NIKON 17-55 2.8 AF-S

My workhorse lens. Good in lowlight and fast enough for indoor photography. Colour are sharp and contrast is fantastic. Slightly heavy and has a humongous hood, excellent value. bought off TradeMe at NZ$1200. Built like a tank but not as solid as old-school Nikkors. Recommended if you need a zoom for low-light situations.

NIKON 80-400 AF VR

My wildlife and birding lens. Excellent with VR though the AF speed is disappointing. On the other hand, it is light enough to carry all day long without my shoulder getting sore. Recommended if you are not a serious birder or wildlife photographer.

SIGMA 10-20 HSM

Ultra wide angle lens for the APS-C SLRs. Excellent for nature, indoor and general photography. Excellent value at NZ$600. Highly recommended alternative to the Nikkor UWAs.

NIKON 18-200 VR

My travel lens. Do-it-all, from wide to tele, macro too in a pinch. Comes with the excellent VR, really helps eliminate camera shake. Good value if used mainly in good light, will be hard to use in low-light. Recommended for travelling light, or in dusty environment.

TAMRON 90 2.8 SP Di II Macro

The best poor man's macro lens. I'd say sharper than the Nikon 105 2.8 VR. Truly astonishing lens for NZ$400 new. Do not use this lens to shoot portraits if you don't intend to do much post-processing as it will show all the flaws of your model clearly (blemishes, acne, pimples).

SIGMA 70-200 2.8 HSM

Got this cheap off TradeMe for NZ$600 used. Handy for sports photography. Not doing enough of sports photography to warrant purchasing the Nikkor equivalent. good performer with the HSM built in motor, but misses the focus target sometimes. Maybe its due to me D80.

NIKON 50 1.8 AF-D

Nifty-fifty. Cheapest Nikkor lens, fast and useful, not to mention small and light. Good for low-light photography, though could be a tad too tight for indoors.

NIKON 85 1.4 AF-D

Legendary portrait lens. Fast and sharp wide open. What else can I say, the 'King' of bokeh. Creamilicious bokeh. Built tough, old school Nikon pro-level quality. My favourite portrait and low-light lens.

ASICS Cumulus 11 - Mens

Got this pair on sale for NZ$140 (RRP NZ$210). Much better than the hard and stiff GEL 3000. Very soft and flexible, the cushioning is amazing; only surpassed by the Nimbus. Highly recommended to all.

Asics Cumulus 10 - Women

The wife bought this pair on sale recently (NZ$130; RRP NZ$250). Found it to be very soft, flexible, and the cushioning is excellent. Highly recommended, but bear in mind as it is soft it will wear out much faster than the GEL XXXX series.

Asics Gel 3000

Bought this pair of Asics recently because it was on sale (NZ$140; RRP NZ$280). Found it too hard and stiff compared to the Cumulus series. Rides low and stable though. Heavier than the Cumulus series, but more durable as it is made of hardier materials.