lenses

I suspect that you will get quite a few different opinions. So, remember: Opinions are like cameras - everyone on the forum has one.

There are all kinds of lenses for all kinds of situations. You have to determine what your shooting conditions will be and then guess.

You have to decide how much telephoto you need and what you need it to do for you for your particular interest. You would also want something for "walk around" and the other shots you would get.

I would want:
Nikon 24-120 VR as the "walk around".
Nikon 70-200 VR for intermediate use.
Nikon 200-400 VR long range.

Then I would wish for the money to pay for them, or find a substitute I could afford....

 

A lot depends on your budget and your tolerance for bulk, Warren. It sounds like you don't have much interest in wide angle, so I'd suggest:

Nikon 28-70/2.8 for normal range. It focuses like lightning, has a great range for people pics, and will bring some "magic" to your pictures.
Nikon 70-200/2.8 VR or 80-200/2.8 for midrange telephoto. Great range for sports and candids.
Nikon 300/4 AFS for birding. It's affordable, light enough to be handheld, and produces extraordinary pictures. Buy a 1.4X teleconverter to expand the range, because you can never have enough reach when you're shooting birds.

 

Hi Warren,

So glad to see ya..
Thanks for coming in..

You have some good answers....

You can borrow my 80-400 VR one weekend if you want. See ya monday.

70-200 VR with teleconverter is a great combo, as is the 300 mentioned.

I really love the 24-120 VR for walk around and some wide angle stuff as well. You can borrow that to if you want to try it out.

 

You did not put a price limit so:

For birding you need a long, high quality lens. I would go for the 500/4 with AF-S and a TC14EII. If you are serious about birding there is no use messing around. The 600/4 is nice, but a real hunk to carry and even more money. You will have to get a high quality tripod and ball/gymbol as well...

Sometimes the 500/4 is too much lens, so you will also need a 300/2.8 or the 300/4 AF-S. The 300/4 is a nice walk about lens, the 300/2.8 is, well, it just doesn't get any better. Alternatively, you can fill this gap with the 70-200VR, which also works extremely well with the TC14EII.

For a third lens I would go for the 17-55DX if you anticipate needed a real wide angle lens - you will not find a more versatile high quality lens. The 17-55 and 70-200VR make an excellent pair.

 

17-55
70-200
200-400
1.4 TC

 

17-55mm
60mm macro
70-200mm VR

In a budget:
18-70mm
85mm 1.8
80-200mm 2.8 (non AFS)