Which nikon lens

bobman

bobman

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Russell
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Hopefully somebody will be able to steer me in the right direction.

I currently have a D7000 and 18-200mm and 50mm f1.4 lens, however I am convinced that the shots I get from the zoom lens are soft and I very rarely use the long end of the lens.

My main areas of photography tend to be family portraits/snap shots of the family for which the 50mm is outstanding and landscapes which the 18-200mm gives mixed results even when mounted on a tripod.

I have also read reviews that suggest that the 18-200 lens cannot do the sensor of the D7000 justice and from experience I tend to agree with this school of thought.

As I do not use the long end of the zoom very often I have narrowed my next lens choice down to either the 17-55mm F2.8 nikkor lens or the 16-35mm F4 nikkor lens, I do not intend to purchase another lens for a long time following this.

Considering that already own the 50mm would any of you recommend me saving the extra cash on the 16-35mm over the 17-55 or even consider selling the 50mm lens I already own to help towards the purchase of the 17-55 as the 50mm in my opinion may become redundant.

The question really is which is the sharper more compatible lens for my needs.

Regards, Russ
 
Hi
I find that the nikon 24-120 covers all the angles I need and gives me pleasing results.
 
Thanks for the advice but having read the reviews I think I will give this one a miss, I am looking for something a bit wider and that one off special lens that will compliment the D7000 perfectly.
 
The 16-35 would be a bit wasted on the D7000 in my opinion. You are paying a lot for a wide angle full frame lens and then not getting the benefit of it on a crop sensor camera.

I would suggest that you look at a prime lens if you are looking for sharpness, maybe a 85mm or a 105mm, to go along with your 50mm.

I have a 85mm f1.4 and the sharpness is superb.
 
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bobman said:
I have also read reviews that suggest that the 18-200 lens cannot do the sensor of the D7000 justice and from experience I tend to agree with this school of thought.
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Maybe. But how often do you really need 16 megapixels? If you're not using a 50" monitor and not printing posters, then whether or not the lens can "do justice" to the sensor is surely pretty irrelevant.
 
bobman said:
I am convinced that the shots I get from the zoom lens are soft and I very rarely use the long end of the lens.

My main areas of photography tend to be ... landscapes which the 18-200mm gives mixed results even when mounted on a tripod.
Click to expand...

Most super-zooms don't perform too well at the long end. I used to have a Sigma 18-200 as my walkaround lens, and it was great up to about 125mm but really got soft above that.

But the Nikon 18-200 is probably the best of the super-zooms and there's no way it should be delivering poor results at short/medium lengths. That suggests a problem with the lens, or with your technique, or with your expectations.
 
buy the 24-120 f4 very sharp lens forget wider as all you have to do is take a step further back and you have got a wider view !
 
I really like Nikon 16-85mm VR, and have bought two, and would have do doubts about getting another one, should anything happen to the one I have. :)

I use it on a D300S, whether the extra 4Mp would be a problem only owners of both lens and the camera could say.

I like it because it gives better image quality than the Nikon 18-70mm I had, which was also a very good lens, but is wider, longer and has VR. The extra 2mm over 18mm to whatever lenses makes a surprisingly big difference. And the 85mm overlaps nicely with my 70-300mm lens, so much so that I don't use that lens as much as I used to when there was such a sudden transition between the 18-70mm and the 70-300mm.

You can pay a lot more for a faster lens with a shorter zoom range if you'd want that.
 
I have just bought a 16-85 which should cover the focal length that i need. I have not had one before (Ex Canon user!) but from my research it does look a very good walk about lens that will be great for wide and portrate. I have just today bought a d90 new so can't wait to get the lens.
 
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I have the 16-85mm VR too and ok it's lowest f stop is only f3.5 at 16mm I find I don't need anything faster as most of my shooting is during daylight. Have also tried my mates 18-200 and I find the pics with the 16-85mm to be a bit sharper but can't say I have taken two pics back to back to directly compare them though.

Depends if you need a lens that will need to stop down to f2.8 i guess.
 
Decided to concentrate on my landscape shots and opted for to Tokina 11-16mm F2.8 which has received some very promising on-line reviews.
 
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