Ah lens envy. Every photographer has it. Every photographer has another lens they'd like to own, should they be asked. Unfortunately equipment is cost-prohibitive, so most folks can't afford every one. There are lenses that stretch any budget at $25k each, and weigh too much to be carried around. Camera manufacturers (or sellers like Futureshop and Best Buy) are now providing 'suggested lens kits' at a reasonable cost, including a short telephoto (55-200mm) and a short zoom (18-55mm) to cover all the bases.
I didn't get one of those. I bought my lenses in stages, after the 'need' presented itself. First the 18-55mm kit lens. Later on a whim, I purchased the 55-200mm telephoto. Not too long ago, I completed my group with a fast 50mm F1.8 for those low light situations. I consider these the basic lens kit that satisfy most of my needs (for now).
Sometimes, cameras come with the 55-200mm lens or something else (18-70mm, 18-105mm or 18-200mm). Though I'd love those other 'kit' lenses, at this point they wouldn't add anything to the focal lengths I already have, nor are they much faster to warrant the extra cost. The recent Nikon addition - the 35mm F1.8 would be great if I didn't already have the 'nifty fifty' 50mm lens or if my camera didn’t have the internal auto-focus motor like the D5000, D3000, D40 or D60.
Some shots are 'off-limits' or require flash. I have no awesome fast, long lenses (like a 70-300mm F2.8 for $2,000) and some day I might pick up its slower macro cousin (70-300mm F4-5.6 for $250 or the OS version for $600) when my kid starts organized sports. But until that day comes, I can summarize my needs as: 1) 18-55mm - wide angle shots of landscapes and cityscapes 2) 55-200mm - short telephoto for portraits and unobtrusive photography and 3) 50mm F1.8 - for low light situations or super-sharpness of action (like my daughter in a swing).
All of these will fit nicely in a camera bag without weighing you down or breaking your budget.
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