Which Zoom Lens should I buy for my Nikon D40X? —Alison

I have a 18-55 lens that came with my camera and now am looking for a zoom lens to use for personal picture of my husband playing soccer and our kids one day. I don’t want to spend more than $200. Should I get a 55-200 or 70-300? Should I get a Nikon lens or a Sigma lens? Thanks!

Best Answer —anthony h

This is easy. Get the 55-200mm. That’s because it’s an AF-S lens. The 70-300mm that is under $200 is just a G lens, but not an AF-S, so it won’t autofocus with your D40x.

Nikon makes two 55-200mm lenses. One is just an AF-S lens. The other is an AF-S lens with vibration reduction, a type of image stabilization. If it’s in your budget, you should get the 55-200mm with the VR. The price is usually right around $200 for the VR version and about $160 without the VR. I say go for the VR, as you can get better images in dimmer light–less chance of blur.

As for lenses…Nikon is generally better than Sigma. I find the Nikons to be more color neutral. Individual Sigma lenses are very good though, like the 80-400mm optically stabilized lens. You have to evaluate a particular lens against the Nikon counterpart to determine which one to buy. Sometimes, there is no Nikon counterpart, which makes the purchase decision easy.

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