Nikon d60 camera ???

Question

I bought a nikon d60 and I'm still learning how to use it. I have 18-55 mm lens. How is that different from 35mm. Also what's a good zoom lens to buy? What other types of lenses are there and what kind of shooting are they for? Thanks!

Answer 1

The 18-55mm lens is different from the equivalent 35mm lens in the focal length. The focal length on a 35mm camera kit lens would be 28-80mm. Your lens is smaller because the sensor in your camera is smaller. It provides the same field of view as the 28-80mm lens. The easiest way to figure this out is to take the focal length of any lens and multiply it by 1.5 to figure the equivalent 35mm focal length.

Some lenses and what they would be used for are as follows.

10-22 mm wide angle: Good for landscapes and architecture.

Macro lenses: Used for extreme closeups. There are a few choices here 60mm, 105mm and I believe 180mm.

Telephoto zooms: Good for sports, wildlife and any other reason you need to get in close. Again ther are a bunch of choices here. Some popular lenses would be 55-200mm, 70-300mm, 70-200mm. There are a bunch of these. Which lens to get will depend on your budget. The lenses with the largest aperture will be the best but most expensive.

Prime lenses: These are not zoom lenses but fixed focal lengths. Optically they are a better quality. They are sharper and faster (large aperture, small F number). These lenses are often used for portraits. The typical portrait length on a 35mm camera is between 85 and 105mm. Because of the 1.5x crop factor a 50mm prime makes a pretty good choice. Choose between the following two lenses a 50mm F1.8 or 1.4. The 50mm F1.8 is very inexpensive at about $100.

I hope this list helps. There are tons of lenses to choose from. Figure out what subjects you like to shoot and your budget. You will then know better what you need. Also go down to a good camera store and ask to see a couple of lenses. Play around with them and take a few shots.

Answer 2

Keep learning all about your camera while saving your money for that next lens.  Eventually, your lens needs will come to the forefront.  If you really want to go more telephoto, you'll figure it out soon enough.  If you want to go closer to your subject, look at macro lenses.  There's not much wider, unless you want to try a fish eye lens.  If you want to do low light photography without a flash, look at fast prime lenses (they're the ones with a wide aperture, like f/1.4)

Then when you figure out what kind of lens you want, read reviews of different lenses, and then shop around for a good price.  Good luck, and happy shooting with your new camera.