I have a low usage Nikon D700 that I may give to a family member, but I have no lenses to include.
They would most likely use the camera for family shots of the kids, and holiday travel pictures.
They of would need to buy some decent quality lenses to use on the camera since I only used higher priced lenses on it and I am not familiar with lower priced lenses, could you please give some recommendations as to what lenses (under $500 per lens and under $1000 in total) would make a good kit for them on the d700.
Please no recommendations to sell the camera and buy a different camera instead. Thanks
the new 24-85 VR zoom is supposed to be quite good, and might work well as a general purpose kit with a D700.
No personal experience with it though. It's around $500, IIRC.
The 50/1.8g is a great choice for a fast prime.
The 70-300 VR also has a great reputation. I bought one new, and have used it about 2 times..!! Guess I'm just not a long zoom guy. Mine is very sharp, even out near 300mm. I should sell it though, it just sits around.
burningheart wrote:
I have a low usage Nikon D700 that I may give to a family member, but I have no lenses to include.
They would most likely use the camera for family shots of the kids, and holiday travel pictures.
They of would need to buy some decent quality lenses to use on the camera since I only used higher priced lenses on it and I am not familiar with lower priced lenses, could you please give some recommendations as to what lenses (under $500 per lens and under $1000 in total) would make a good kit for them on the d700.
Please no recommendations to sell the camera and buy a different camera instead. Thanks ...Show more →
The old 28-105mm is a good all around lens, even has a great micro mode. Works great on the D700. Can be had for $125-$225.
I would also vote for 24-85mm because they will likely appreciate having a zoom for holiday travel pictures. Other than that you can possibly add a 70-300m VR to complete an all zoom kit for just about $1K. Or you can add the 85mm 1.8D (the older 85mm) as a portrait lens.
Thank you for the recommendations. They are very helpful and I felt confident enough on your recommendations that I just emailed her offering her the camera and should she want it, I now have some highly recommended lenses that would be a good fit. Regretfully no video but it is a great camera and will take terrific pictures for a long time.
I wonder why I forgot about the tamron 28-75!. I will change my recommendation to the tamron instead of the Nikon 24-85. It is cheaper, faster and a good lens and frees up the budget for other lenses. This lineup above looks great and should just about fit in the $1K budget if bought used.
Well heck, if I was going to blow it on one lens, I'd get a 24-120/4 VR.
If you want to be a big more modest, a Tamron 28-75/2.8 non-BIM or 24-85 G (either the new or old) or a 28-105D would all be great zooms that could be paired with a 50/1.8D or AF-S. Killer kit without much fluff right there.
Another vote for the 28-105mm. Variable aperture of f/3.5-4.5. Very useable focal length range. And the ability to go macro down to 1:2 at 105mm. And you can't beat the price (I got mine for $160 shipped and it looks new). This was like a kit lens for the F100 so works great on FX. Mine stays on my D700.
Nikkor 20 f2.8D
+1 Nikkor 28/105 3.5/4.5D macro
Voigtlander 58mm f1.4 + the 40
Tokina 100 f2.8 macro
Any Samyang built 85mm f1.4 doesn't matter the name on it.
There are tons of choices out there and very good glass at very reasonable prices.
I would suggest 24-85 (either AFS version) as a great starter.
Longer range, lesser IQ, but adequate for vacations, is the 28-200G. Nice and light, reasonable IQ, very small and light for travel. I probably would have kept it if I was not a stickler for having 24mm in a one-lens solution.
The Tamron 28-75 is also superb from my prior experience.
Thank you for the recommendations. They are very helpful and I felt confident enough on your recommendations that I just emailed her offering her the camera and should she want it, I now have some highly recommended lenses that would be a good fit. Regretfully no video but it is a great camera and will take terrific pictures for a long time.