Best walk around Nikon lens?

MichelleP · Jul 16, 2011

I know there must be posts on this and I tried to search with no luck. So I'm hoping someone will be kind enough to give me your opinions. I just ordered a used Nikon D90 and a 50mm f/1.8D prime lens (lens is new). I am trying to research what would be the best zoom lens for me to get (eventually). The most important thing to me is the image quality. I don't want to loose quality with too much zoom range, but I would like some zoom ability. I need something under $600. I mostly shoot portrait/people photography. Any suggestions? I could use suggestions for both wide angle zooms as well as zooms up to 200mm. Again tack sharp images would be my highest priority.

DorkSterr · Jul 16, 2011

Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8

Vtec44 · Jul 16, 2011

For that price range, I'd think the Nikkor 35-75mm f/2.8D is probably close to what you're looking for. The field of view will be around 50-105mm on DX format.

mrpink · Jul 16, 2011

Yeah. The Tammy 17-50 2.8 would be a good choice. Maybe play with the 50mm for a while and expand your budget for a Nikkor 17-55 2.8. I would stay away from the all in one zooms, they will only let you down in image quaility. p!nK

Derrel · Jul 16, 2011

Nikkor 18-135 is decent. 18-105 has VR. 28-200 G-series is discontinued, but handy. Tamron 24-135 is actually quite good. "Tack sharp images" and under $600 is a bit of an oxymoron these days, unless you want dull-tack sharp.

MichelleP · Jul 16, 2011

Thanks for the suggestions! This is a good place for me to start researching them. I really like the idea of the 18-105 VR but I worry about losing image quality. Do any of you have opinions on the Nikkor 16-85mm? It seems to have good reviews but I don't always trust some sites reviews

How about suggestions of 55-200mm range lenses. It seems so overwhelming the number of lenses out there. I am pretty new at this plus just switched over to Nikon so I'm clueless. :lol:

mrpink · Jul 16, 2011

Well, you switched to Nikon so you are not totally clueless. p!nK

PatrickCheung · Jul 16, 2011

I shot with my friends tamron 17-50/2.8 and it's a pleasure to use. Good for everyday purposes. You get a nice range of usable focal lengths at a constant f2.8 for a low price... that's hard to beat. The 50mm 1.8D is a fine lens, but on an APS-C sensor, it's a bit too long for an everyday walk around lens.

Malone · Jul 17, 2011

I recently picked up the Tamron 17-50mm after hearing so much hype about it. I later found out that there are 3 different models of this lens. The "screw driven model" AF-D was the original (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong), then the BIM (built in motor) to accommodate D40 and D60 model, and the BIM with VC. I got the BIM w/VC and it makes a very chirpy noise. Maybe it's just a personal preference, but I found this very annoying. The auto focus seemed to be inconsistent as well. From what I've read, the original model was very nice, but the two revisions have had issues with the AF function.

I've since picked up the Nikkor 16-85mm AF-S and so far, I like it much more. It was roughly $650, so it's close to your price range. The Nikkor equivalent of the Tamron 17-55mm runs about $1400.

I compared all three lenses here and decided the Nikkor 16-85mm was the best bang for my buck.

Again, I think it comes down to personal preference. But whichever route you go, be sure to check the return policy on any lens you purchase.