christmas time! suggestions for toys to pair with my d90m, 18-200mm, 50-200mm lens?

[endervalentine]

wifey gives permission for one expensive gift for christmas. I'm thinking of getting something to add to my dslr bag.

I'm thinking of selling the 50-200mm lens and opting for the sb400 or sb600? Any must have lens that I should have in my bag? filters, tripods, cleaning kits?

 

[twistedlogic]

Any must have lens that I should have in my bag?

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX Lens

Throw the sb-400 or sb-600 into the mix and your indoor shots should be night and day.

 

[MotF Bane]

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX Lens

Throw the sb-400 or sb-600 into the mix and your indoor shots should be night and day.

Link appears dead.

 

[twistedlogic]

Link appears dead.

Thanks, fixed.

 

[endervalentine]

thanks! sorry stupid questions ... what does the 35mm add that my 18-200mm doesn't already?

 

[virtuamike]

Speed.

 

[whoiswes]

I would pass on the SB-400 in favor of the 600 or 800 (if you can find one used).

With walmart @ 20% bing cashback the 600 can be had for well under $200 (I think I calculated $176+tax).

the 400 is nice and small but you can't bounce the flash in portrait mode. Thee 400 also can't be controlled wirelessly or off camera (the 600 can be controlled off camera by the D90 and if you run shutter at 1/250th or faster, the onboard flash won't show up in the final picture).

Another +1 for the 35 f/1.8. Super narrow depth of field, very nice bokeh, light, and small. Great walkaround lens.

 

[MotF Bane]

Speed.

If they both have SWM, where's the speed difference?

 

[whoiswes]

If they both have SWM, where's the speed difference?

speed as in F numbers. 1.8 is two stops faster than 3.5 and over three stops (3 1/3 I think) faster than 5.6.

 

[MotF Bane]

speed as in F numbers. 1.8 is two stops faster than 3.5 and over three stops (3 1/3 I think) faster than 5.6.

So the lower f/ number means a larger aperture so you can use a faster shutter speed?

 

[soydios]

So the lower f/ number means a larger aperture so you can use a faster shutter speed?

yes

I would get the AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX lens, and an SB-600 flash.

Do you have both 18-200mm and 55-200mm lenses? If so, sell the 55-200mm because it does nothing that the 18-200mm doesn't already do.

 

[twistedlogic]

So the lower f/ number means a larger aperture so you can use a faster shutter speed?

And shallower DOF.

sell the 55-200mm because it does nothing that the 18-200mm doesn't already do.

They cover the same focal length, but thats about it. The 55-200 is much lighter, has better IQ, less distortion, less CA, and is actually a bit faster at most focal lengths. (And no lens creep)

18-200 55-200
@ 55mm F4.8 F4
@ 135mm F5.6 F5

I'd sell the 18-200, keep the 55-200, and pick up a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 or a couple of primes. But I'm a stickler for IQ.

On the other hand, for convenience of use the 18-200 is tough to beat. If changing lenses means a shot missed then IQ doesn't matter at all, lol.

 

[twistedlogic]

If they both have SWM, where's the speed difference?

The 55-200 has AF-S(motor), but it is not the same as the ones used in the higher end lenses.

 

[MotF Bane]

The 55-200 has AF-S(motor), but it is not the same as the ones used in the higher end lenses.

So there's no way to tell which one has the better AF-S motor aside from trying it out or checking the price? That sucks.

 

[ProfJohn]

The 55-200 is an inexpensive lens that Nikon makes and sells to amatures who are more concerned with money than the final results.

The 18-200 cost almost four times as much and I would guess has much better everything. The only problem with the lens is that it is good at everything, but great at nothing.

I would say buy a nice flash and either the 35mm 1.8($199) or the cheaper 55mm 1.8($119) I own the 50 myself, with a d90, and I can't image that the 35 is worth the extra $70. You'd be better off saving that $70 and using it to buy the SB600 over the SB400

 

[Munky]

I'd recommend the SB600 and the 35mm f/1.8. The 35mm lens provides an angle of view on a DX camera close to the way your eyes naturally see. For me 55mm is just too narrow angle of view, and limits my photo options in many situations.

I'd take the sb600 over the sb400, because it allows much greater flexibility in terms of lighting options, has more power, and direct controls on the flash for quicker, easier operation.

As far as which lens to keep, I myself have the 55-200, but I don't use it much because I can get better photos by getting closer to the subject as opposed to zooming in. The 18-200 is a nice choice if you hate changing lenses, but having the 55-200 allows me to leave it home when I don't need it, instead of carrying a heavy lens which only gets partially used.

 

[BeauJangles]

The 18-200 cost almost four times as much and I would guess has much better everything. The only problem with the lens is that it is good at everything, but great at nothing.

The 18-200 is a beautiful lens. Yes, it has shortcomings but for 95% of photographers they will be the limiting factor on their pictures, not the lens.

 

[soydios]

So there's no way to tell which one has the better AF-S motor aside from trying it out or checking the price? That sucks.

A full AF-S lens has a focusing ring between the zoom ring and the camera and allows for instant manual-focus override. A full AF-S lens will have an "M/A" option on its focusing switch, whereas a kit AF-s lens will have only "M" and "A" options.

If we're directly comparing lenses, the 18-200's AF-S isn't all that fast. It's probably barely faster than the 55-200's AF-s but I don't have both lenses at the moment so I can't truly compare them. The 18-200's AF-S does allow for instant manual override while the 55-200's doesn't.

Really all these variable-aperture lenses' AF-S is a whole league below the AF-S of the constant-aperture zooms and exotic primes. Those expensive lenses are able to focus from infinity to near to infinity again in under a second.