I'm brand new to the S.F. East Bay area, and I'm only a block from Marina Bay. I walk down to the water all the time, and I'm in the same boat as garethgina. I have a D80 with a 18-55 lens. I love to take landscapes (so, maybe not in the *exact* same boat as Gareth), and every photo I take seems grainy. I was using the auto focus setting, then experimented with some other settings. Still, I can't get close enough to what I'm trying to take, mostly sunsets, mountains, water, boats out on the water, etc. I tried my manual Nikon long lens (70-210) with the D80, and although it fits all right, the camera won't focus well enough. For those posters who suggested the 70-300mm, do you think this is what I need? And I'm also of the $300 and under price range.