"Best Cheap": Building a Nikon DSLR and Lens Kit on a Budget

BEST CHEAP CAMERA: Nikon D90 12.3MP DX

Right away you may wonder how I use the word "cheap." The D90 is not cheap in price--frankly, no DSLR is "cheap" in that sense. Cheap here means it is the least expensive option with the qualities we want.

Two reasons I chose the Nikon D90 12.3MP DX body:

1. Excellent High ISO performance
2. Ability to drive older pin-focus, non-AF-S auto focus AF Lenses

High quality ISO is important because with our budget, we are not going to buy the brightest lenses or require vibration reduction. Good-performance high ISO allows us to cheat darkness and camera shake with higher ISO settings and faster shutter speeds. The D90 manages 3200 quite well, with little grain unless light is very poor and pictures are magnified.

The pin drive opens up the world of high-quality, older AF lenses. These old lenses don't have vibration reduction or AF-S silent focus motors, but they are built like tanks with superb glass, often sharper than newer consumer-priced lenses, and are priced significantly lower than their corresponding current iterations. Of course, this often (but not always) means buying used, but there are a lot of lightly-used lenses available. Two of our three recommended cheap lenses, and their lowest-cost alternatives, need the on-camera AF motor.

If buying new, look for kits bundled with a lens. Theses kit lenses are often very good (the 18-55mm we recommend is such a lens.) You can start your arsenal of cheap lenses for very little extra money this way.

Full-frame FX bodies are out of the question because of cost and the incompatibility with Nikon's low-cost but very nice DX lenses.

Affordable Camera Alternatives

The D90 starts at $600 used. It was discontinued in early 2011. It is still available new, but as stock dwindles deals are disappearing; prices for new are near the MSRP of $900. Look for a used or refurbished unit.

For a less expensive alternative, the Nikon D50 6.1MP is a generation older, but less than $250 used. This often-overlooked model has pin focus drive, opening up lens possibilities. However, the high ISO performance is not as good as the D90 and later. I traded my D50 for the D90 for the better ISO. The larger LCD is nice as well; for me, the features were worth the upgrade price. The fewer megapixels is NOT a problem with the D50 for me; I typically shoot my D90 at the equivalent of 6 MP because full-sized 12 MP files are huge, chewing up storage and slowing my editing software. I'm not printing posters of my work anyway.

Nikon D80 10.2MP starts at under $400 used. It is the direct ancestor of the D90 and as a pin focus drive. It has more megapixels than the D50, a preview button and a few more professional touches. Like the D50, it will not have the high ISO performance of the D90.

I would not purchase anything older or less advanced than a D50 or D80.

The latest-generation model that will operate an AF pin drive lens is the Nikon D7000 16.2MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only), but it's $1100. It has even better high ISO performance. As a bonus, it can also meter manual focus AI lenses, increasing the field of old but high quality lenses that we cheap photographers look for. (The D90 and D50 will not meter through fully manual lenses. You can use them, but you'll need an external light meter and dial the settings by hand.)

If you do not want to auto-focus older non-AF-S lenses, then literally any Nikon DSLR will do. I recommend going for the newest generations, anything from the D90 and newer, e.g. the Nikon D3100 or Nikon D5100 because of the superior high ISO performance (slightly better than the D90).

BEST CHEAP WIDE ANGLE: Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR

Here's the thing about zoom lenses. I have owned the Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX and the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR II. Both were fine lenses. But many times I found myself using them full wide or full telephoto. The 18-200mm in particular is an expensive lens. Why carry that kind of cash around my neck when I was only using the 18mm and the 200mm settings 90% of the time anyway? I decided to get two less-expensive lenses--with money left over--instead.

Lake Arthur in Autumn
Moraine State Park
AF-S 18-55mm VR

For wide angle, I now use the Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR. The 18mm is not dramatically wide on a DX camera, but it still does nice landscapes and the like. Anything wider is over $500 or more anyway. The 55mm means it also works well as a general walk-around lens and for people shots. But it's a steal. It's a kit lens often sold with the body, which means it's the first to be sold off, making it easy to find lightly used or refurbished models on the market. This lens goes for as little as $100 factory refurbished to $150 brand new--or "free" if it came with your body in a retail kit. And it is excellent. An added feature is that it focuses closer than many larger-range zooms, increasing its utility. It's a common retail kit lens, so you may already have it! If you are buying new, look for this "free" in a camera and lens bundle. My first DSLR came with the non-VR version of this lens, and I sold it! Live and learn.

