need help to decide the lenses ..please help

I have just started SLR photography and never understood all the f numbers and digits well. I would like to buy a decent SLR under $350 with a set of lenses so that i can do

+ pictures of Fall trees , lakes arnd my place
+ portraits and model portfolio of my friends
+ sunsets , sunrises etc
+ Snow Fall etc..

They are for my personal collection , so i do not need pro quality .

i have figured out i get a n75 for 220 $ with 28-80 af f3.3 - 5.6 G lense and for another 130 $ i get 70-300 mm f4.5 - 5.6 G.

The question is ?

1. Do i need a 70-300 mm lens for above purposes ? what use is a 70-300mm lens?
2. where do i get info abt what all these numbers i never cudnt understand them well.any urls?
3. This is my first slr buy ,Is N75 with above combo the right choice?(my budget is 400 $).am i spending my hard earned money stupidly?


sorry for bein a pest , but i wud appreciate any response ..

Thanks in Advance,

I recently assembled an album of some test shots I did with a new 75-300 zoom, which will give you some comparison of the focal lengths in that range. The individual captions detail the settings and setups involved.
http://clemmie.smugmug.com/gallery/214996

That outfit you're describing ain't bad for the money. Total coverage of 28-300mm is a working range that will handle most situations. In fact, that's my total coverage range with NINE lenses for my Maxxums. Granted, my nine will do some things these basic two wouldn't - but that's getting into advanced shooting detail, that you don't need to worry about yet. The two will give you a wide range and lots of capability to learn with, and you'll add to them over time as your knowledge and needs develop.

What combo is the right choice for you, depends on you. With a $400 budget, and some shopping around, you could do this basic camera/lens combo in any of the major makes, with a variety of models to choose from. B&H is as good a place as any to comparison shop: http://www.bhphotovideo.com
Check there under Cameras/Photo Gear > 35mm Systems (by Brand), for the latest package offerings from the various companies.

The N75 is a pretty solid Nikon offering. Am sure Canon has 1 or 2 in range - I just ain't up on the current model numbers. I personally prefer Minolta - a value leader with very accurate metering, and an intuitive user interface (means the controls make sense).

You'll probably want something with a fair degree of automation, to help you get started fast, and compensate for you while you're learning - but you will also want manual override capability, so you can control things when appropriate later on. Thus I would Skip the Minolta QTsi, which is totally automatic, and start with the next notch up the line from there in comparing.

In a quick look at B&H's outfit specials, I see the Minolta Maxxum 5 - a VERY capable camera - featured with the 28-80 lens at $199. Canon's EOS Rebel K2 with 28-80 at the same price. Nikon N75 with 28-80 is $269, less a $30 mail-in rebate.

Be sure to leave some money for film and processing! Sounds like a pretty good choice but I hear that some people upgrade the 28-80 lens after a while - not a concern at this point but if you're making bigger prints it will be sharper.

A 70-300mm lens is a telephoto zoom. At the "shorter" end (70mm end), it will be a good portrait lens. At the longer end, you'll be able to isolate details like a few leaves instead of the whole tree.

f3.5 - f5.6 and f4.5 - f5.6 are the apertures of the two lenses. Because there are two numbers given, they are variable aperture zoom lenses, which is pretty common. At 28mm, it's f3.5 and at 80mm it's f5.6. The "G" is Nikon terminology for a lens with no aperture ring - it has to be adjusted from the body. The N75 and most newer cameras work this way, only problem is if you wanted to use it on an older mechanical camera as well.