OK, I done did it, FM. I bought, off E-bay, the 18-55 (and also 55-100 VR) you suggested, as well as the Tokina 11-16--all new and all for about $800. I will either be cursing you or praising you in a couple of weeks.
Just kidding--I appreciate all the help.
Just need to get me a tripod now...
good choices as you will be able to tell from the little comparison work I did before work this morning: you got me all curious about how good these old "venerable" lenses really are, plus to see the range I have available, so I put the camera on the tripod and aimed it at Claire and Damien's treehouse, snapped pictures are near identical settings with all of them and took a look at details. I happen to have a number of those top rated old Nikkors. I was expecting them to completely obliterate those cheap plastic zooms. Well...
Result - well, I am never going to use those old lenses on the D90 again, perhaps with the exception of the 300mm until I can replace it with a modern design. The Tokina 11-16mm being outside my current focal range really is tempting, but every time I look at examples for those lenses, I see them used in cities, where tight spaces really let the ultra-wide glass shine. I may have more use for the Nikon 10.5mm fisheye, plus that packs lighter.
here my comparison table - short of the ultra-wide Tokina range adn with the exception of my 300mm lens, this page shows you what you got coming in the mail:
Lens comparison on DX camera body Meanwhile, I think I finally decided to turn my D40 into a dedicated infrared camera. You may ask
how , and
why? - click the links in the questions and you'll see.
