12-22-2011, 11:14 AM
To cover the tele range, you would soon regret not having purchased a stabilized lens, so you should rule out anything that doesn't carry VR (Nikon), VC (Tamron) or OS (Sigma) in its name.
You can either choose from the lenses reaching up to 300mm, which include the Nikon 70-300 VR and the already mentioned Tamron 70-300 VC. However, since the Tamron is over your budget, the Nikon is most likely, too. There's also a Sigma 70-300 OS: avoid that.
The cheapest option in this segment is probably the Nikon AF-S DX 55-300 VR.
If you want to spend as little money as possible, I suggest to invest in a slightly shorter lens: the Nikon AF-S DX 55-200 VR.
If this is your first tele lens, be prepared that shooting with long focal lengths requires some learning and practice.
-- Markus
You can either choose from the lenses reaching up to 300mm, which include the Nikon 70-300 VR and the already mentioned Tamron 70-300 VC. However, since the Tamron is over your budget, the Nikon is most likely, too. There's also a Sigma 70-300 OS: avoid that.
The cheapest option in this segment is probably the Nikon AF-S DX 55-300 VR.
If you want to spend as little money as possible, I suggest to invest in a slightly shorter lens: the Nikon AF-S DX 55-200 VR.
If this is your first tele lens, be prepared that shooting with long focal lengths requires some learning and practice.
-- Markus
Editor
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opticallimits.com