New User, want to get D90 Body + Tamron AF18-270mm....recommended?

[blam83]

Hi,

I am a current normal DC user.

Looking to change to a DSLR, that can last me say 3-4 years.

Currently interested in the Nikon D90 (seems like I can get more out of it than say the Canon 450D).

I am a lazy person, and would like to have long zoom. So I prefer an all-in-one ultra zoom lens, with the Tamron 18-270mm suiting my needs. I am hoping to get the lens now than latter, as I am getting married soon, and undoubtedly I will have issues trying to convince my wife to spend so much on a lens! So there are benefits for me getting the all-in-one lens now than later.

Now, I want to ask, as a beginner to DSLR, would you suggest me getting a package of the D90 body + the Tamron lens?

Or would I be better starting off with the kit lens? Will it allow me to learn more?

I have read a lot about the Tamron lens slow in focussing, is this true, how bad is it to an average person?


Many thanks

[fionndruinne]

Don't know anything about this new Tamron lens in particular, but the inescapable trend of superzoom lenses is toward lower quality images. While I'm not condemning the lens outright, I'd recommend you consider whether the 18-105mm kit might suffice for you. Not everyone needs 270mm of telephoto every time they go outside, you may find it to be less necessary than you think.

[K1W1]

as I am getting married soon, and undoubtedly I will have issues trying to convince my wife to spend so much on a lens!

Jeepers she has you well trained. Most of us don't realise that until well after the happy day and after our personal bank account has become her joint account. :D

Regarding the lens I echo what was said above. Unless you know why you need the long telephoto range there is a good chance that you don't and the 18-105 will produce generally way better images in the range that most photographers use most often. Look on the auction site and wonder why there are so many Nikon 18-200 lenses there.

[britkev]

OH dear.. if she thinks that Tamron is expensive you are going to be in big trouble when you discover fast glass ;)

All-in-one lenses are like Swiss Army knives - I have a corkscrew and a nail clipper on mine, but I have far more efficient devices for either task in the kitchen and bathroom respectively. I've never used my Swiss Army knife to open a bottle of wine or cut my nails.

Don't take this personally , because it isn't meant that way, but if you're going to buy an SLR camera and leave one lens on it all the time my question is simply "Why?". You could buy a nice digital compact with that much range and significant if not total control over your exposure that will take just as good shots as the SLR+all-in-one 98% of the time, be much easier to carry around and cost 1/3rd of the price without the temptation to rush out and buy new bits for it every too often.

[tim11]

....I have read a lot about the Tamron lens slow in focussing, is this true, how bad is it to an average person?
....

It's true. It's all in the review here (http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/tamron_18-270_3p5-6p3_vc_n15/). How bad is slow focus to an average person? I don't think slow focus is good to anyone at all; whether average person or not. Coincidently, I just talked to my nephew who just get into photography last night that you only need such long focal lenght if you do bird shootings but again if you do serious birding you will need better lens than this Tammy.

You do consider the new 18-105VR Nikkor kit lens? It's a good lens and doesn't cost an arm or a leg.

[eddie_dane]

Blam,

I know where you are coming from. I used to be big into the Panasonic FZ range of cameras. After all these years, I'm convinced that they were making me a worse photographer and here's why. With the obsession of having a huge range of focal length 28-430mm for an example, it teaches you to stand still and take pictures from one place, not good. You can read below the equipment that I have now but the setup that made the best improvement in my photography was when I finally got the 50mm f1.8 on my D50. It made me reconsider every shot for composition and engage my subject. I can't recommend it and the new 35mm AFS lens enough on those principles.

Like others have said above, if you have a specific need for long focal lengths like for wildlife/birds, then you may want to still consider something like the tammy. But I suspect you will produce better pictures and become a better photographer with a more simple and higher quality setup. Don't be obsessed by the pictures you think you will miss, be passionate about make the shots you will make the best they can be.

[blam83]

Ok looks like I should stick with the kit lens, after all it at least gives a 6x zoom. Its a good starting point.

However I still think the D90 is quite heavy if I say compared against with the Canon Rebel series...

I am also intending to get a 50mm F1.8. The lens being 50mm, does it mean every object I view will be almost like a 3x optical zoom?

Many Thanks

[r3g]

A 50mm lens on the D90 will give you a focal length of 75mm.

[blam83]

What would be the equivalent optical zoom would that be? Sorry I am new to the lens term, I know how to derive the optical zoom if there are 2 sets of numbers, but not a single set.

Thanks

[David Metsky]

What would be the equivalent optical zoom would that be? Sorry I am new to the lens term, I know how to derive the optical zoom if there are 2 sets of numbers, but not a single set.
That's because it doesn't mean anything. 3x just means that the shortest focal length is 1/3 of the longest focal length. A 17-51mm lens is a 3x, a 100-300mm is a 3x.

The equivalent optical zoom of 75mm is 75mm. What you want to know is how that relates to what you see with the naked eye. 50mm is roughly equivalent to the naked eye. 75mm is slight telephoto. Most P&S cameras with 3x zoom go from about 35-105mm.

[Elisha]

However I still think the D90 is quite heavy if I say compared against with the Canon Rebel series...



you didn't know this before buying the D90?
the Rebel series are quite small. the D90 is much bigger in comparison.
the D60 would be a better comparison to the Rebels.

[XaiLo]

you didn't know this before buying the D90?
the Rebel series are quite small. the D90 is much bigger in comparison.
the D60 would be a better comparison to the Rebels.

