a first lens for the D60

[jimwong]

What is a good brand and focual length recommendation for a general purpose first lens for the D60. I prefer a zoom and good quality glass. Is image stabelizer really a must? I plan to shoot everyday shots, scenics, buildings, vacation shots, portraits, and occassional sports action.

[Pekka]

Maybe not what you want to hear, but...:

I recommend Canon 35/2. It's actually sharper than 50/1.4 and even if it is no up to latest standards in construction it is optically one the best I have. Very easy to hold and inexpensive.

I'd say forget non-L zooms. With (cheap) zooms you will not get enough light in with good quality. And IS does not help in stopping movement.

Get accustomed to foot zoom and you'll get much more out of the big picture. Instead of investing to IS it is more valuable to learn and practice handholding (i'm doing that all the time as an ongoing project :) ).

For sports action try Canon 100/2, highly recommend, my next buy. In any case for sports 2.8 or faster is a must.

[GenEOS]

Well, I have 3 of those zooms Pekka is talking of. A 24-85, 28-105 and a 100-300.

All of these are great if the lighting is good. However, in most cases, more so in sports, you have got to have a f2.8 or better.

I have yet to invest in anf f2.8 glass. I opted for my first L lens to be the 100-400 IS. It is unfortunately a f4.5-5.6 lens.

After much thought, her are the 4 lens I am going to purchase next.

All are zooms, because I prefer them over fixed focal length lenses

1. Sigma 20-40mm f2.8
I need a f2.8 lens badly, so this is my choice to get me into one without going into debt.

2. Canon 80-200 f2.8 IS
I have shot this lens and absolutely love it. The IS makes it even better.

3. Canon 16-35mm f2.8
This lens will let me recover some of the widfe angle shots I loose with the D60.

4. Canon 24-85mm f2.8
I would prefer to get this lens first, but my budget will not allow it.

I can agree that a 35mm f2 would be a decent lens if you could only get one lens on a budget. B&H lists it for $229..

Hope this helps.

[jimwong]

so many choices, what do you mean by "L" lenses. Also I read on the forum that the D60 has a 1.6 multiplier factor, which means ? does that mean I need to multiply the focal length of my lenses by 1.6 to figure out the true focal length?

I leaning toward a 28-85mm f2.8 lens. Should I stick with the Canon brand? I will stretch the budget to get a quality fast and sharp lens for my first lens.

[Dumbledore]

I've had a D30 for just over a year, and my favorite lenses to use with it are (all Canon, with the D60 focal length in brackets):

--24mm f2.8 (38mm)
--50mm f1.4 (80mm)
--85mm f1.8 (136mm).

You said you didn't want consumer zooms, but I'm finding my Sigma 15-30mm (24-48mm) to be very useful in overcoming the 1.6X focal length magnification factor of the D60 at the short end.

The Sigma is about a third the cost of the Canon 16-35mm f2.8L (26-56mm), but most people who can afford the Canon L zoom consider it their favorite lens on their D60.