Could use some help!!

[nashnut]

I'm in the process of getting a Nikon D50 with a 80mm lens. I want to get a fairly good reasonably priced 300 mm lens for concert shots. I've been reading up on the Sigma, Nikon and Tamron.... I also noticed the Nikon IF AF lens. Which would be the best of
the bunch? Any opinions?? Thanks

[Photo-John]

Conventional wisdom would tell you to buy Nikon lenses for your camera. But if you're trying to save money you would do well to consider the third-party manufacturers. Check the lens reviews here and maybe post on the Nikon forum to find out what other Nikon users like.

Are you really buying an 80mm lens? Or did you mean a zoom lens with the telephoto end being 80mm? Because an 80mm prime isn't a very flexible lens - especially for a digital SLR.

[nashnut]

Thanks for the help. I ended up getting a kit with the nikon 28-80mm zoom lens as part of it.

[Photo-John]

You will likely find the 28mm focal length isn't wide enough with the digital SLR. you might already know this, but there's a 1.5x conversion factor because the digital sensor size is smaller than a 35mm film frame. The smaller sensor effectively converts the 28mm focal length to 42mm. That's not really wide at all. I know you want a 300mm. But you might also consider getting a wider zoom. I'm sorry no one answered your post before you made your purchase. It would have been good for you to buy a wider zoom to start with.

In any case, I hope the camera works out well for you. We have one in-house right now for a pro review. I just did studio tests and product shots. The studio tests looked excellent and the camera feels very nice for an entry-level body. Let us know how you like it. And feel free to come to us with questions. Hopefully we'll answer a little quicker next time