[Dave]

Read an interesting article in one fo the Photo Mags, that was advising newcomers to DSLR photography how to put together the perfect lens kit for general photography. What intrigued me was the order they suggested you should buy them in :-

1. Standard zoom - 18-55 / 18-70
2. Telephoto Zoom - 70-300mm
3. Macro Lens - 50mm, 60mm, 90mm or 105mm
4. 50mm f/1.8 prime lens
5. Wide Angle Zoom - 12-24mm

Just the macro seemed a weird lens to suggest as your 3rd lens. I thought this would be quite specialist for most people

So what order did you build your lens kit range up in ?

[Dave]

For me it was :-

1. Kit lens Nikon 18-70mm -came with camera....now sold
2. Normal Prime Nikon 50mm f/1.8 ....so cheap it had to be done
3. Wide Angle zoom - Sigma 10-20mm
4. Telephoto Zoom - Nikon 70-210mm - Now sold
5. Telephoto Zoom - Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8
6. Wide angle zoom - Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8

From then in , I sold 1 & 3 & replaced with higher spec lenses. No macro for me yet.

[stepheno]

For me it was - (no kit lens)

1. Tamron 18-200 (all purpose to get started and cover most things)
2 Canon 50mm f1.8 (for portraits and low light landscapes)
3 Canon 70-300 IS USM (for sport)
4 Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro ( because the 50mm plus tube wasn't cutting it)

Next step is, hopefully, Canon 100-400 L and I'll probably then sell the 70-300.

[Warspite]

My order would be as follows:

1. Canon EF-S 18-55mm Kit Lens (came with 350D, still worth having though)
2. Canon EF 28-80mm (cost £20 from Ebay)
3. Canon EF 50mm 1.8 MKI (£40 from Jessops)
4. Canon EF 85mm 1.8 (bought from Busterboy at £200 )
5. Carl Zeiss 135mm 3.5 - using M42 to EOS adaptor (wanted practice with manual focus & aperture)
6. Sigma 10-20mm Wide-angle (obviously)
7. Canon EF 70-200mm 2.8 L IS (Telephoto)
8. Canon 1.4x II Extender (to bump the 70-200 a little more)

Could still do with something in the closer zoom range - considering a 24-105mm or 24-70, might also have a use for 17-40, although obviously money is the factor here.
Probably highest priority of all would be an external flash.

Still have every lens I've ever bought, and if I had to choose favourites would be a close call between my 85mm Prime and 70-200IS.

[Angela]

Mine is a fairly simple list

Pentax 18-55mm that came withthe camera
Pentax 50-200mm zoom wot I just bought

For fear of running before I can walk, I'd love to experiment with a wide-angle lens. Need to save a few pennies first though.

Can I just ask what the "prime" lens is all about? (You'd better get used to these silly questions from me! )

[Warspite]

A "prime" is just a lens with a fixed focal length, so 50mm, 85mm, would be primes.

As opposed to a "zoom" lens which would be a 10-20mm (ie.e 10mm to 20mm), or a 24-70mm (i.e. 24mm to 70mm).

Basically all a prime does is focus, you cannot zoom in or out on a subject.

[Angela]

Thank you muchly.

[Warspite]

NP

What I state above does not mean a zoom is necessarily better than a prime lens though, in many cases a prime is optically superior to a zoom - but obviously isnt quite so flexible in day to day use, depending on what you shoot is also a factor of course.

[Sonsey]

Originally Posted by Dave

So what order did you build your lens kit range up in ?

I started body only... Aug '05

+ Tamron 28-75 f/2.8... arrived 2 days later.

+ Sigma 100-300 f/4... 2nd hand from ebay added Nov '05 to go after some wildlife.

+ Canon 100-400L IS... 2nd hand for a guy off another forum added Feb '06 as I wanted to shoot hand-held more and have a longer reach.

+ About to order a wide angle.

Originally Posted by Dave

Just the macro seemed a weird lens to suggest as your 3rd lens. I thought this would be quite specialist for most people

It is a bit strange that one... saying that, they can also double as a good portrait lens, but I still would've thought the wide angle would be a bit higher up the list.

[Markulous]

I had the kit lenses wih the camera:
18-50mm, 55-200mm
Then:
M42 Sigma 400mm
M42 Zenitar 16mm Fisheye
105mm Macro
70-300mm 'cos the 55-200m died

Easily my favourite Lens: 105mm
Easily my most used lens: 18-50mm
Easily my most fun lens: Zenitar 16mm

[DavidGilkes]

I bought:

Canon 300mm F4.0
Canon 24-70mm F2.8
Canon 70-200mm F2.8
Canon 1.4x extender

[tommy]

Canon 22-55mm (terrible lens) - bought to use on my first dslr, a D30
Sigma 18-50DC and 55-200 (both pretty ropey, bought to take traveling)
Canon 28-135mm IS & 50mm 1.8
A couple of kit lenses which were never used
Canon 85mm 1.8
Canon 17-35mm 2.8 L & 28-70mm 2.8 L
Canon 80-200mm 2.8 L
Canon 17-55mm 2.8 IS

Next will hopefully be a 70-200mm 2.8 IS L

[Foxesbrew]

I have an18-55mm that came with my Nikon D50.I am trying to decide between a 70-300mm or a28-300mm for my next lens. Mythinking is that as i no longer drive .perhaps a Sigma 28-300mmf3.5-6.3 DG Macro wood keep down bulk and weight while covering most situations.The price is about£190. does this make sense?

[evilowl]

1. D70 + 18-70 kit lens
2. Sigma 12-24
3. Sigma 70-200 f2.8
4. Nikkor 28-105
5. Nikkor 17-55 f2.8
6. D200 + Nikkor 70-200 VR f2.8
7. Sold D70 + kit lens
8. Sold Sigma 70-200 f2.8
9. Nikkor TC14E-II
10. Sigma 10-20

Think thats about it