Hi all,

I've got a Nikon D3200 and would like a reccomendation for a decent lens for closer, action work.

I would say zoom, but I believe the correct term is telephoto.)

Don't want to spend silly money and truth be told I'm not 100 percent sure what F rating I need to be looking at. Have read up on this, but still not sure.

It's going to see a fair bit of action at car shows and track events.

Many thanks in advance.

Telephoto refers to any focal length longer than 50mm (on 35mm film).

Zoom refers to a lense which covers a range of focal lengths in one body (e.g. 70-200mm) as opposed to a 'prime' or fixed focal length lens (e.g. 100mm).

The smaller the 'f' number the bigger, heavier and more expensive the lens.

Without an idea of your budget, it's hard to make practical suggestions.

How close are you likely to get to the action?

Around 20m.

Oh, I did mean zoom then.

Around what the camera cost, 500ish..

Thank you.

I have a Nikon 18-200 lens[1] for my D90. I bought just the D90 body and this is the only lens I have with it so far. I would have liked a macro lens too, but having just bought a Yeti that'll have to wait (again). The VR (vibration reduction) system is handy and lets you take sharp hand held shots at a lower shutter speed than you'd normally get away with. I'm pretty pleased with it, and I think it's more let down by me than I am with it. I'm still trying to get the hang on action shots but hopefully I'm getting there. Still struggling with the fastest cars (which are doing 120+ mph just a few meters ahead of this shot), but I don't put that down to the lens! This is from around 30m.

[1] now superseded by a (slightly) cheaper model, but still available - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-18-200MM-F3-5-5-6G-IF-ED-AF-S/dp/B000BY52NU

You meant telephoto zoom!

Try a 70-200mm if you are about 20m away. It will be top quality and focus faster than a 'walkabout' zoom that covers both wide angle & telephoto.