lenses to use with nikon D80

[cmb88]

Soo i started researching the golden nikon D80
soo many options..what lenses are u guys using? which one you love best? the macro 155mm? or standard or something else? I have been out of the game too long and need a refresher course please!! If anyone has shots with this camera can ulink it with what lense you used? thanks

 

[maroun.c]

Basically it depends on the type of photography you like to do:
18-70 kit lens: is a sharp for the price lense and would be a cheap alternative. Still it's a slow lense and use of flash would be needed for fish shots. would provide good closeups for corals but yo uwont' be able to blurr the background too much due to the not so wide max aperture. guess it would be good for full tank shots where you wouldn't be shotting wider than 5.6 to have a good DOF. also is wide enough for full tank shots.
18-135 is a comparable lens for aquarium shots.
faster lenses such as Nikon 17-55 Tamron 17-50 or Sigma 18-50
all 2.8 are faster choices. which would allow fish shots without flash. or maybe handheld shots if the aquarium is well lit, Nikon lense is the most expensive. Tamron is reported to be Ok if you find a good copy. sigma had it's share of QC problem which are claimed to be solved on the newest version that comes with a macro option.
Personally I used a 50mm 1.4 (used it for aquarium photography when my 18-200 VR was in repair) and was amazed with the sharpness of the picture and the smooth backround blurr you can get. still it's an inconvenince to zoom as it has to be done by going forwards and backwards..
18-200 VR I use it with flash and am quite satisfied with it because of ease of focusing. a bit slow so flashless shots are a NO NO. but when you learn how to use a flash on aquarium shots you'll like it. as it offers the chance of going to full tank mode if some nice activity occurs in the tank all of a sudden as well as to zoom in on a fish. Vr is a nice add on with Low light for shots where your subject is still (corals... )
finally and most important and expensive is the macro lense:
Nikon 105 Vr (greatest and most expensive)
Nikon 105 non Vr cheaper but you loose the functionality of VR
tamron 90 cheaper choice still sharp lense
Sigma 105 reported to be good.
Sigma and Tamron are usually cheaper alternatives but usually Nikon lenses are much better built and more robust. so if you don't mind a plasticky feel and if you think you won't be using a secific lens length too much then it's worth considering them
also you have to consider what other lenses you would need for yor daily shooting or non aquarium photography you would like to do and then decide on which lenses to get first (you'll have a lot eventually)

 

[cmb88]

thank you!!
i dont have fish really.. MOstly zoos etc..looking to tke good actinic close ups lol
appretiate all the info yaay

 

[maroun.c]

In that case a 50 mm 1.8 or 1.4 wouuld do you fine for decent closeups at a cheaper price. use of close up filters or extension tubes with it would provide higher magnification ratios on condition that your corals are within a couple of inches from the glass...
Any of the above macro lenses or maybe the 60mm macro from Nikon would be perfect for your purposes.