Need help choosing a new lens for my Camera

[MariKoegelenberg]

So yesterday we are all posing for the dreaded Christmas Card photo...everything is set up now we just need to get my dd in her dress, so I place my baby boy at his Daddy's feet and tell him that I am going to get Chrismari ready so we can take the photo and he must watch our little 'monster' , as I am putting on some lip gloss I hear a big crash...Christian pulled down the camera on the tripod and the lens fell off in pieces. Thank goodness he is okay, but where is Dad? Needless to say it is all my fault because I left the camera on the tripod!!!! Ugggh I tell you but sorry for the looong explanation I actually just had to get it off my chest!

So I am a point and shoot gal and I have this Nikon D40 DH got me and I have not messed with it at all...so now I want to replace the lens, this is what I had:

Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 G II ED

I think it is the basic lens but I am not sure, like I said an absolute newbie at the lens thing. I am thinking of replacing it with a better lens but I can not spend too much on it...$ 500 tops! Any suggestions?

[MariKoegelenberg]

what about these?

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-55-200mm...ref=pd_sim_p_2

and...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001S2PPT0

[Charla]

Yes, that's the basic lens that comes with the D40. I never use it anymore (should have just sold it with my D40 because I really don't like it anymore!) I'd go with the second one you linked to. Having the aperture go to 1.8 is AWESOME. If they'd had that lens available when I owned my D40, I wouldn't have bothered upgrading to the D70. (I only did it because I'd bought the similar lens to that one, but mine doesn't auto-focus on the D40, so I lost 2/3 of my pictures to blurriness )
The other one is supposed to be pretty good as a zoom lens, but if what you take pictures of most of the time is your kids inside or nearby, then that would be too far to work well.

A lens I'm looking at getting next, that I've heard is a GREAT lens for everyday, might be a good option for you: awesome lens It's got a bit more zoom than the lens you were using, but still gets nice and close, and the aperture is awesome. I *think* it should auto-focus on your camera! (and it is under $500; put it in your cart to see the price).

Good luck!

[MariKoegelenberg]

Oh Thank you Charla you are a life saver!

I have been reading the reviews for them and I also thought the second choice might be good for me since I do take a lot of low light/indoors pictures of the kiddos. hmmmm....

[Charla]

Yes, then I'd highly recommend it. The 50mm is the ONLY lens I use (the equivalent of the one you're looking at). All the pictures on my blog and in the gallery use that lens

[g8rbeckie]

Hey guys!
So I have a Canon, but have a 50mm (got the 1.8, not the 1.4 - such a price difference!) And yes, the lens is wonderful and I take gorgeous portraits with it! but it is NOT a good lense if its the only one you have. For example, at my DD's birthday party, we had cake at the table on our back deck. I couldn't get far enough away from the table to be able to get her in focus - so when she was blowing out the candles, I could only get a part of her head and a part of the cake in the frame!

I have the SAME lens on my wishlist for Christmas though - the 28-75mm lens! I've heard rave reviews about this one.

My suggestion? For only $100 you can get the 50mm 1.8, and maybe you can still swing the 28-75mm lens for 400. Still coming in VERY close to your total of $500??

[sinead]

Can you look at the data on the pics you've taken to see what the distance is on the majority of them? When I'm outside with the monkeys, I use my 70-210mm ALL the time because it can let me get nice and close without actually being nice and close (and clueing them in that I'm taking pics of them!). I use my 50mm inside all the time, though I wish I had a 35mm. I like the idea of the 28-75mm...though I've got to say that my 50mm/1.8 gives me some pretty amazing pics. (And unless you're going to blow your pics up fairly big or do a lot of cropping, there's not a whole lot of difference between the 50/1.4 and the 50/1.8).

lol So I guess I'm not much help. hehehe

[g8rbeckie]

Can you look at the data on the pics you've taken to see what the distance is on the majority of them? When I'm outside with the monkeys, I use my 70-210mm ALL the time because it can let me get nice and close without actually being nice and close (and clueing them in that I'm taking pics of them!). I use my 50mm inside all the time, though I wish I had a 35mm. I like the idea of the 28-75mm...though I've got to say that my 50mm/1.8 gives me some pretty amazing pics. (And unless you're going to blow your pics up fairly big or do a lot of cropping, there's not a whole lot of difference between the 50/1.4 and the 50/1.8).

lol So I guess I'm not much help. hehehe

Wow - you can look at your pics to tell what the zoom was on them? i didn't know that! Going to have to check that out when I get home tonight...