wide angle zoom for D300

Gillian Thompson

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I have a Nikon 18-70 lens which originally came with my previous D70. The barrel is twisted so that it no longer autofocusses & I am looking to replace.
I already have a 105mm macro, a 50mm lens and a 80-400 mm zoom so thinking along the lines of a similar focal length to my broken lens, but an improvement - any suggestions?
:thinking:
 
What kind of budget are you looking to spend?

The Nikon 12-24 AF-S DX f/4 is an outstanding lens, though a bit pricy.
 
Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 is a nice lens. You should be able to pick up a decent second hand one for about £300.

I would agree with that. Whilst Sigmas according to popular conception can be iffy, the one of these I have seems just fine.

A perfect mid range kit lens replacement, although optically I found the Tamron better its AF was pitiful (even for slow moving stuff like kids and dogs, let alone motorsport!). The Sigma I have is the slightly older non-HSM version so is quicker than the Tamron, but not as speedy as the latest HSM incarnation.
 
Have you tried a Sigma 10-20? If it is anything like as good as the Sigma 20mm then it would be a good buy.
 
I leave my Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 on my D300 most of the time, only really replacing it at present with my Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro. It's a sweet little lens.
 
If you want to go wider then Tokina 12-24mm f/4 DX IF is an excellent choice. It is cheap but takes very sharp photos even wide open throughout all range, and the distortion is negligible (and simple to correct if you are concerned). 1/3 price of Nikkor as well.

If you decide to go over 400, then maybe Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8!

Edit: SigMa (SignificantMalfunction) 10-20 is nowhere near as sharp
 
I have recently taken delivery of the 14-24mm /f2.8 Nikkor and have yet to actually use the damn thing...
Still using my 17-35 (and 70-200) for most things and occasionally switching to the 28-70...
More wasted tax-payer's money...

Spoke to the Photographer I'm replacing in Afghan next week and he tells me he's only used his 14-24 about three times...
We all got so used to DX format's effect on our lenses, we somehow forgot just how wide 24mm is on FX...
I'm now finding that my 'workhorse' 17-35 is a little too wide for most of the shots I take and am seriously considering making the 28-70 my mainstay...

Plus the lack of a front-filter capability will destroy that front element out there in no time at all...
 
For £400 I would probably get both a used Tokina 12-24 (est £250) and then either another used Nikon 18-70 or better still a used Nikon 28-105. That way you will have an excellent wide angle lens and also a really good walkabout.

I think you should be able to get both of these lenses for a total of £400 which is your budget.
 
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