jhonnieblue wrote:D7000 is a lil bit out of the price range i looking at lol
but the d3100 seems to be good for a beginner like me
im looking for the lens you mentioned but im only seeing Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR , this is a good lens?
not to sound like a noob but whats a fast prime?
The optics in this lens are stellar for the low cost, and I personally own it. Because of the poor ergonomics and slow autofocus, making good pictures is a pain unless you are a little more experienced, and shooting action in dim light is impossible, which is why someone sold it to me. Because I don't shoot anything that moves, I like this lens. Focus distance of a long 6' means that you cannot get very close to your subject when zoomed to 200mm..... which sucks.
f/4-5.6G in the lens name tells you that it is a slow lens. So you zoom out, it goes from f/4 @55mm to even slower to f/5.6 @200mm (bigger the mumber, the less light it collects). Usually fixed focal lenght lens have faster f numbers of 2.8, 2,1.8 or 1.4-1.2 for more professional equipment, which allow shooting in darker situations.
A good starter lens is the kit lens, 18-55mm VR. It is an excellent lens, as you use wide lenses more than telephoto for most subjects.. The next lens you should get would be the 35mmf/1.8 DX. It has no zoom, but it gives you a "natural" perspective, similar to what you get from the human eye, and is a fast prime for use in low light conditions, which is actually most indoor events and portraits. You can decide what you want after those to suit your needs and budget thereafter.
I own the 18-55mm DX (non VR), the 35mm f/1.8 DX, and the 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR.
Best you buy a good book before you start to acquire more than basic gear...can save you some dollars.