Affordable Wide Angle Alternatives

There is an older non-VR version of the 18-55, but you'll only save $10 or $20 buying a used non-VR over a used VR. VR is not as much of an advantage at these short focal lengths, but for a few dollars more you might as well have it.

The Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX ED VR Nikkor Wide-Angle Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon DSLR Cameras is the only Nikon lens that is shorter that is anywhere close to our price range, and it's $650 new, $575 used. That said, many people like it. Anything shorter than 18mm from Nikon, like Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED AF-S DX Nikkor at $800, is well out of our price range. I haven't even heard of any reasonably priced vintage wide Nikon lenses.

The best alternative shorter than 18mm and under $500 is the Tokina 12-24MM F4 Pro II Zoom Lens for Digital Nikon SLR Cameras. It is $55O new, $375 used, but needs a pin-drive camera to focus.

If you want more on the upper end, the 18-70, 18-105 and 18-135 are very economical lenses. To save money I avoid overlap. Even the 135mm tele really doesn't do that much except give you framing options you can get with your feet or cropping. It's too short for interesting zoom close-ups in the field. Either lens is at least another $100 over the 18-55; I cover their upper ranges with another lens. There's always the 18-200, but it starts at $600 used.

If fisheye is what you want, the very affordable Rokinon FE8M-N 8mm F3.5 Fisheye Lens for Nikon (Black) has a surprisingly good reputation, and is under $300. But it is fully manual...no auto-focus, no metering--though a newly announced model has added metering.

BEST CHEAP TELEPHOTO: Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Nikkor

For a while I owned the 18-135mm then the 18-200mm VR. As I said above, the most interesting pictures with zooms are usually used either full wide or full telephoto. Anything in between can be handled by a 50mm and walking or cropping. But 135mm or even 200mm is just too short to be interesting. It's too short to bring wildlife up close, even too short to get good sporting event shots. So, I sold these, and for the same price as one 18-135mm, I got both the 18-55mm above and the Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G AF Nikkor. Indeed, for the price of the 18-200mm, I could get all three of the lenses I have in my kit now, with another 100mm in reach and full macro. You can never have enough reach though, so even the 300mm is not as good as it may sound...but anything longer is another $800.

Song Sparrow
Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Nikkor at 300mm (cropped)

Unfortunately, the 70-300mm G was a disappointment, being very soft at worst and mediocre even stopped down. (Read the full review of the 70-300mm G in our Cheap Nikon 300mm Zoom Lens Comparison). I have since replaced it with the Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Nikkor. The Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF was the last "prosumer" 300mm zoom before the AF-S and VR era. Like most zooms in this category, best results with the Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF past 200mm are achieved stop down a stop or two, but my copy seems pretty good even wide open. Certainly much better than the 70-300mm G. Optically, it's on par with the newest 70-300mm VR, but lacks the VR and AF-S...and the price tag. It's discontinued; a few new ones are still floating around at absurd prices, but's readily available used for $200. It needs an on-camera focus motor.

Affordable Telephoto Alternatives

Nikon has a lot of options for zooms that reach to 300mm. Unfortunately, according to reviews, all of them do well up to 200mm but begin to weaken to varying degrees when wide open. This mostly mitigated by stopping down to f/8 or f/11. Since we have this focal length in the kit because we want that 300mm, this is less than ideal, but it takes $1000+ pro lenses for anything better. Note that only lenses designated "AF-S" will focus on cameras like the D40, D60, D3000 and D5000 series.

• I cannot recommend Nikon's cheapest 300mm zoom, Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G AF Nikkor. My copy was unacceptably soft. The price is tempting, though. You might be luckier in quality than me. This lens refurbished is $100, new less that $150. Note that you will need pin-drive focus on the camera.
• Nikon 75-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF. This classic from the before the digital era is a good quality lens, but available for under $200 used. It's the old style "push-pull" zoom. It requires a pin drive. It has a very solid feel, and is overall very sharp. Stop down to f/8 when you can, but even wide open it's acceptable. I owned this one briefly, as an initial replacement for my poor 70-300mm G. I swapped it when I got a good price on the Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Nikkor, which is a little lighter, a little shorter when not zoomed, and to my eye very similar in image quality. Optically, there's nothing wrong with the 75-300mm, and if you've got access to one for a good price, use it with confidence.
• Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX Nikkor $350 new. Focuses on any camera; the only DX in the group. At these longer focal lengths vibration reduction really shines. If telephoto is your passion, this is the least expensive 300mm zoom with VR.
• Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Nikkor $600 new, $450 refurbished, $375 used. Top of the line in the sub-$500 price range. Focuses on any camera. In these long focal lengths the VR really becomes useful.

