16-85 over the 18-70 ?

Graham00

Graham00

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Graham Mc
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I bought my Nikon 18-70 secondhand for £141, it's a great lens for landscapes which is used 99% of the time.
My question is - would it be worth getting the 16-85 for the extra width ? i imagine it's negligible, not enough to make a difference especially when we crop some scenes anyway.
I've read both are belters of a lens, just an extra £200 for the latter :thinking:
 
well the 16-85mm is image stabilized so if are finding you are finding a lot of your shots you wish you could have got a slightly faster shot to stop shake or as the VR let you get away with slightly too slower shots, and its the vast percentage of your shots you feel this then get it. but i don't think its worth the change. the extra "effective" 22mm you get on top and 3mm wider can be handy but it all comes down to money i say.
 
I can't say about the sharpness and build.

16mm wide is really useful for wide shots unless you already have UWA.

70 --> 85mm is again very useful increase for portraits, unless you have a dedicated telephoto.
 
If the 18-70mm range adequately serve your shooting style well then why the need for a change? The 16-85mm is quite expensive and you'll be overlapping 90% of the focal range.
 
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Thanks for replies, it's a lens i have in mind now but i wont get much for my 18-70, but then i think it's worth the money i paid for it or close !
 
This is exactly what I'm considering at the moment: replacing the (adequate) 18-70 kit lens for the more versatile, more expensive, 16-85. Did you go for it in the end Graham?
 
The 18-70 is a great lens, if you want wide angle get a dedicated lens like a 10-20.

If money was no object then sure, the 16-85 gives a useful bit at each end but in reality that's nothing a step forwards or backwards won't solve and it's a lot of money.
 
Kitty said:
This is exactly what I'm considering at the moment: replacing the (adequate) 18-70 kit lens for the more versatile, more expensive, 16-85. Did you go for it in the end Graham?
Click to expand...

I didn't, in the end i bought something totally different a macro lens from MPB it's a Sigma 105 f2.8 and i'm looking forward to having a go this summer on a few flying things on flowers etc.
With the cost of fuel i'm having to rethink about doing so many landscapes and working closer to home :(
 
Network Rail Cards are useful things to invest in as an alternative to driving, and there are cheap deals to be had... eg London to Bath for £9.00 last summer.
And Nawty, yes a 12-24 is still on the shopping list, but I wouldn't use an ultra-wide like a 10-20 as a walk-about lens, which the 18 - 70 is for me. The 16 - 85 would be better, and so I reckon that I'll p/ex the 18 - 70.
 
Don't forget like the 18-70 is f/4.5 at the long end compared to the 16-85's f/5.6 - can make all the difference. I know the 16-85 has VR but that won't help in some situations.
 
Try it, you might like it :D

Since I got mine it's the lens I always end up leaving on the camera...
 
Nawty - are you referring to the uwa?
Stu - what kind of situations do you mean?
ta
 
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