Which lens should be bought next, after the 18-55 for a Nikon D5100?
Well, the first thing to understand here is that collecting lenses is not only an expensive hobby but also not really worthy. Because each lens has a completely different purpose. Although there are a couple of lenses which falls in the transition, it is fair enough to assume that each lens carries a "tag" to it.I'm not going to suggest any lens per se. Instead I'd rather give you the underlying philosophy for this. Now this philosophy is applicable for any upgrade. You should ask yourself the question "why?". So you have the 18-55mm which is a very basic lens which functions just about normal in pretty much all conditions. That is why it comes as the kit lens. First of all, for how long have you been using this lens? Have you done sufficient experiments with it already? Have you really spotted the places or situations in which the lens fails to impress you?Once you gather this crucial information it'll be a lot easier to choose the lens.If you like taking portraits with sharp focusing, good bokehs, or just random street photography, then the most economic approach would be to go for a 50mm prime lens.If you like taking landscapes, wildlife, long distance shots, then go for a high focal length lens. I personally don't own any, so I'm not going to suggest any particular lens, but a simple google search could help you out.Then again, the aperture range or the f-stop is of as much high importance as the focal length itself. Basic funda:Constant aperture lens: ExpensiveVariable aperture lens: Cheaper (note the word cheaper and not cheap :D)A high aperture or a low f-stop is going to give you very sharp focuses and really good bokehs. Then there are other factors like, number of moving parts within the lens, type of AF motor etc., which may not be as important as the focal length and aperture.I'd suggest you go and check out this website for more detailed reviews and explanations.Digital Photography Review. This is by far the best website for any photography enthusiast. Have a good read and research. Good luck.
Nikon D5300 with 18-55 VR-II kit lens OR Nikon D5300 with 18-140 VR kit lens ??
If you can afford the 18-140, that will be a good lens choice. The 18-140 has better image quality, built better, and has a wider zoom range than the 18-55. Due to the optical quality, the 18-55 will limit the performance of the D5300. The 18-140 will be up to the task of providing sharp images on the D5300. My only beef with the 18-140 is the distortion which is common with wide range zooms. If you shoot JPEG, the camera can correct for lens distortion. If you shoot raw, programs like Adobe Lightroom and ACR can easily correct for distortion at the click of a check box. You can also consider the 18-200 but that's a larger lens than I wanted to carry for a casual vacation lens. VRII is slightly better than VR. Both will help reduce the jitters when hand holding. Don't let this be a deal breaker. You can also do the 18-55 plus the 55-200, but now you need to carry two lenses. If you don't mind that, it's another possibility. For my type of shooting where I go out in the bush for a few weeks at a time, simplicity is paramount. To check out what focal length will do for you, Nikon has a nice focal length simulator. http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/sim...
Which is better option ? ( Nikon AF-S 18-140 mm VR lens) or (Nikon AF-S 18-55 VR II + AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor 55-200mm twin lens)
It is a classic decision. A single do-all lens or two or more lenses that offer better image quality. I really depends on the type of photography you are. The 18-140 is "acceptable" image quality, so if you aren't that concerned with technical excellence (versus creative excellence) in your image than the add convenience might be worth it to you. There are many photographers that use equipment that is technically inferior (lower resolution, dynamic range, color accuracy) such a Polaroid/Lomo cameras that are still used with an exceptionally high level of creative excellence.Personally, if you aren't willing to carry and change lenses, I don't think you should bother getting a dSLR since I see one of the primary benefits of that form factor is the ability to change lenses to suit you current needs. To me, getting an SLR and slapping a superzoom lens on it is like buying a SUV and using as a minivan. There is nothing wrong with that... but you might be better served by just buying a minivan. Or in this case... a bridge camera like Panasonic FZ1000 LUMIX Digital Camera DMC-FZ1000K B&H Photo
Is Nikon AF-S DX 55-200mm good for birding?
Hello ! Myself, Vedant ChavanYour choice isn’t that bad because yes, Nikkor 55–200mm is at least a zoom lens. You can surely use 55–200mm for birding. But I feel, you should look for a bigger zoom lens.Birding is such a thing that after buying 55–200mm, at a point of time you will feel that, this lens isn’t fulfilling your will. So a better option instead of Nikkor 55–200mm is Tamron 70–300mm.I would suggest you to buy 70–300mm tamron lens or look for a bigger zoom lens in Sigma lenses. Tamron and Sigma provide you with good options for lenses and they are even cheap.ThankYouHappy to help !
What is the difference between a Nikon 55-200mm VR and a 55-200mm VR II?
Nikon VR vs VR IIVR means Vibration Reduction and Nikonalready has two lens released with this vital technology, the VR and VR II. The original VR and VR II share Nikon’s latest image-stabilization technology with few yet distinct differences.Nikon is constantly improving its lens whether in its mechanical attributes or design and engineering to produce a more versatile lens with produces an enhanced image quality. Although, VR II may not improve its sharpness from the original VR but the overall image quality has definitely improved.Some would swear that the stabilization that you will get from the VR II lens is noticeably greater than its predecessor. VR II claims 4 stops benefit; the reason for this is because VR II’s shifting elements have a greater degree of movement possible. The older VR, on the other hand, seems to provide only 3 stops compensation. Examples of first VR-based lenses are the 80-400/4.5-5.6VR and the 70-200/2.8VR.The Nikon VR II’s main difference is its new zooming mechanism. The original Nikon VR’s mechanical zooming creeps when positioned vertically. This is found to be very annoying by many photographers particularly when shooting upwards. The new VR, the Nikon VR II, has a lock that prevents this zoom creeping, which is adored by many VR fans. Examples of VR II lenses are the 70-300/4.5-5.6VR and the 18-200/3.5-5.6VR.The earlier VR is also a bit louder when it is in operation compared to the VR II. Not surprisingly, VR II will command a higher price yet, many VR lens owners will tend to upgrade to the VR II due to its few but rather useful benefits. Many would find that the improved mechanisms and better image quality that the VR II provide is worth the extra bucks.