Hi Greg,
I have been a Nikon user most of my life. I have a bunch of digital bodies (D40x, D90, D7000, D750, D4), a bunch of "consumer" lenses (18-55mm DX, 55-200mm DX VR, 10-24mm DX, 18-200mm DX VR, 70-300mm VR) and several pro lenses (16-35mm f/4 VR, 24-70 mm f/2.8, 24-120mm f/4 VR, 70-200mm f/4 VR). FWIW, here are my thoughts:
- I totally agree with John West's viewpoint about changing lenses in the field. If you do that outdoors YOU WILL get dust on your sensor and your images will suffer unless you regularly clean it....or have someone else clean it. In addition, if you need to change lenses, you will miss shots. Last but not least, most lens drop accidents occur during hasty lens changes.
- If you go with a two lens solution, I recommend putting each on a separate body. That is what I do. Otherwise, you are better off with a single "do-all" lens, such as the 18-200mm DX VR or the 18-300mm DX VR. If you intend to shoot aircraft in flight, such as at airshows, get the 18-300mm DX VR. The 200mm DX lenses are the equivalent of a 300mm lens on a full-frame camera, and that is just barely good enough to shoot formations (T-birds, Blues). It's not long enough to shoot single ships. When shooting at 300mm, get your shutter speed way, way up there, or your pictures will be soft. Also, be aware that most "super zooms" like the ones I just mentioned are a bit soft at the long end anyway, so buy more focal length than you will usually use. In other words, I think 18-300 is probably the way to go.
- When deciding among lenses, be cognizant of whether the lens is a DX or FX lens. It matters a lot. DX cameras (like your D40x) have a smaller sensor. FX cameras have a sensor that is more similar to the size of a 35mm negative. DX lenses were designed to be used on DX cameras and the interface is straightforward. FX lenses will work on DX cameras, but the result will effectively be a 50% increase in focal length. Of the lenses you mentioned, the only one you need to be careful with is the 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 VR. That is an FX lens, not a DX lens. It was designed for a full-frame camera. If you use it on your D40x, it will effectively be a 105-450 mm. That means you will not be able to take any wide shots with it. It also means that on the long end, it could be hard to hand-hold, even with Vibration Reduction (VR). I have that lens and it is OK for most general shooting. I bought it for shooting aircraft however, and I've never been impressed with it for that particular use. The AF motor is just not as snappy as it needs to be to shoot fast-moving F-15, even on my D4, which has damn snappy AF. It may be OK for a slow-mover like a B-17.
- For shooting trains, you will almost never need anything more than John West's favorite 18-200mm DX VR.
I hope that all of this is not too overwhelming. Buy more lens than you think you will need. If you or your wife think that either of you are going to get more seriously into still photography, don't invest a lot more money in DX cameras. FX is the way to go. Yes, it is more expensive, but FX cameras perform better in low light, and the selection of good glass is so much better with those cameras. When I travel, I leave my DX stuff in the closet.
/Kevin Madore
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2015 02:26PM by KevinM.
