24-70mm f/2.8 alternative

[Mattis]

Hi!

I love primes, but some times I long for an allround zoomlens in the 24-70mm range.
My problem is just that I am a cheapskate. That worked out well for me so far! Nikon's f/1.8 primes are relatively inexpensive, a year ago I got my D7000 in pretty much mint condition for under 500€, I got an 80-200mm f/2.8 for 240€ and a 300mm f/4, which might just be my favorite lens, for 300€. Just to give you a rough idea what I usually spend on my gear.

But when it comes to a standard zoom in that range I am a little lost.
I love older lenses a lot, I don't need VR at all. A big aperture like f/2.8 would be great, but is not absolutely necessary. Overall imagequality is more important to me.
As for a budget, I think roughly 240€ (which is sadly the same as $240 right now... .__.) would be a good limit. That is how much I spend for my previous lenses and I would be comfortable with that.
The range of focal lengths can also be a little different, it doesn't need to be 24-70mm.

I'm looking forward to read your suggestions!^^

 

[goooner]

So do you want the 24-70 range on a crop sensor? Would that be roughly 18-55... I know Sigma has a 17-50/2.8 that got some good reviews. The newer lens is the 17-70 but its double what you want spend.

 

[Mattis]

So do you want the 24-70 range on a crop sensor? Would that be roughly 18-55... I know Sigma has a 17-50/2.8 that got some good reviews. The newer lens is the 17-70 but its double what you want spend.

Ah, my bad. No, I do want something in the 24-70mm range, no equivalent focal lengths.
I really like 35mm on my D7000 for example, but having the option to have something a tiny bit wider with a zoom lens would be great. Or zooming in when my 50mm prime isn't quite tight enough.

 

[goodguy]

Maybe Sigma 24-70mm 2.8
Not as super sharp as the Nikon and Tamron but still not a bad lens for much less then the other 2 competitors.

 

[fjrabon]

Amazon.com Sigma 24-70mm f 2.8 EX DG Macro Aspherical Large Aperture Standard Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras Camera Lenses Camera Photo

 

[Mattis]

I'm sure that is a nice lens, but prices vary wildly as it seems! I've just seen some for as low as 220€ but also as high as 700€. But I will look into that a little more!
But I am still open for other alternatives. As I said, it doesn't need to be an f/2.8 lens and it doesn't have to be that exact range. This lens isn't supposed to replace anything in my current lineup of lenses, I just want something for lazy shooting when I don't feel like switching lenses.

 

[ruifo]

Nikon's flagship professional midrange zoom of the 1990s: Nikkor AF 35-70mm f/2.8D, sold used between $300-$500.

• Used Nikon Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF Zoom Nikkor 35-70mm 1963
• Used Nikon Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto 35-70mm f 2.8 AF 1962 B H

 

[pixmedic]

Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 is a great lens and is <$300.

 

[Mattis]

Nikkor AF 35-70mm f/2.8D

Tamron 28-75 f/2.8

Now those are both pretty interesting! I'll keep an eye out for them, thanks^^

 

[Derrel]

Nikon's older, discontinued 24-85 f/3.3~4.5 AF-S was a decent lens. I have one still. This lens came out in the early 2000's as I recall. It's optically pretty decent,and is available at reasonable prices. It is NOT the new AF-S VR-G model. Another possible option would be the Nikkor 28mm-105mm AF-D lens, which we used in Lens Across America Part 4.

 

[shadowlands]

That's why I opted for the older Nikon AF-S 28-70 f2.8D. It was more than half off what a used 24-70 would have been.
28mm on FX is plenty wide for most things. I'm happy.

 

[jenko]

The old 35-70 2.8 is a great lens! It's a push/pull zoom with a macro option, but the macro option isn't what I would get it for. It renders quite beautifully with lots of contrast. I keep mine because I can also use it on my FM.

You can pick one up on ebay for about $300.