D200 Lenses

[eightball]

Hello Neighbors, Well I Need Advice On Which Lenses To Buy For A Nikon D200 That I Will Be Ordering Today. The Camera Is Really For Wedding Pics On Location And At A Studio. I Will Also Be Taking Family Portraits, Can You Guys Please Give Me Advice On Which Lenses To Purchase. Thank You.

[bgundu]

70-200 2.8 is a wedding must. Another great one is the 17-35 or the 17-55. With flash the 18-70 is a good bargain.

[razamalik]

& if the budget allows go for the 28-70 f2.8 instead of the 18-70... or just go with two of these 17-55 f2.8 for group shots has a better zoom range than the 17-35 & the 700-200 f2.8 & you can skip the 28-70 f2.8... add Nikon 50mm f1.4 D AF & Nikon 85mm F1.8 D AF both are good for those dark churches & registration offices that dont allow you to use flash. & get that battery grip to impress the brides (they'd think you are using a D2X LOL!! )

if you were on Canon 5D i.e a Full frame sensor camera you could do with just two lenses to start with 24-70 f2.8 & 70-200 f2.8

good luck

[aerosolcheese]

I have a D200 with both the 70-200 and the 17-35. I'll vouch for all 3

[500lb Productions]

1) Don't buy junk / cheap lenses. Period. Ever.

2) DO buy the 80-200 f2.8 AF ED. ~$900 new. You don't need the AFS for $1400. If you can't afford $900... wait until you can or buy a used one. Don't get anything cheaper. Don't buy a sigma or tamron or whatever. This lens (or the 70-200 AFS) is the only long zoom you want for fashion or weddings.

3) DO buy a USED (I think these are out of production) 35-70 f2.8 EF-d lens. This is a fairly rare lens, its not AFS, it's not ED glass... but its a great lens at an affordable price (~$300 used). Evntually, either nikon will release a non AF-s / affordable version of the 28-70 f2.8 AFS... or you (and I) will pop for the $1400 AFS one.

4) As an aspiring pro, don't buy lenses w/ a zoom ratio > 2.5:1 or 3:1. The glass always suffers.

5) As an aspiring pro, don't buy lenses with variable max aperture. OK, you can do it for a WIDE zoom, 15-30mm, f3.5-5.6. Or for the Nikon macro lenses which vary from 3.2 to 4.0, but at macro focusing distances, it doesnt make any compositonal difference. But your 80-200? f2.8 all the way. Your 35-70? f2.8 all the way.

Nikon PRO lenses are investments which do not go obsolete. Nikon consumer lenses are learning expenses which are soon outgrown at which point they depreciate to zero. This lens will work with every nikon body made in the last 10 years, and probably with every nikon body made in the NEXT 10 as well.

For weddings, you really don't need a WIDE lens at all, unless you shooting a decidedly journalistic style, and even then, wide, while sometimes dramatic, is seldom flattering.

EDIT: I just noticed that you havent bought the D200 yet. If you can't afford the lenses and the D200, then get a D50 and the lenses. Its cheaper to upgrade a body than it is to upgrade all your lenses, especially since for weddings, you'll likely want a backup body eventually.

[eightball]

THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL THE ADVICE. MY PLANS ARE TO PURCHASE MY D200 WITH THE 18-70mm KIT, I WILL ALSO BE PURCHASING THE 70-200 f/2.8 AND THE 50mm f/1.4D, I THINK I SHOULD BE FINE FOR NOW. FOR A BACK UP CAMERA I AM THINKING OF WAITING ON THE NEW D80. IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANYMORE SUGGESTIONS OR ANY WARNINGS THAT I MIGHT BE MISSING AN EXTRA LENS OR ANYTHING, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LET ME KNOW, I WILL BE VERY THANKFUL....
THANKS AGAIN ..