Beginner Nikon Kit Lens Upgrade

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Simon
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Good morning,

I would like to upgrade my Nikon 18-55mm AF-P kit lens. I'm looking at, either, the Nikon 18-70mm or 16-85mm, from the used market.
Does anyone have experience of both? or is there something better out there? My budget is around £250 so nothing in the f2.8 region I'm afraid.

Many thanks
Simon
 
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I used the 16-85 for a long time until I went full frame, I think it's a very underrated lens, when you read reviews etc, I loved mine, there was one for sale in the classified recently but I can't see it now. Well worth considering as it's a very versatile lens.
 
the Nikon 18-70mm

It was and still is in my opinion, one of the sharpest kit lenses around. We still have it and it was part of the D70 kit back in 2005/6
No experience of the 16-85 though.
I wouldn't hesitate over the 18-70.... :)

See if I can find a sample shot
 
Is there something similar to the Tamron 17-50 2.8 for Nikon? I had one on Pentax for years and it was a brilliant lens. They go for <£200 used.
 
They do that for Nikon. Also the Sigma equivalent.
 
there a Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF), Nikon Fit for sale on MPB for £149
 
As above not sure which body you have, but if it is one with a motor like d7xxx then I would suggest trying a Tamron 17-50 non VC, that is what I use with my D90, and it is very sharp.
Edit: just seen you have d5300 in that case the Tamron is no good. Sorry
 
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Good morning,

I would like to upgrade my Nikon 18-55mm AF-P kit lens. I'm looking at, either, the Nikon 18-70mm or 16-85mm, from the used market.
Does anyone have experience of both? or is there something better out there? My budget is around £250 so nothing in the f2.8 region I'm afraid.

Many thanks
Simon
Not sure you'd see much difference IQ wise but the xtra length would/might be useful ,with the 2 mentioned
 
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Had a quick look around,, I'm quite liking the idea of an18-70mm and what I don't spend on the 16-85mm I might treat myself to a 35mm f1.8!!
 
As above not sure which body you have, but if it is one with a motor like d7xxx then I would suggest trying a Tamron 17-50 non VC, that is what I use with my D90, and it is very sharp.
Edit: just seen you have d5300 in that case the Tamron is no good. Sorry

I thought the Tamron had a built in focus motor?
 
I thought the Tamron had a built in focus motor?
I think the one with VC does, but the non VC one which is sharper does not.
 
Snipped from the Tamron website:

"Please note: The 17-50mm became available with a built-in motor for the Nikon D40, D40X and D60 (Model A16NII) from March 2008. The A16N model which had been available up until March 2008 is only compatible with the D40/D40X/D60 in the MF mode due to the fact it doesn´t have a built-in motor."
 
I think the Nikon 16-85mm lens is one of the best lenses for a crop sensor camera with regards to quality, size, weight and focal range. I started with the 18-70mm, which I also thought was a great lens, but I found the 16-85mm a big increase in quality, and also versatility because of the wider focal length range. The extra 2mm on the wide ends makes a huge difference imho. The 85mm overlapped nicely with my 70-300mm and meant I used that lens less, as it wasn't this lens to 70mm, and then anything just beyond was a change of lens.

About a year an a half ago I got a good deal on the 16-80mm, which I haven't found to be as big an improvement as the previous change, but the 16-85mm was showing signs of wear and tear.
 
I've had 2x 16-85 Nikon lenses and they are superb, great carry about range too.
 
Both of these lenses are great and I'm personally a big fan of the 18-70 in particular but... I honestly don't think you'll notice much difference in IQ if that is what the goal is. You haven't really said why you feel the need to upgrade but it's worth bearing in mind that the AF-P version of the 18-55 lens that you have is very modern and optimised for higher res sensors like your's and is actually a very decent performer. The other two are much older and though they're probably fine and give decent enough IQ, if it's a jump in image quality you're after, then you might not see much. But being more positive, both would give more range and are much better in terms of construction which makes them much nicer to use. You lose VR with the 18-70 which might be an important consideration. Without knowing more about the circumstances, personally I'd keep what you have unless you know specifically why you want to change it and save the money for something that will give you a tangible benefit, such as a 1.8/2.8 zoom or maybe a prime or two or even better, a trip away with what you have.
 
16-85 was one of my favorite crop sensor lenses.
 
Both of these lenses are great and I'm personally a big fan of the 18-70 in particular but... I honestly don't think you'll notice much difference in IQ if that is what the goal is. You haven't really said why you feel the need to upgrade but it's worth bearing in mind that the AF-P version of the 18-55 lens that you have is very modern and optimised for higher res sensors like your's and is actually a very decent performer. The other two are much older and though they're probably fine and give decent enough IQ, if it's a jump in image quality you're after, then you might not see much. But being more positive, both would give more range and are much better in terms of construction which makes them much nicer to use. You lose VR with the 18-70 which might be an important consideration. Without knowing more about the circumstances, personally I'd keep what you have unless you know specifically why you want to change it and save the money for something that will give you a tangible benefit, such as a 1.8/2.8 zoom or maybe a prime or two or even better, a trip away with what you have.
:agree: You said it with much more clarity
 
Also depends if you want/need VR?
 
Thank you all for taking the time to reply. The main reason is that I'm not entirely happy with the results I get from it, I feel most of the images are soft. I have tried a comparison with my daughters 18-55 AF-S, both on a tripod, and hers seem to be better. If the image quality is not going to be much different then I will stick to what I have. I always use a tripod, I always turn the VR off, and mainly shoot in AP. Maybe I need to spend some more time using it and perhaps I am expecting too much from what is a perfectly good lens.

Thank you again for all the advice and comments.
Simon
 
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