Lenses for Nikon D3100

[Seoras]

Hi, I’ve taken a couple of photos of the moon with my Nikon D3100 attached to my Nexstar 8SE and although they are a bit out of focus I was pleased to have at least something to transfer onto my laptop. I bought a second hand Nikon 50mm lens since I only had the camera body so I could use it without the scope and I would now like to buy another lens for variety. Can you suggest what I should go for next?

many thanks 🙏 

[DaveL59]

I guess the answer would depend on what you want to do with it and budget.

If you fancy wildlife then the Tamron 170-600mm is decent, go after a mk/v2 model tho as that one's better than the original v1. Just check that it focuses OK across the zoom range (AF that is). Not cheap, usually >£500. If you want to see what it's capable of there's many shots in the photography section from folks like @johnfosteruk and others.

If you just want a reasonable all-in-one, the Tamron 16-300 is also good if yours is an APS-C sensor. I have both but on Sony-A mount.

Can't say much on Nikon glass as I've never used those but I'm sure others will be along to advise.

Edited December 16, 2022 by DaveL59

[johnfosteruk]

28 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

I guess the answer would depend on what you want to do with it and budget.

If you fancy wildlife then the Tamron 170-600mm is decent, go after a mk/v2 model tho as that one's better than the original v1. Just check that it focuses OK across the zoom range (AF that is). Not cheap, usually >£500. If you want to see what it's capable of there's many shots in the photography section from folks like @johnfosteruk and others.

If you just want a reasonable all-in-one, the Tamron 16-300 is also good if yours is an APS-C sensor. I have both but on Sony-A mount.

Can't say much on Nikon glass as I've never used those but I'm sure others will be along to advise.

I was going to say it depends on whether you want something long or something wide. Which is why I'm now possibly going to second the 16-300 suggestion as it covers both ends. Never used it myself tho so can't speak for IQ, AF speed etc although DPReview say good things, although they say corner sharpness and AF reliability suffers at the long end (worth looking at other reviews though as that may not be the case on every unit).

They also say there's CA and distortion in spades but Photoshop etc can sort that if you have it.

If you're wanting it for Astro work though, all of that will cause you problems.

Edited December 16, 2022 by johnfosteruk

[Ratlet]

You might want to consider vintage prime focus lenses.  There can be some terrific bargains to be had.  Unfortunately I use canon so can't comment on the quality of Nikon vintage glass for astrophotography.

You might be able to use older mounting type lenses (m42, Pentax, etc) which will open up even more lenses.  However you'll need to check the flange distance (basically the distance from the flange of the lens to the dSLR sensor).  The Nikon F mount is 46.5mm but m42 is 45.46mm.  this means you will not be able to get infinity focus (stars in focus) unless you alter it on the lens.  This can be easy enough on some, however there is always a chance you won't be able to alter it or alter it enough so it it's a bit of a risk.  That being said there are some vintage lenses that are REALLY good.

The below image was taken with a takumar SMC 200mm lens in a full moon on a canon mount.  I had to manually change the infinity stop to get focus.

The lens cost me about £40-£50.

 

Edited December 16, 2022 by Ratlet
Added an example of a vintage lens image.

[DaveL59]

I think for M42 on Nikon you'd need the adaptor that has a lens to correct for infinity but of course that'd also affect IQ. As noted, on some lenses you can tweak the lens to get there but that's not the case for all that many depending on your penchant for open-lens surgery 😉 

Agree with John re the CA on the 16-300 tho it processes out OK and if you close the aperture a bit it helps with sharpness as tends to be the case with most of the super-zoom and even regular zoom lenses. For astro tho perhaps consider a Nikon prime in the 135mm range.

[johnfosteruk]

8 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

For astro tho perhaps consider a Nikon prime in the 135mm range.

Funny you should say that, I was going to mention the 135mm M42 SMC Super Takumar F3.5. It can be adjusted to focus to infinity, fairly easily and is a good little performer for astro. A lot cheaper than a Nikon too.

[R26 oldtimer]

Tokina 11-16 or 11-20 f/2.8 is a great lens for milky way - nightscapes, and very nice for day photography.

For more reach you can get a manual Nikkor 105 f/2.5 ai-s which is very well corrected even for full frame sensors, and a great portrait lens.

Edited December 16, 2022 by R26 oldtimer

[Mr Spock]

With Nikon lenses, be aware of compatibility for normal photographic use. AF-P lenses won't work at all. AF-D lenses will meter but not autofocus. AI or earlier won't meter or autofocus. G lenses are the ones made for your camera.

Around mid telephoto, sharp lenses include the Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro and the older Nikon 180mm f2.8 D. A bit shorter the AI 135mm f3.5 is bitingly sharp; only has 4 elements too!

Apart from the 70-300 AF-P, which you can't use, nothing in the something to 300mm range is sharp at the long end