new nikon d7000!!!

[Scotttyd]

So I just ordered by nikon d7000 camera body - it is not comming with a kit lens - so I need to get a general purpose topside lens for it that I will learn to use before I take it underwater and replace my current p5100.

Should I get the 18-105 that is the normal kit lens for it, or for the same money I could get a 18-55 and a 55-200? Not sure if the extra zoom is worh the hassle of having to change the lense more often and haul around the extra lense. I am new to DSLR - so I also really don't know how much "zoom" you get going from 100 to 200. Any ideas?

For underwater use I plan on getting a 60mm macro and a 10-17.

 

[Rainer]

For topside use I mostly (80%) shoot my 35mm f/1.8. What kind of shooting do you see yourself doing topside? For UW, your lens choices look good. I really like my D7000. Enjoy!

 

[elan]

It depends upon your budget or how much you want to invest. Good lenses usually keep the value well.

Rainer gave a good option the lens he mentioned is the normal lens that gives a fiels of view of an eye roughly.

Get a normal lens untill you decide what kind of shooting you do.

As an alternative you can get something like 24-70/2.8 which is about 1.5k or something like 18-200/3.5-5.6 about 700 there are a bunch of lenses in 500 range as well it all depends on the type of shooting you are going to do and the conditions

 

[E-diver]

For topside my absolute favorite is the nikor 18-200 if I'm walking out the door or going on a trip and can only take one lens...this is it. For low light I'll second the recommendation for the 35mm 1.8. Hard to beat for the price.

For underwater I'm still on the fence with where to start leaning 10-17, but 60mm macro seems to be a good choice too.

 

[Scotttyd]

I will probably be doing landscapes/buildings maybe some wildlife attempts. Of course typical candids, but I can always use my P&S for those - decent pocket size. That is why I want something with some zoom to it

 

[rusti999]

I don't have the Nikon 18-200mm, but I've heard that this lens's softness is especially problematic when combined with the high resolution of the D7000. Personally, for walking around, I have the Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4. As you can see, it's pretty fast at the lowest focal length, and it can do some macro as well, albeit to only 1:2.7. And although I haven't tried it myself, I've read reports that this lens is pretty decent underwater.

 

[E-diver]

I don't have the Nikon 18-200mm, but I've heard that this lens's softness is especially problematic when combined with the high resolution of the D7000. Personally, for walking around, I have the Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4. As you can see, it's pretty fast at the lowest focal length, and it can do some macro as well, albeit to only 1:2.7. And although I haven't tried it myself, I've read reports that this lens is pretty decent underwater.

Not sure who told you it was soft, I've been shooting with it for years and have never wanted for greater sharpness. Of course as with any other Nikon I always kick up the default sharpness setting from the defaults. By default they're set a bit soft for my taste. If you like a much more professional evaluation than I'm capable of providing this is a pretty good read.

Nikon 18-200mm

Anyway, it's plenty for me and has given me some great shots over the years, many of which are hanging around the house and office.

 

[E-diver]

To be clear, that's the in camera sharpness setting, no post processing for me.

 

[rusti999]

Not sure who told you it was soft, I've been shooting with it for years and have never wanted for greater sharpness. Of course as with any other Nikon I always kick up the default sharpness setting from the defaults. By default they're set a bit soft for my taste. If you like a much more professional evaluation than I'm capable of providing this is a pretty good read.

As I said, I don't own this lens, so I don't have first-hand experience with it. To see the reports that I've seen, check for instance

D7000 with 18-200 Vr II IQ? - Photo.net Nikon Forum
Flickr: Discussing 18-200 Nikon Lens on D7000 - how bad it is in NIKON D7000 CLUB
Nikon D7000 Review by Thom Hogan

As you can see, the opinions are mixed. Some think the results are great, others don't agree. The problem seems to be especially at the telephoto end. Anyway, take these reports with a grain of salt. FWIW, it's good if you have it and you are happy it.

 

[Larry C]

I like my 18-200 a lot, but it isn't the best at either end. It takes good pictures from about 40-120 then falls off a bit at the extremes. For general use, it's great. If you want big telephoto, you could go with the 18-105 which gets pretty good reviews and look for a good used 400 prime. I bought an older Tokina 400 manual focus cheap on e-bay, but I got what I paid for. The contrast leaves a lot to be desired. The newer Tokina pro models and some other prime lenses in the f4.5-5.6 range are available used at pretty reasonable prices, and most older lenses will meter with your camera. You have to set the camera for non chip type lens to record the metering.