[Ruthiebabe]

I've had my nikon D80 for 9 months and love it, it has the AF-S Nikkor18-135 kit lens. If I should upgrade that to a better lens but with similar walkaround range, what would you recommend? I have a sigma 10-20mm wide angle and will one day get a telephoto aswell.

TIA, Ruth

[liljj323]

i think an 18-200vr, this has a better build quality and the vr will let you soot 3-4stops slower than normal.
Nikon USA: AF-S DX VR Zoom-NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
heres a link to the nikon website for more info

[Soupdragon]

Do you have any budgetary constraints?

[Ruthiebabe]

well I do but I haven't decided them yet to be more specific I'm only a keen amateur so can't justify mega bucks but am hoping not to have to upgrade again as far as any extra lenses are concerned so I'm open to suggestions within reason.

Shall we say no more than £300-£400 but tell me wnat you were thinking...

[Dabhand16]

I think you may have the answer. You have the 10-20, and an 18-135.

How often are you yearning for a lens that will give more than you already have?

I think you might want to go for either a longer lens to fill in at the top end, or perhaps a faster lens within your existing focal range. It depends on what you want to do.

[Soupdragon]

Originally Posted by Ruthiebabe

well I do but I haven't decided them yet to be more specific I'm only a keen amateur so can't justify mega bucks but am hoping not to have to upgrade again as far as any extra lenses are concerned so I'm open to suggestions within reason.

Shall we say no more than £300-£400 but tell me wnat you were thinking...

Well, what I was thinking was, 105 VR macro, or micro as Nikon calls it.
It's the lens I am saving for now.
Anyway, the reason I am suggesting this is:

It is reasonably priced.
The resolving power/sharpness is un-rivalled by any lens.
It has good reach and produces superb bokeh or background blur.
It is good for portraiture.
It has VR so easier to hand hold than your 135 for instance.
At f2.8 it's already good in low light situations.

And personally, I have lost count of the times I have been out and about, stumbled across something very small and interesting, but have not been able to get close enough.

Finally, I tried one for size on my D200 and it looks drop dead sexy.

So, in conclusion, for a fixed focal length lens, you will not find a more "fun for £" lens with professional quality build for under £500.

It is worth noting, I am biased because I must have one!

[Trynaty]

I don't know if you got your lense yet but here is my 2 cents I have the above mentioned 18-200 VR on my Nikon D40 and I love the lense the VR really makes a difference when I am out hiking and taking shot I have 3 dogs to manage no time for Tripod and lense switching. It is well worth the money in my mind. Love it. Kerri

[WOODY]

I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE 18 - 200 VR LENS. AS A WALK ABOUT LENS IT IS
IDEAL. SAVES CARRYING EXTRA LENSES, ALSO NO NEED TO KEEP CHANGING LENSES,
THEREFORE LESS CHANCE OF DUST GETTING INTO THE CAMERA.

[Hooky]

Hi, as mentioned by others, the 18-200 VR is an excellent walkaround lense. I find that the weight balances well with my D200 and the build quality seems robust (Nikon are currently offering a 2 year guarantee I believe)

The range of the zoom is just about right for most general situations and the lense can focus from 0.5m which I find useful.

The overall image quality of the lense is excellent, however it is a little soft at the extremes. Having said that, you already have the 10-20 to cover the wide angle end. I think that the softness is very slight (subjective I know )

All in all, for a one lense walkaround general solution, at the appx. budget you have, I would recommend it

I got mine from online from cameras2u - £438 +3.99 for next day delivery.

I posted previously regarding a problem with the focussing of my 18-200. This turned out to be a motor problem I think I was just unlucky and got a duff one! I have not read any other reports of this being a common problem with this lense.

Regards,

Alan