Elisha82, I do not believe blam83 has actually purchased a D90 yet.

D90 22oz
XTi 16.8oz
XT 16.2oz
D40 16oz
D60 16.1oz

So comparatively speaking the D90 is by far the weight champion but it has a feature set that hard to match also.

[tim11]

Big doesn't mean bad. D90 has better features and built quality. However, should you decide to go Canon way, the conversion factor is 1.6x. eg. 18-55 mm means 28.8-88 mm on digital; where the factor for Nikon is 1.5x.

[swpars]

If you want an all-in-one superzoom lens, get a Nikon 18-200mm VR for that D90.

If you're willing to play with interchangeable lenses, get a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 and a Nikon 55-200mm VR (and why not, because that's what SLR cameras are all about). For about $650 you'll have a very good two lens kit with excellent low light performance on the short end and image stabilization on the long end.

If you can swing it, maybe add a 35mm f1.8 for very low light shots - indoor or at night.

[fionndruinne]

Does it make sense for us to start recommending people start out with a 35mm and move on from there?

I think it does. That used to be the staple of photography. You can say that these days your average shooter is not looking for stellar quality images as much as he is for convenience, and that may be true, but I see an awful lot of new DSLR users go over because they want a) better picture quality (and they're often looking at shots made with high quality glass when they make that decision - not their sister-in-law's D60+18-55mm VR), and b) low-light performance. To say that it might be a good idea to start with a standard lens which will provide both of those things admirably, but deprive one of zoom function, might be useless but I feel half-inclined to do it.

I mean we've got a new, very affordable f/1.8 option in the field. I see several of you guys recommending it almost off the bat.

[swpars]

I love my 50mm f1.8 for indoor shots, but it's just too narrow for much outdoor work. Having nothing wider than it sucks. My Tamron 17-50 will ship from B&H once it re-opens after the Passover holiday.

[BruceNB]

I was always a Canon man but shifted to the D90 because it was the first DSLR with HD video capabilities.

Well, you have to have some reason to choose! Also, the viewfinder was brilliantly clear my my eyes these days.

I bought it with the kit lens.

The only bad point was the plastic mount on the kit lens, which shattered the first day I used the camera. OK, so it was on the camera, and in a camera bag, and I placed it on the floor a little more vehemently than I should [my beloved Canon A-1 35mm could withstand anything and had a decent mount], but I think the build quality of Nikons may be suspect. Maybe Canon DSLRs are the same.

First thing I did when it was repaired was to get the Nikkor f1.8 D 50mm, which has a decent mount, lets in more light and produces beautiful results.

The kit lens also produces stunning results, as long as it doesn't break.

The D90 produces fantastic results. I thought my Canon S5IS was pretty good, and the Ixus 750 too, but the Nikon is better. Understandably as it is a different class of camera.

I vowed never to have another SLR - too many bits to carry, too heavy - but it is a delight to get back to a viewfinder again, and the camera just feels so good in use. I don't find it heavy - it is a reassuring weight.

Oh, by the way, I've never used video on it, but, as I said, there has to be something that helps make the selection!

[Honest Gaza]

I'll go against the trend here. Check my signature below and you will see that I'm pretty well covered in focal lengths from 10mm through to 300mm. And yet, before heading off to Fiji last year, I was contemplating getting the Tamron 18-270mm for the very reason you nominated....versatility in one lens. Only the "handbrake" stopped me :D

Of course it won't offer images as good as lenses with smaller focal ranges (although some of those can be quite ordinary as well), but it's not a bad starting point. In my opinion (and I am no master photographer so take my opinion with a grain of salt), it is going to be equal to some of the "kit combinations" offered with cameras.

So if you want an "all-in-one" lens....I say go for it. You will learn how to use a SLR, be able to note which ranges you are using the most, and then spend some $$$ on more specific lenses.

[jcon]

I was always a Canon man but shifted to the D90 because it was the first DSLR with HD video capabilities.
.................
Oh, by the way, I've never used video on it, but, as I said, there has to be something that helps make the selection!

LOL, Too funny!




The only bad point was the plastic mount on the kit lens, which shattered the first day I used the camera. OK, so it was on the camera, and in a camera bag, and I placed it on the floor a little more vehemently than I should [my beloved Canon A-1 35mm could withstand anything and had a decent mount], but I think the build quality of Nikons may be suspect.

Nothing wrong with plastic mounts and I find it hard to believe just placing it on the ground would cause it to "shatter".

There is nothing wrong with the build quality of Nikons. Actually, I have Canon friends that admit they like the build quality of Nikons over Canons.

[swpars]

Kit lenses with plastic mounts from any make are pretty fragile.

With the D80 + metal mount 50mm f1.8, I don't worry so much about it. I just toss it in an unpadded bag and go. I wouldn't do that with the 55-200 VR - it travels in a padded bag if it comes along on an outing (along with the rest of the camera stuff, I don't carry two bags).

[RASTA14]

im also a new member and still learning of course, and would like to see some pictures posted with the tamron 18-270. i recently purchased the 18-270mm a week ago and will take it to a ballgame on sunday. funny thing is i dont even know how to upload pictures or email them. how sad is that. any suggestions to links on how to start? sorry for being a newbie, im working with the d60 by the way. thanks guys for any help.

[swpars]

Go to flickr.com and do a search for "Tamron 18-270" you should find some stuff.