£500 to spend on a new lens: Addition or upgrade...?

beercan

beercan

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Steve
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Hi all,
My 30th is fast approaching and I'm going to treat myself.
I have a budget of up to £500 and want to look at my lenses and how/where I can improve them.

My lenses are:
Nikon 50mm f1.8
Nikon 18-55 3.5-5.6 DX kit lens (non-vr)
Nikon 28-105 3.5-4.5D (non-vr)
Sigma 70-300 f4-5.6D (non-vr)

Thoughts on my current kit:
50mm = Fine.
18-55 kit = Minor focusing issue as was dropped recently. It works fine mostly, but gets focus ring gets stuck sometimes. Have to force it back to focus again.
28-105 = Very good lens but very heavy compared to the others which makes it a poor option for long walks. Have started leving it behind and taking the kit lens due to weight saving.
70-300 = ok but no VR and soft - looks amost "foggy" in most images but lens itself seems ok? I tend not to bother using it as I tend to think "what's the point if the images aren't clear?" (although this could be partly due to f number...)

Wants:
One of the main usage aims for this year will be when we go camping and places like the Zoo/Longleat etc. The problem here is the opportunity for both landscape and zoomed images and a lack of budget for both!
I'm thinking I would like something wide (thinking Tokina ATX 116 PRO DX AF11-16mm F/2.8). Although I've read 2.8 isn't really necessary for a WA?

On the other hand, as I generally find I don't want to use my 70-300 and also now leave the 28-105 at home, maybe upgrading the 70-300 to something like the Nikon with VR is the way to go? My only concern is is the image quality on the Nikon going to be much better?

So, for up to £500 what would you suggest please?

Thanks for looking . (y)
 
I love my Nikon 10-24mm it's stayed on my camera since I bought it. But it depends if you'll use it much as its a lot of money.
 
not everybodys cup of tea(mine included) but have you seen the Nikon 18-200 DX VR ED II ? might be worth having a look..:thinking:


EDIT, MPB have a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG II HSM Macro - Nikon Fit for £449, would serve you well for z00/wildlife.
 
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18-200 DX VR ED II is a good lens almost covers both of your wishes
 
Thanks. I will take a look at that one then. I'm a bit worried it may be too short though. WIll try some shots at 200 on my 70-300 and see how they are for distance.
 
beercan said:
Hi all,

28-105 = Very good lens but very heavy compared to the others which makes it a poor option for long walks. Have started leaving it behind and taking the kit lens due to weight saving.
Click to expand...

I take the 28-105 when I want to travel light :D

How about the Nikkor 16-85VR nice range and nice optics, not sure how it would compare weight wise to the 28-105 though
 
Do you need f2.8 on a wide? IMVHO a wide aperture is an advantage on any lens.

You don't seem to have a macro so if you don't go for a zoom how about a 150mm f2.8 macro It could take you in new directions.
 
£500 budget with a screwed kit lens?

I'd go for a 17-55mm F/2.8 - 17mm end is plenty wide enough most of the time for landscapes IMO.

The Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8 by all accounts is a good lens, but you will stop down from F/2.8 to increase the depth of field for landscapes. I'll probably be getting one sometime over the summer to complement my 17-55mm.
 
Thanks but the 17-55 is £1000 from what I can see on amazon...?

Re the macro, I have it on the 28-105 and it does come in useful but tbh I don't use it very much.
 
redddraggon said:
I'd go for a 17-55mm F/2.8 - 17mm end is plenty wide enough most of the time for landscapes IMO.
Click to expand...

I would have suggested that, however the OP has already stated that the 28-105 is too heavy, the 17-55 is heavier and bulkier ... great lens on a DX sensor though.
 
Or another possible option.
As you say you hardly use most of those lenses you could sell them all.

Sigma 17-50 2.8 £200
And sigma 70-200 2.8 £500
With the possibility of adding a tc to reach near 300mm if needed?
 
How about sell the the 28-105 and the 70-300 then buy the 28-300?

Then you cut down the number of lenses you have.

Personally I love my 10-24mm Nikkor, maybe a pairing of those would make me happy.

Nick.
 
Only just seen this thread, but I also travel light with the 28-105 Af-D but I use it on my D700 and find it nothing less than excellent. I am in the middle east and find this a great lens to stay on the camera, saving lens changes in dusty conditions. It performs superbly such that to save weight I comfortably use this and not the Nikon 28-70 f2.8 'beast' I also have, although my preference is for the latter. You don't get a lot of opportunity for f2.8/f4 on the hoof out here it's so bright which reduces the advantages of the 28-70 although the optical quality is better.

If you are happy with the performance then think carefully before dumping it although appreciated on a crop camera it wouldn't deliver the same range. Reddragon, £500 quid? Mine came so called used but mint, boxed and hood, nothing like that price. Genuinely suprised, have seen dealers selling in good condition approx £200 quid?

One lens I love on my D300 is the Sigma 18-50 f2.8. Very sharp and light weight. The other treat to have is the Sigma 10-20... you could have both secondhand for sub-£500.

The 70-300 VR is very nice optical quality and colour rendition. You don't see many complaints. Again it is heavy-ish I guess if you use your comparison to the 28-105, so you may find the cheap but very good bang foir buck 55-200 VR acceptable. Basically you have to carry the good glass if you want the best optics but tbh I'm sure for most people including myself most of the time it is overkill. You just might see that image...
 
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It all depends on what you are shooting.

You don't seem to have any wide angled ones, you can pic a 10-24 Tamron for less than 250 and a 10-20 Sigma for less than 300. Tokina is also very nice but limited range and near the 450 mark.

If you like your telephotos spend the money on a 70-300 Nikkor VR or a sigma 50-150.

Or if you like the range of your kit buy what is the best VFM in its range a Tamron 17-50mm non vc.

I'd personally do the following sell all your lenses and buy these:

Tamron 10-24, Nikkor 35mm 1.8 , Sigma 50-150 2.8 :) (I have this setup apart from the fact that I bridge the gap with the 17-50mm instead of the 35mm)
 
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evilonion said:
Or another possible option.
As you say you hardly use most of those lenses you could sell them all.

Sigma 17-50 2.8 £200
And sigma 70-200 2.8 £500
With the possibility of adding a tc to reach near 300mm if needed?
Click to expand...

Do you mean Tamron 17-50? If you do mean the Sigma 17-50, I want to know where to queue!
 
One option might be to sell your Sigma telephoto and go for a used 70-300 vr and either a used sigma 10-20 or a used tokina 12-24... Should be doable for less than £500 all in.
 
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