If you can do without the extra reach, the Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR has vibration reduction and is less than $200 new, or about $150 used. It's another high-quality sleeper that is included in retail kits, so they are inexpensive new and easily obtained used. On the other hand, while the various 300mm can be uncertain past 200mm unless stopped down, at least you have the 200mm to 300mm to work with. The first time you photograph any wild animal you'll have the 55-200mm cranked out to 200mm and be crying for more. I certainly was with the 18-200mm I owned for a year. I'm inclined to upgrade to a better 70-300mm than move to the 55-200mm.

Of course, there is the almost-everything Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S Nikkor . But then we'd have $900 in one lens, still need something for macro, and would be unimpressed by the mere 28mm wide angle, especially on a DX camera.

BEST CHEAP MACRO: Nikon 60mm f/2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor

The Nikon 60mm f/2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor is my favorite lens. In Nikon lenses, only Micro Nikkors offer true macro. The 18-55 and 70-300 zooms do not focus close enough for macro. Zooms sometimes label their closest-focus as "macro" but nothing beats true 1:1 macro. The 60mm f/2.8D AF Micro Nikkor has the best price and quality combination of Nikon macro options. It's an older AF, so a pin drive camera is required. It is not cheap. It is still made, and available new at $469. But it's main advantage to the Nikon bargain hunter is that it has been around forever so that the 60mm f/2.8D has a good used market where it can be $350. Mine happens to not have the "D" designation, which will save you a few more dollars, but the "D" is a minor improvement. You are more likely to find an AF-D anyway. It has an AF-S upgrade which will focus on any Nikon DSLR. But this old version is a jewel. It's a little heavy, but that's the construction.

Jumping Spider
Micro Nikkor AF 60mm f/2.8

The trade-off in macro for the get-the-most-out-of-every-lens crowd is the working distance vs. general utility. The closest competitor in Nikon macro is the similar-vintage Nikon 105mm f/2.8 AF Micro-Nikkor. The 60mm means the macro working distance is pretty close, 8.75", which can be a disadvantage, particularly for live subjects. Conventional wisdom says the best minimum macro focal length (i.e., has the best minimum working distance) is 105mm, at 12". The 60mm is poo-pooed as suitable only for copy stands. As a result, the 60mm is often overlooked by people seeking the similar-vintage Nikon 105mm f/2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor Lens. However, the 105mm AF is another $100 or more. If you can afford the 105mm, go for it. But frankly, I have found the 60mm to work just fine. Flowers don't spook, and I can still get pretty close to many insects. The 60mm AF is another "sleeper" that is vary capable but overshadowed by more popular lenses.

60mm with its f/2.8 makes a good portrait lens as well. The 105mm is, too, but 105mm is 150mm with the DX crop. Longer focal lengths for portraits are often favored because you don't have to stand so close to your subject, which helps them relax. On the other hand, in a decent portrait studio or outside the 150mm equivalent is workable, but in tighter quarters, such as inside houses for family shots, you'll have your back to the walls. And, as we discuss in the telephoto section, anything less than a 200mm telephoto is not very compelling as telephoto.

The 60mm is also more compact than the 105mm, making it easier for a SB-600 in the hotshoe to clear the lens in macro, one less reason to buy an expensive macro flash. For me, the 60mm AF remains the sweet spot.

Affordable Macro Alternatives

The similar-vintage Nikon 105mm f/2.8 AF Micro-Nikkor Lens, with or without the "D", is $500 used. The longer focal length gives a longer working distance over the 60mm. See the above discussion. Like the 60mm AF-D, it requires a pin AF drive.

The least expensive macro option for DX is the Nikon 40mm f/2.8G AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR, $300 new, released summer 2011. However, that focal length means the macro working distance is half that on the already-short 60mm. If you want macro for only for occasional use, then this may be a good choice. It makes an excellent all-purpose lens. On the other hand, the 18-55mm focuses pretty close, as well. Not macro, but not bad. I wanted a little more out of my macro, so I spent less than $75 more for a used 60mm AF-D.

The newest iteration of the 60mm Micro Nikkor is the Nikon 60mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Micro-Nikkor Lens for Nikon DSLR Cameras for under $500. It will focus on any camera.

