Nikkor Lenses

[Gibson]

Hello, I've recently picked up a D40 for myself, and I'm questioning whether or not to pick up another lens. The kit lens it comes with has a minimum aperture setting of 3.5 but thats only when on 18mm. I'm usually shooting at 35-55mm and the aperture setting is 5.6 which is really quite high. I'm wondering if there is a low cost D40 compatible AF-S lens with a lower f/stop number. Also, is there anyone who will recommended a cheap telephoto/zoom lens for the D40 as well. Thanks.

[C4S]

Tamron or the Tokina one.

Sigma one is ok, but Tamron and Tokina should give u better qulity.

^)^

[BerserkerCatSplat]

^ He's got a D40, no Tamron or Tokina lens that I know of in that range will autofocus on his D40.

A used 18-70 or 18-135 makes for a bit better lens, and there's the Sigma 17-35 f/2.8-4 as well.

[seer_claw]

Originally posted by Gibson
Hello, I've recently picked up a D40 for myself, and I'm questioning whether or not to pick up another lens. The kit lens it comes with has a minimum aperture setting of 3.5 but thats only when on 18mm. I'm usually shooting at 35-55mm and the aperture setting is 5.6 which is really quite high. I'm wondering if there is a low cost D40 compatible AF-S lens with a lower f/stop number. Also, is there anyone who will recommended a cheap telephoto/zoom lens for the D40 as well. Thanks.

Its unlikely that you will find a "cheap" fast telephoto lens, so I recommend that you try to increase the ISO to get better performance out of your lenses. Its an easy way to increase the shutter speed if that is what you are looking to do or invest in a tripod. They do wonders when you are shooting at lower than optimum shutter speeds and it allows you to decrease the aperture a bit.

[Gibson]

I don't like using any ISO over 800, which is one thing I don't like about the D40 because it has a base ISO of 200 which is a little high.

The Sigma 17-35 f/2.8-4 would work well but again, I am looking for something a little beyond 35mm. Do the 18-70 and 18-135 have f/2.8 as well?

I will have to pick up a tripod eventually...I love doing long exposures of roads and it's very hard to do lightning shots without one as well.

Thanks guys.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

No, the 18-70 and 18-135 do not have f/2.8.

To put it bluntly, f/2.8 zooms are expensive. The wider the max aperture, the more glass you need, the heavier the lens gets, and the more money it takes to build it. The only f/2.8 zoom that will work on your D40 that goes past 35mm is the Nikon 17-55 f/2.8, a $1500 lens. That's it. f/2.8 generally denotes professional glass, and as such it commands a premium.

So, your options are rather limited with the D40. Without that screwdriver AF motor, there's not much cheap fast glass that will autofocus on it.

Here's a list of all the lenses that will work on your D40:

http://www.nikonians.org/cgi-bin/dcf...m=DCForumID201

[Gibson]

Hmm, well I supposed I could pick up the Sigma 17-35 and just switch lenses when I need too...although that doesn't really resolve my problems. Thanks for the info guys.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I don't think the sigma 17-35 is HSM, therefore it will not autofocus on the D40/x. Hopefully I'm wrong.

[Gibson]

Ayaaa, Maybe I should have done my research more before buying the D40...

[Mitsu3000gt]

You can use anything from Sigma that has "HSM" in the title, and anything from Nikon with AF-S or IF in the title. Pretty much all Tamron and Tokina require an in-camera focus motor for autofocus to work.

I thought the Tamron 16-50 f2.8 had an in-lens focus motor, it was just not a good silent one.

[Akagi Redsuns]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
You can use anything from Sigma that has "HSM" in the title, and anything from Nikon with AF-S or IF in the title. Pretty much all Tamron and Tokina require an in-camera focus motor for autofocus to work.

I thought the Tamron 16-50 f2.8 had an in-lens focus motor, it was just not a good silent one.

Tamron 16-50 F2.8? No such beast, did you mean the Tamron 17-50 F2.8 or maybe the Tokina 16-50 F2.8?

I have the Tamron 17-50 and it depends on the Camera's autofocus motor. Luckily it's not very loud and focuses extremely fast. At $479, it would be perfect for the OP if he didn't have a D40/D40X.

[C4S]

Originally posted by BerserkerCatSplat
^ He's got a D40, no Tamron or Tokina lens that I know of in that range will autofocus on his D40.

A used 18-70 or 18-135 makes for a bit better lens, and there's the Sigma 17-35 f/2.8-4 as well.

Ouch .. I overlooked it ..

17-55 or 17-35 are 2 best choice .. but .. pricy .. very pricy ..

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
I don't think the sigma 17-35 is HSM, therefore it will not autofocus on the D40/x. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Yes, the new 17-35 has HSM and thus will AF on a D40.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0311/03...igma1735mm.asp

[Gibson]

Does anyone have a price for that Sigma 17-35?

[BerserkerCatSplat]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...4_0_EX_DG.html

~$500 US, probably more locally.

Edit: $760 locally from TCS.

[Gibson]

Yet another example of how we are being ripped off at the exchange rate...anyway, I'll look into it. It's almost sad when the lens costs more then the camera. Thanks.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by Gibson
Yet another example of how we are being ripped off at the exchange rate...anyway, I'll look into it. It's almost sad when the lens costs more then the camera. Thanks.

It may seem strange at first (I remember a time when I thought $300 for a lens was absurd), but you'll eventually learn that bodies come and go, but good glass never gets outdated. In all honesty, my glass is worth 3-4 times as much as my body, and I don't even own that many lenses.

[mb3k]

Nikkor 50mm 1.8D for the win!
I just purchased it today after seeing many PBase photos with it. Well worth the money and very cheap price too!

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Yep, the Thrifty Fifty is a great performer and incredibly cheap. Makes for a great portrait lens on a DSLR, too.

[Gibson]

Ok, I'm interested. Tell me more about this lens.