Posted by Eric: Sun Jan 29th, 2017 16:02

14^th Post

jk wrote:
D80 is a 10MP camera.
Movement upwards it to a D5300,5400,5500 or D7100, D7200 which are all 24MP which is a significant jump upwards.
These are a cost jump as well. You may also find that you need more disk space for image storage and more cpu, ram, etc on your computer.
Ultimately the quality is yielded by your camera lens capturing the image better so you will possibly want to think about this.

You are into an expensive game of upgrades. But nobody said photography was a cheap hobby.
Not sure thats inevitable.
Gerry was considering buying an 18-200. For that price he could get a D5000 series or D3000 series body.
If the quality of the resulting images increases...then keeping more images, however they are stored, would be I benefit worth having. Imho

____________________
Eric

Posted by highlander: Mon Feb 20th, 2017 12:01

15^th Post

To be honest, and somewhat late to the discussion, I would keep the D80 and pop a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 on it (or similar). Very cheap upgrade and allows lower light shooting without upping the ISO (a problem on the D80 compared to newer bodies). For street, then something light and compact is always better and given that this has a 1.5x crop sensor and street is normally a fairly confined space, I don't see the need to get anything longer. Faster and sharper would be my way to go.

If wanted to upgrade the body, then don't write off some of the slightly older bodies such as the excellent D300s which can easily be purchased for very little money at all, and would still provide an upgrade and better production at the higher ISO's than the D80.

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Posted by jk: Mon Feb 20th, 2017 12:51

16^th Post

The D300S is a superb camera and unless you feel that you need a FF or higher MP camera then changing upwards is lots of money and reduced returns.

A D600/D610 (24MP) makes a good FF upgrade and a D5300 is a very good camera in the APS-C sensor at 24MP range.

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Posted by Eric: Tue Feb 21st, 2017 03:19

17^th Post

highlander wrote:
To be honest, and somewhat late to the discussion, I would keep the D80 and pop a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 on it (or similar). Very cheap upgrade and allows lower light shooting without upping the ISO (a problem on the D80 compared to newer bodies). For street, then something light and compact is always better and given that this has a 1.5x crop sensor and street is normally a fairly confined space, I don't see the need to get anything longer. Faster and sharper would be my way to go.

If wanted to upgrade the body, then don't write off some of the slightly older bodies such as the excellent D300s which can easily be purchased for very little money at all, and would still provide an upgrade and better production at the higher ISO's than the D80.
Although a good camera, the D80 has been superseded by so many different bodies, all of which offer, primarily, noiseless higher ISO and faster processors. A new lens can lift ones spirits, but a new camera body is a much greater lift

I have found the tilting rear screen, that's more prevalent on later models, to be very useful when walking around in urban situations, not only to better enable candid shooting but to facilitate shooting from lower/higher positions to avoid street furniture. And of course the ability to shoot more easily from waist height (a la medium format) always improves your image.

____________________
Eric

Posted by jk: Tue Feb 21st, 2017 05:37

18^th Post

Eric wrote: highlander wrote:
To be honest, and somewhat late to the discussion, I would keep the D80 and pop a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 on it (or similar). Very cheap upgrade and allows lower light shooting without upping the ISO (a problem on the D80 compared to newer bodies). For street, then something light and compact is always better and given that this has a 1.5x crop sensor and street is normally a fairly confined space, I don't see the need to get anything longer. Faster and sharper would be my way to go.

If wanted to upgrade the body, then don't write off some of the slightly older bodies such as the excellent D300s which can easily be purchased for very little money at all, and would still provide an upgrade and better production at the higher ISO's than the D80.
Although a good camera, the D80 has been superseded by so many different bodies, all of which offer, primarily, noiseless higher ISO and faster processors. A new lens can lift ones spirits, but a new camera body is a much greater lift

I have found the tilting rear screen, that's more prevalent on later models, to be very useful when walking around in urban situations, not only to better enable candid shooting but to facilitate shooting from lower/higher positions to avoid street furniture. And of course the ability to shoot more easily from waist height (a la medium format) always improves your image.
I have to say that my Fujis make my photography much easier and lighter than with the Nikons but there are still advantages with teh Nikons not least of all is the lens range.

____________________
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Posted by Eric: Wed Feb 22nd, 2017 10:04

19^th Post

jk wrote:
Eric wrote: highlander wrote:
To be honest, and somewhat late to the discussion, I would keep the D80 and pop a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 on it (or similar). Very cheap upgrade and allows lower light shooting without upping the ISO (a problem on the D80 compared to newer bodies). For street, then something light and compact is always better and given that this has a 1.5x crop sensor and street is normally a fairly confined space, I don't see the need to get anything longer. Faster and sharper would be my way to go.

If wanted to upgrade the body, then don't write off some of the slightly older bodies such as the excellent D300s which can easily be purchased for very little money at all, and would still provide an upgrade and better production at the higher ISO's than the D80.
Although a good camera, the D80 has been superseded by so many different bodies, all of which offer, primarily, noiseless higher ISO and faster processors. A new lens can lift ones spirits, but a new camera body is a much greater lift

I have found the tilting rear screen, that's more prevalent on later models, to be very useful when walking around in urban situations, not only to better enable candid shooting but to facilitate shooting from lower/higher positions to avoid street furniture. And of course the ability to shoot more easily from waist height (a la medium format) always improves your image.
I have to say that my Fujis make my photography much easier and lighter than with the Nikons but there are still advantages with teh Nikons not least of all is the lens range.

Which reminds me ...I must go and try an XT2, to put this Fuji/no Fuji decision to bed.

____________________
Eric

Posted by jk: Wed Feb 22nd, 2017 13:47

20^th Post

Buy an XT2 and you will see no need to persist with large and heavy!

____________________
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