Nikon 50mm lens on eBay a good buy? Or not?
 

I got a confirmation from Amazon that my Nikon d7000 has shipped, so I am now on the lookout for lenses.

I found this on ebay;http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-AF-Nikkor-...29994026981460

is this a good buy?

If you really, really, really need to save $30 that much, and are willing to take a gamble with a person on eBay (as opposed to a company that has a return policy, etc), and assuming this is not a gray-market import or used/problem/reject lens, then yeah, go for it.

Translation: I would not do it, no.

For $120, you can get the Nikon USA authorized lens, brand new, from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B00005LEN4

I would MUCH rather do that. :)

Keeping perspective on what you just bought (Nikon D7000 for $1K+) and the costs of what a bad lens could mean later on, I simply would not take such a risk.

The only time I risk gray market gear is when I'm buying from a known high-quality seller, like B&H. But the savings on a $100-125 range lens is negligible. B&H, for example, gives you $10, but takes away free shipping (which adds back about $10 to the cost!).

can you suggest a good zoom lens that is 400mm or 500mm or is this too much? would I get a bit of camera shake if I used it hand held?

or 300mm the best?

Can I suggest a good 400-500mm lens? Yes.
Do they zoom? Not really. Most are fixed-length prime lenses.
Can you afford them? No. (Can I afford them?! No! Hard to justify the costs for me!)
For example, the Sigma 50-500mm for $1,600: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B003A6H2Y8

The 300mm lens is the best length you'll get as a consumer, at least for consumer prices. Although I would note that a 300mm length lens, measured as it is by 35mm "full frame" measurements, is more along the lines of 450mm when mounted on crop-body (APS-c) format cameras, like the D7000 and my own D200.

You can't hand-hold 300+ mm and get a quality photo easily. Those lengths must be monopod mounted at minimum. But even then, a top-notch pro that knows how to be still will have issues keeping it steady. Your really have to get a tripod for 300+ lengths.

Even 200mm should often be put on a monopod. I'll admit to cheating at this quite often, preferring the freedom of movement without a "third leg" to get in my way. But I often find myself regretting those monopod-free decisions (when shutter speeds dip down below ~1/350th).

It's easy to make blurry photos when you're zoomed out to that tiny fraction of view. And contrary to what I consider mass ignorance, "VR", "OS" and "IS" won't save you. Even those various anti-shake techs are only good under certain uses -- and this isn't one of them! It's hard to fix handheld shake at 250mm+ range photography with anything other than old-fashioned monopod/tripod stabilization (or those fancy "steadycam" type accessories).

There are some 500mm mirror lenses out there, but they're not for the casual photographer. I don't much care for them myself, to be honest. You are basically shooting at f/8 and the image tends to be a bit soft and hazy. I shot with a Vivitar 500mm mirror lens back in high school for fun, but that was a long time ago. I'd probably hunt down the same 1970s/80s lens and body again, and shoot film, if I wanted to do mirror work these days.
For example, the Opteka 500-1000mm for Nikon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B001GKNNDY
At $140, it is quite cheap.

For my own 300-600 needs, I opt for a TC-14E (1.4x adapter) or TC-20E (2x adapter).
However, these may also run at a much higher price than your current budget (as per other threads) will allow.
And they only work with certain lenses (AF-S and AF-I Nikkor models).

Hope that helps.

could you link me to a good 300mm lens? one with macro function? or is this the only good one out there that is affordable?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B0012X43P2

could you link me to a inexpensive monopod? or tripod?

That Sigma 70-300 from Amazon is the one I'd go for. That price will be almost impossible to beat, and Sigma makes decent consumer lenses (and a few good pro lenses).

More on lenses at http://www.digitalFAQ.com/forum/show...ngle-2579.html

A tripod is something I prefer to see in person, as I want to know if it's really stable, can support the weight of the camera, isn't wobbly or top-heavy, etc. Anything will generally work fine, when spending under $100 on one -- even Walmart has several options. And Walmart is like the common cold, as it's everywhere and you couldn't avoid it if you wanted to.

However, if I had to pick one online, I'd have to say that this model looks good: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B000V7AF8E
Reviews for the "Vista Explorer 60-inch Lightweight Tripod with Tripod Bag" seem to match what I would think, based off specs and photos of it. It looks large enough to steady a camera, yet light enough for anybody to carry without getting tired. It may be hard to beat $25 even at Walmart, so maybe this tripod is the best option for you.

Professional tripods start at around $200 and go up from there. (I see some for as much as $5K in the B&H mailed catalog!!!)