Lens advice (no no surely not...)

[James Blonde]

I'm in a bit of a quandry about lenses for my D90.... I currently have the kit 18-105, a Sigma 70-300 DG (pretend macro), and a Nikon 50mm F1.8.

I have 2 main aims - a wide angle zoom, and a replacement 300mm. I also have a couple of random lens related questions.

1. Wide angle zoom - 10-20/24mm
I've read 2 contradictory reviews on 10/12-20/24mm lenses - one review was trumpetting the Nikkor 10-24mm F3.5-4.5G ED and the Sigma 10-20 F3.5 EX DC HSM, and not rating the Tamron 10-24 or the Tokina 12-24. The other review loved the Tokina AT-X 12-24 F4 AF Pro DXII, gave a lukewarm review of the Nikkor (its too expensive at £800), and didn't overly rate the Sigma or the Tamron! So the question is, what IS the better lens, and why??

My feeling was that I'd go for the Sigma, but the filter thread is 82mm, and the filters aren't cheap at that size! I'd much rather go for something with a "more standard" 77mm filter thread, and the Nikkor is the tempting one apart from the £600ish price!

2. 70-300mm (or something else?!)
I've always lusted after a Nikkor 70-300VR to replace my cheap and cheerful Sigma, which I've always found to be useable, but lacks contrast at the longer zoom... and its frankly not shiny enough..! So, on a whim, I've just bought a 70-300VRII off that auction site!

I am aware of the new 55-300VRII and from what I'd seen, the general consensus was to stick to the 70-300 (despite the extra money!) However I've only just found out about the existance of the 28-300VR F3.5! Now I accept that at £800ish, its a lot of money in comparison to the 70-300, BUT, arguably I could sell the 70-300, my 18-105 and a kidney, but the question is.... would it be worth it?? 1 lens covering the vast majority of my general photography needs!

What would I better off with though? The 70-300 I've just bought, or selling the house for the 28-300? is the 28-300 compromised in any major way? Is it just too much money for a lens where you can get the same range with multiple lenses for a lot less money?

3. Random other stuff
Looking on the famous auction site thing, there are a number of sellers in places like Hong Kong selling new lenses for around £100 off UK prices. However, what are pros and cons of this??

There was an old Nikkor 28mm IS(?) shift lens going for around £200. I know nothing about tilt / shift lenses, I wasn't going to buy it, but is it the tilt function that creates the toytown effect on some photos, or the shift function? Just curiosity there!

Anyway, would love to hear your thoughts on this!

[silversnapper1]

Hi James.

I have the D90 and the Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6. This has the 77mm thread that you are seeking. I absolutely love this lens and it spends more time on my camera than any other lens. When I bought it I saw a review in another mag and this beat the other lenses in it's class including the f3.5.

Don't know about your dilemma with the 70-300.

With regard to buying from fleabay and Hong Kong etc, I would think that your main problem may be warranty in that, in the event of a problem, you may have to return it to HK for repair.

Don't know anything about tilt shift lenses either.

Steve.

[chris-p]

Hi James, welcome to the forum

Originally Posted by James Blonde

1. Wide angle zoom - 10-20/24mm

Like most people here, I'd recommend the Sigma 10-20mm but I'd ignore the f/3.5 completely. It's not worth it, I mean, what do you need a constant aperture for at this focal length? You don't get small depth of field at these angles of view and if you're in low light you'll be on a tripod. Honestly, you gain nothing with the rather modest f/3.5.

As mentioned above, the f/4-5.6 will give you the 77mm thread you need and it works perfectly well on my D90. I bought mine second hand and still had no problems with it.

Originally Posted by James Blonde

2. 70-300mm (or something else?!)

I'd stick with the 70-300mm. The 55-300 isn't worth the hassle and isn't different enough from the 70-300 which is a cracker (I love mine).

The 28-300mm is too compromised for me. Bigger zoom range = more problems. And it's not wide enough to be a "do everything, only carry one lens" bit of kit on an APS-C/DX camera. Fine for the D700 or other full frame/FX bodies (if you want to strangle them with a superzoom) but not worth considering at all on a cropped frame camera.

Originally Posted by James Blonde

3. Random other stuff

Hong Kong selling has advantages and disadvantages. You can get stuff cheaper but you are liable for any import tax and VAT and other duties if the items get stopped at the UK border and customs people open the packets.

Also, they're not EU safety regulated (no CE stickers etc) so, if it failed or caused damage to anything or anyone you would have problems (although this is very unlikely - I've never heard of a lens spontaneously combusting).

