So I just got this Nikon camera from my uncle, I think its a D3500? He said it is a DX body but honestly I have no clue what that means or why it matters for the glass. Im going to Italy in three weeks and I really want to take some cool photos of the buildings and the food but the lens it came with feels kinda basic and I keep having to zoom in way too much or I cant get the whole street in the shot. I have about 400 dollars saved up for a new one but when I look online there are literally thousands of options with all these weird numbers. What is like the one do everything lens I should get so I dont have to carry a giant bag? sorry if this is super basic i just dont want to mess up my vacation pics...
Man, DX just means it has a smaller sensor than the pro ones, but it makes lens shopping confusing. I tried going the cheap route once with a generic super-zoom and it was honestly such a letdown... the images were soft and the autofocus was just slow. Unfortunately, a lot of those budget all-in-one lenses have issues with sharpness at the edges too. Since you are doing Italy, you definitely need reliability so you dont miss the shot. Here are my go-to picks for that budget:
- Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR is the safest bet. It covers everything from street shots to portraits.
- Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR if you really want those wide building shots, tho you lose the zoom range. Personally i would stick to the 18-140mm for a single lens setup. Its built better than the plastic kit lens you have and wont let you down. Dont stress too much, youll get great shots if you just keep it simple.
