I have the same issue and since I only have my kit lens as the alternative (which is great but very beat up since I'm not nice to it), I'm looking at lenses.
Here is something I might consider buying - it's not terribly expensive.
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Camera: Nikon D300
Lenses: 50 1.4, 85 1.8, 18-200 VR, 75-300
Software: Photoshop CS5, Lightroom 3