The other thing that gets mentioned a lot is warranties. Lenses usually have world wide warranties but camera bodies are geographically localised so I would be even more wary of HK sourced cameras.

Tilt/Shift lenses are used to create the "toy town" look but thats not what they were originally for. Their main purpose is to remove converging verticals from shots - that thing where , if you point the lens upwards you get tall buildings getting narrower. Traditionally they were aimed at architectural photographers but they've got more popular for creating unusual effects.

[James Blonde]

Thanks Steve and Chris - I don't think I'd actually noticed that the 10-20mm F4-5.6 lens was available as all the comparison reviews concentrated on the F3.5 - I'd just assumed that the F3.5 had replaced it! I've got some Amazon vouchers, and I think I'm getting more for Christmas, and its a good price on Amazon it seems, so I guess that solves my wide angle problem nicely, although are there any other opinions?

Thanks for the opinion on the 70-300 Chris, much appreciated! I really was an impulse buy before really thinking about what I needed, but I guess my gut instinct was probably right! Its not a DX specific lens anyway I don't think, so should be fine if ever I upgraded to full frame?

I've got another 3. I guess beyond what I've got, the only lens I'd probably "need" would be a macro, but are extension tubes / reversing rings a more cost effective solution, or are they overly compromised?

[chris-p]

Originally Posted by James Blonde

Its not a DX specific lens anyway I don't think, so should be fine if ever I upgraded to full frame?

Thats right, it's not a DX lens.

Originally Posted by James Blonde

I guess beyond what I've got, the only lens I'd probably "need" would be a macro, but are extension tubes / reversing rings a more cost effective solution, or are they overly compromised?

'Need' is a difficult thing - I suppose I 'need' a 400mm f/2.8 but I can't afford one...

The first lens I would normally recommend would be a prime, and I would personally have suggested thatyou went down the route of the 35mm f/1.8 rather than a 50mm as it's more 'normal' (by any definition), but thats already covered.

My collection for my D90 is the 18-105mm VR, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6, 70-300mm VR, 35mm f/1.8 and 85mm f/1.8.
I've been trying out macro though using a reversing ring but it's very labour intensive. I would suggest you see if you can borrow one from someone first - it's fairly specialised.

I don't know about compromised - it depends how much work you're prepared to put it! Reversing rings work well and I've taken quite a few shots that way, but it's a fiddle and you need to select the lens you reverse very carefully (although that's a discussion to have later if you went down that route).
Coupling rings work well too, although I've not used one personally.

I know a lot of people swear by extension tubes and I would consider them a decent investment. You could attach them to your 50mm f/1.8 as a nice starter and, in the event you bough a proper macro lens later on, you could attach them to that for even greater magnification.

[Cathus]

as regards buying stuff from Hong Kong, I've bought loads of stuff & not had any problems going with a couple of the larger outlets.

I bought my Sigma 50-500mm from there & saved £250 a few years ago.

I've never had to send anything back or have a warranty repair so can't comment on the experience, though I know Sigma, for instance, ask for proof that VAT has been paid on imported goods before they will do warranty work.

As regards VAT & import, this is very hit & miss. Sometimes it comes through with nothing & whether you then contact HM Customs & Excise is a matter between you & your conscience, the Post office may hold the item in their import depot, write to you asking you to pay the charges plus their admin fee (last time I paid it was £8 - for sending you letter!) & won't post the item on until you pay them.

One courier may ask you to pay on the doorstep before releasing the item.

I had 2 items delivered this month by Fedex, about 10 days later I received an invoice for VAT plus £10 admin charge on each item)

But even paying the charges I still saved about 20% on the cost in the UK on something which would have cost around £500.

You just need to factor in the costs savings with the VAT & charges & whether you want to take the risk of maybe having to send it back to Hong Kong if it goes faulty.

The most expensive thing I've bought from HK is a lens for £500, I probably wouldn't buy a camera though as if the worst happened I could do without a lens for a couple of months but not the camera.

[chris-p]

Garry - you're right of course. The only thing is you wouldn't have to send lenses back to HK - the warranties are international.

As you said, though, you may have to pay the import duties before people touch them though...

My problem with it is that for every horror story, there is a positive one and vice versa. I suppose you pay your money and you make your choice.
I have bought from HK, just not camera equipment. About half of what I've bought I've had to pay fees and excise on and that makes most of it the same as the UK price. No great loss though...

For me, the key is to know what you're doing. I'd not touch an HK camera, for example, but lenses could be fine. Make sure you know what you're buying and what the regulations are. If the worst case scenario from HK is cheaper than UK prices you can't really loose if you buy from a reputable place.