Question Which lens do I need?

[weltweit]

..
If you are happy with manual focusing then this might be a better bet.

Nikon Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 D VR AF ED Lens | eBay

I have that lens, it isn't bad optically, is has VR (vibration reduction) and for a lens of that focal length is quite compact.

I suspect it won't stay at that price, on MPB they sell for about £400 https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equi...lenses/nikon-af-80-400mm-f-4-5-5-6d-if-ed-vr/

 

[weltweit]

Incidentally, for your present you might consider a camera body with a built in focussing motor. That would allow you to AF on Nikon lenses designated AF and AF-S ..

There are loads of Nikon camera bodies toward the bottom of this page:

Nikon

Buy, sell and part exchange second hand Nikon DSLRs, Compact System Cameras, Lenses, Flashguns and other used camera accessories. Great deals, low prices.

www.mpb.com

 

[Sweet FA]

I rely on auto focus, the combination of my eyesight and the small viewfinder means doing manual focus is quite tricky.

For me AF is just easier.

I think I'm in the same place tbh. I think I might have to save up. Thanks for the help

 

[weltweit]

I think I'm in the same place tbh. I think I might have to save up. Thanks for the help

Sweet FA, do you have the full product designations for your two lenses? The full part numbers?

 

[Sweet FA]

Sweet FA, do you have the full product designations for your two lenses? The full part numbers?

These are the two I've got.

Homepage

Nikon

www.nikon.co.uk

Homepage

Nikon

www.nikon.co.uk

Although I think I've been a dolt - I should get a secondhand body like you suggested above. The D40X is really outdated and I can get a lot more camera for a couple of hundred quid...birthday at the end of Jan...

More stupid questions: what's the earliest Nikon with an a built in focussing motor? Can I use the lenses I've got on a camera with an inbuilt motor?

Basically, what's the best Nikon body with a motor that I could get for around 200-250?




Be good to take photos like this but better:

 

[Sweet FA]

A D7000 maybe? They seem to be in the 200-250 price range.

 

[RoyReed]

There's a few D7000s here at £189, some with quite a low shutter count. If you're going to buy a second-hand body try to get a shutter count below about 15,000.

If you can afford a bit more, there was quite a big step up from the D7000 to the D7100 (4928x3264px up to 6000x4000 and much better high ISO noise suppression).

D7100s £299-334

Either would be a massive step up from your D40x - compare D7000 and D7100

 

[Sweet FA]

Brilliant, thanks RoyReed.

Any other things to look out for in the second-hand market?

 

[RoyReed]

Brilliant, thanks RoyReed.

Any other things to look out for in the second-hand market?

Shutter count is the main thing, and no obvious knocks or scrapes. Any photos should be of the actual body. Seems obvious, but they're not always. Some places give a 1-5 rating with 5 being best. Don't go less than 4.

 

[weltweit]

These are the two I've got.

Homepage

Nikon

www.nikon.co.uk

Homepage

Nikon

www.nikon.co.uk

Hi Sweet FA, those two lenses are both "DX" lenses. They are designed to work on APS-C sensors, their imaging circle is too small for a full frame sensor.

< removed muddle up text from here >

 

[RoyReed]

Hi Sweet FA, those two lenses are both "DX" lenses. They are designed to work on APS-C sensors, their imaging circle is too small for a full frame sensor.

The only comment I would make about the D3000 and D3100 is that neither body has an in body focussing motor. So to have lenses with Auto Focus you would have to continue to buy AF-S lenses.

RoyReed did you mean to recommend bodies without focussing motors? because to my way of thinking there are now lots of good value AF lenses out there.

I would have thought a D300 might be a better bet?

What? No-one's mention D3000 or D3100 (neither were very good).

The D7000 and D7100 are both APS-C cameras and both have internal focusing motors and can work with AF lenses as well as AF-S. Both were top of their range when they were introduced, and both are better than a D300 (I've had all three).

 

[weltweit]

What? No-one's mention D3000 or D3100 (neither were very good).

Looks back, OMG it seems I can't read now either Ignore my posts, they are misguided!!

Apologies Roy!

The D7000 and D7100 are both APS-C cameras and both have internal focusing motors and can work with AF lenses as well as AF-S. Both were top of their range when they were introduced, and both are better than a D300 (I've had all three).

I withdraw my earlier comments, the D7000 / D7100 would be very suitable.

 

[Sweet FA]

Cheers all - a secondhand D7100 should be arriving before Xmas

 

[weltweit]

Cheers all - a secondhand D7100 should be arriving before Xmas

Here is a full review to keep you interested while you wait for your package

Nikon D7100 In-Depth Review

The enthusiast-targeted Nikon D7100 becomes the company's latest APS-C DSLR to feature a 24MP sensor, joining the D3200 and D5200 models that were announced in 2012. As the eagerly anticipated successor to the very popular two-and-a-half year old D7000, the D7100 faces a sizeable task. In our...

www.dpreview.com

And you can download the full Nikon manual in pdf format here:

Nikon | Download center | D7100

downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com

 

[weltweit]

I have my pdf manual on my phone. It is a bit tricky to navigate but if I want to see how to do something while I am out and about it is invaluable.