The Nikon 85mm f/3.5G AF-S DX ED VR Micro is available for under $500 new, $430 used. Vibration Reduction is not really a big deal with macro work. The 85mm is cheap, and has a slightly better working distance than the 60mm, but is darker with maximum aperture of f/3.5. Reviews suggest it does not have the quality of other Micro -Nikkors, though it's still pretty good. The old 60mm is f/2.8 for more flashless utility, and is better-built for less. On the other hand, a longer lens like the 85mm is preferred by portrait photograhers.

A well-regarded third-party lens for macro is the Tokina 100/2.8 ATX Digital Ready 1:1 AF-D Macro Lens for Nikon USA, $450 new. You'll need a pin-drive camera, but you'll get a much better working distance. The 100mm is nice for portraits, but with the DX crop factor it starts to get unwieldy in close quarters for casual people shots. No VR, either. If I were more serious about macro, and ready to leave some walk-around usefulness behind, I would look at this lens.

Affordable Non-macro General Purpose Fixed Lenses. The 60mm also a good portrait and general-purpose lens. Sharp, and f/2.8 means it's pretty bright, too. The focal length is pretty close to the 50mm standard. However, if you want to save a few hundred dollars and macro is not as important to you, but you would rather have more low-light utility, consider one of Nikon's excellent 50mm F1.8s. The several versions of the f/1.8 50mm over the years are all excellent lenses in the $100-200 range. All are very sharp and economical. If you have a pin drive camera, consider the old 50mm F/1.8 AF, only available used, or theNikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor The D is available new for $125; you might save $25 buying used for either. If do not have a camera with a pin drive, look for the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S NIKKOR; also excellent, but $225 new. Many people also like the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras. On a DX with its crop factor, it acts like the standard 50mm lens on a film or FX camera, where what you see in the viewfinder matches matches the unaided eye, i.e., no magnification of zoom or reducton of wideangle. $200 new.

Side Note: This is a "bargain" page, and the prices of the lenses I have selected may give you pause about my definition of "bargain." However, I'm not bargain-hunting for bargain's sake. I'm looking for the minimum kit that will cover what I like to take pictures of the most. I enjoy macro photography, and the only way to get that is to spend a little more. So, I have one "prize" lens. Your passion may be telephoto, so you'll spend more on that lens. Or low light, so you spring for the 50 F/1.4. Pick that favorite lens to spend more on, but then build the rest of your kit around it.

BEST CHEAP FLASH: SB-600 Speedlight Flash

The D90 built-in flash is adequate in many cases. Personally, I'd rather work with the existing light wherever possible; it's more interesting. Even with existing light a little fill-in flash can make a big difference, and the on-board flash is adequate for this. However, the on-board flash has shortcomings.

1. The onboard flash is too close to the camera body, casting lens shadows at close distances when photographing macro or using long lenses.
2. The onboard flash cannot be bounced it or easily diffused, making flash shots harsh.

Eastern Garter Snake
Micro Nikkor AF 60mm f/2.8 with Alcohol Bottle Diffuser on SB-600 Flash

The sweet spot for me was Nikon SB-600 Speedlight refurbished. The SB-600's full-size chassis clears the lens at macro distance; I put on a tall diffuser made from a rubbing alcohol bottle, and I'm good to go. It's currently $375 new--pricey because it is discontinued. Look for it used at $275. It's another $150 than the SB-400 (see below), but that extra $150 brings a lot of utility: it has more strength and throw as well as on-flash adjustments. It can even be used as a slave with the built-in flash or an SB-800 or SB-900 for side-lighting or lightbox work. (I built a lightbox out of PVC pipe, cardboard and a white sheet.) I use the flash infrequently, so I load it with Sanyo eneloop Rechargeable Batteries that retain their charge in storage well.

For more best cheap photography accessories, check our Best Cheap Photography Accessories page.

Affordable Cheap Flash Alternatives

The Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight is the first choice among value-conscious Nikon owners for a better flash at $120. It's small and very portable, but lacks some features. It can be bounced and diffused.

The SB-600 has been superseded by the Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight Flash; the SB-700 is available new at $330, but you can save $50 with the used SB-600. The SB-700 does offer some nice improvements, so do have a look. I have not used it.

The Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight (or it's recently-discontinued predecessor, the SB-800) is the next step up, but the additional features don't interest me for its $475 price.

A ring flash would be ideal for macro, but I have not had the time to sort out all the dubious third-party alternatives. The Nikon R1C1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight Kit is an insane $800! With the SB-600 and a diffuser I can do macro and normal flash work.