Railfan Technology > Lens recommendations

I have been using a Nikon D5100 with the original DX/VR 18 - 55 mm lens -- the 5100 has a cropped sensor so the focal lengths correspond to 27 - 85 in standard 35 mm film cameras.
My lens has developed some issues and I thinking of using this as an opportunity to upgrade to a longer zoom lens.

Do any of you have suggestions about a replacement lens that would go from wide (say 18mm) to something in the range of 150 -200 or even longer.

Thanks

http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/comparisons/DX-super-zooms/index.htm

Nikon makes an 18-140mm zoom.

KG

I've had the 18-200 VRI attached to my D300 for years and have no complaints - its a popular lens. The VRII version, as mentioned in Ken's review, provides an upgrade to the VR system. A friend bought the 18-300 for their D7000 and is happy with it except the occasional mention that it's a big piece of glass.

My original Nikon D90 came with the 18-105 lens. It was the other version of the kit lens. It worked okay, but I was never really happy with it either. It worked okay for inside shots, but always seemed soft for railfanning. My favorite lens were both the 55-200 and 70-300 lenses. They worked pretty well, although I know that these don't help you with wide-angle, especially on a cropped sensor camera.

My Nikon D600 came with the 24-80 lens, which I like a lot better. But my favorite for railfanning use is still my old 70-300 which is (FX) full-frame capable. This works in most railroad applications. I'll switch to my 24-80 if I am going to need wider angle.

The 55-200 and 70-300 are reasonably priced lenses that work pretty well. Going to a higher end lens may or not be worth the cost, depending upon what you plan on doing with it.

Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/15 10:09 by SN711.

You should check with you Nikon dealer. Your lens may stlll be under warranty...
I have a D3100 and all my old Nikon lens work fine....Swede....Albany,Or.

I've been happy with the 18-140 and the 55-300mm lens.

I have the Sigma 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 Macro lens, decent quality for the money. I use it on my Canon EOS 70D and they do make the same lens for Nikon.

You won't go wrong with the 18-200mm VR2. I had that lens for years on my D300 and even used it for about a year on my D700. For the money, it turns out good quality images, and gives you great flexibility in all shooting situations.

kgmontreal Wrote:
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> Nikon makes an 18-140mm zoom.
>
> KG

I got the 18-140mm with my D7100 and find it to be an excellent lens for the price. It gets very good reviews.

The following was shot with this lens at 1/800th F4.8 at 56mm, Nikon D7100 with the train moving.
The top is a scaled down full shot, and the second is the nose at 100%, no scaling.

You can get better lenses, but they also a lot cost more.

Scott Schifer
Torrance, CA
TinyTrains Website



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/15 13:04 by tinytrains.

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AFAIK, the 18-200 VR I and VR II are identical except for the zoom lock on the VR II. The optics and VR system are the same in both.

I bought a used Nikkor 18-200 (VR I) about three years ago and have used it as the main lens at various times on a D200, D300 and D7000, and sporadically on a D80, all with battery grips. It is a pretty substantial piece of glass, so I can't testify how well it would balance on the D5000-series body. I have been very pleased with it.

I'm also still pleasantly surprised that the original 18-135 non-VR kit lens that came with my D80 continues to produce overall results almost as good as any supposed "upgrade" I've bought in the eight years since I went digital. I understand the new 18-140 is optically and mechanically similar, with the addition of VR.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/15 18:54 by atsf616.

I've also got a Nikon 18-200 Vr II, on a d7100 body. I won't win any awards for my photos so far, but it's doing a good job for me. It's a handful of a lens, but not huge. I'm used to my old Nikon F with a 50-300mm. That was very big and heavy in comparison to the 18-200. The 18-200mm has a 72mm filter on it and the 50-300 uses a 95mm. It's a manual lens, but I'm going to try it on the 7100 just for the heck of it. The zoom on the 18-200 is nice and smooth and is easy to get used to, for framing moving trains. Go feel one of these lenses on a similar camera to yours, in a shop somewhere. Some of my friends don't like that bulky of a camera and lens combination. I'm getting used to it. I picked it up new a couple months ago, for $400 new, on sale. They were going for in the $900+ range, a while back when they were hard to get. Nikon also makes a 18-300 VR lens but I didn't want to haul the extra size around. If you really wanted to get fancy, Nikon makes a 70-200mm VR 2.8 lens. It's made for the FX format cameras but would work great on DX also. That's a big heavy hunk of glass, and a nice big price too. Great for dimly lit and action photos. Big time sports guys use them a lot. Only about $2500 new.

hawkinsun Vay, Idaho