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Nikon 18-300mm


parthiban
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Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

http://www.europe-nikon.com/en_GB/product/nikkor-lenses/auto-focus-lenses/dx/af-s-dx-nikkor-18%E2%80%93300mm-f-3-5%E2%80%936-3g-ed-vr#overview

 

Now they've made it so small and light it looks like the perfect all rounder (and reviews seem to back that up). Was originally thinking about swapping to a full frame body which is why I haven't bought any lenses so far but given my casual use it seems a bit of a waste to spend pretty much £2k on a new camera when the one I have now is perfectly fine!

 

This combined with the 35mm F1.8 prime could be the perfect combo? Would just need to get rid of my current lens though as I'd not really have any use for it if I had the 18-300.

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I looked at this when it first came out and although it's handy having the extra 100mm over my 55-200mm, I did read that the quality wasn't as good at the long end. The better alternative seems to be the 70-300mm, which is what I still have my eye on, especially as I use the alot of zoom for animal and motorsport photos. Although in the last year or 2 I've barely touched the camera so I have been wondering if it's even worth keeping.

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I looked at this when it first came out and although it's handy having the extra 100mm over my 55-200mm, I did read that the quality wasn't as good at the long end. The better alternative seems to be the 70-300mm, which is what I still have my eye on, especially as I use the alot of zoom for animal and motorsport photos. Although in the last year or 2 I've barely touched the camera so I have been wondering if it's even worth keeping.

 

Are you referring to this one (which came out a few months ago) or its predecessor from a while back? Only ask because the original had some issues, but the new one seems to be a massive improvement.

 

Old:

 

http://www.europe-nikon.com/en_GB/product/nikkor-lenses/auto-focus-lenses/dx/zoom/af-s-dx-nikkor-18-300mm-f-3-5-5-6g-ed-vr

 

New:

 

http://www.europe-nikon.com/en_GB/product/nikkor-lenses/auto-focus-lenses/dx/af-s-dx-nikkor-18%E2%80%93300mm-f-3-5%E2%80%936-3g-ed-vr

 

 

Any reason you don't use yours much? I think I don't use mine much but it comes on every holiday and all family events! What do you use instead?

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I wasn't aware a newer version had been released but what I had read will be for the older one.

 

I have been looking at this but probably a good used one - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-AF-S-70-300-4-5-5-6G-IF-ED/dp/B000HJPK2C/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1454942836&sr=1-1&keywords=nikkor+70-300

 

I always take the camera away with me and on days out, but sometimes I just can't be bothered.

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It might be a bit older than I'd originally thought but there are now two versions of the 18-300mm lens. The new one is a bit slower at the top end, but has far improved sharpness across the range.

 

Unless you're planning to get it a lot cheaper than that used, based on reviews it seems it's worth spending £100 more on the 18-300mm for the added convenience of only having one lens. The way I see it is that this looks to be better than the 18-105mm I currently use and that one is generally fine!

 

I'd quite like to get a prime to get better indoor/low light shots without flash, but otherwise the 18-300mm seems the perfect all round lens, particularly for travel. Only slight issue is that buying these lenses will mean committing to APS-C and ruling out a full frame upgrade at some point!

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This is why I'm interested in the 70-300, the 18-300 is slower at the top end and my 55-200 struggles to focus when I'm panning cars, I get alot of dud shots. I'll have to read the reviews on the new 18-300 and see what it's like.

 

The 35mm is very good, I love mine and with the CPL filter it's great for car photography but the downside is you need to be quite a way back from them so a wide angle lens would be better. For indoor shots it is great.

 

You can still use cropped lenses on a full frame I think?

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Thanks, good point about focusing. Might see if I can find it in a store to see how it performs on my D90.

 

Yeah I think the 35mm would be perfect for indoor shots, and also nighttime outdoor stuff. Think it's actually the other way around, you can use full frame lenses with a cropped sensor, but the other way round the corners will be cut off?

 

Problem with going full frame is that I'm not sure if it'll be enough of an improvement to balance off the additional weight and bulk of a full frame. Remember playing with my uncle's D700 or 800 (can't remember which) a few years ago and it's a fair chunk bulkier than my D90.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Did you try the lens out?

 

The 35mm is a brilliant lens, especially for the money it costs, it's a no brainer  :smile_anim:

 

Given how little you use the camera and you I don't think you shoot in full manual mode I think a full frame will be overkill for your needs. I definitely wouldn't get one unless I was trying to turn pro, it's alot of weight  to carry around.

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I haven't done anything yet - mostly confused by a trip to Jessops where I found out the full frame D610 is the same size and weight as my D90. There is also the argument though that it's better because it's newer rather than full frame, and the current top APS-C model would also provide far better results too.

 

I probably will just stick for now, particularly because the mirrorless cameras are getting more and more interesting - in a few years it might be possible to get a full frame one with 4K video for reasonable money and that might make a better upgrade.

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That's interesting, maybe technology has improved that's allowed them to become the same size/weight as the crop frame bodies. I've not really looked at new cameras since I got mine.

 

I'm not sure a better body would necessarily give better results, I think that is more down to the quality of the lens and the operator.

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You're right to a certain extent but the low light performance of the new stuff blows the old stuff away. And as a more amateur user the mirrorless stuff (once it moves on a bit) is far more practical so think that might make a better upgrade than a new DSLR.

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