Fairly specific lens question....

[flea77]

I am doing more interior shooting these days and so have moved to a 24-70 2.8 which is doing well. I do feel the need for two things, a wider coverage and a longer lens. I have pretty well decided on the Nikon 80-200 2.8D two ring for the longer lens, but the shorter one eludes me.

First a few constraints:

1: My budget for this lens is somewhere up to the $600+ range
2: I will be doing indoor and outdoor shots (think weddings and landscape) so speed would be nice
3: It would be fantastic (but not required) that I could use it on both FF and crops, but mainly crop
4: I would prefer a lens WITHOUT a built in motor if possible (one less thing to break)
5: When talking Nikon, I prefer D series to G series so I get the aperture ring.

I have thought about the Tokina 12-24mm old style (wont work on D40) f4. Most of the speed, supposedly sharp at f4, cheap.

Then there is the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC DI-II LD ASP which I know nothing about.

The Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X is supposed to be highly regarded but it only gives me a little zoom.

Nikon AF-S Zoom Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF seems perfect except for two things, I can't raise $1800 for a lens, and it is a G series with built in motor which I do not want.

I don't mind used at all, and I don't mind an older lens (I love my D series lenses). Any suggestions or pointers?

Allan

 

[joemc]

Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8....Fantastic lens...and works great with what you already have.

Cheers, joe

 

[icassell]

The Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 is my walkaround lens with my Canon 30D (and now my 7D) and lives on the camera >75% of the time. It is a sharp lens with good solid build with the only downside, in my book, being that it is a bit slower to focus (and a bit louder) than lenses with an ultrasonic motor. I bought mine new 3 years ago, but I've seen them on the used market for about $300. I think the new version has some sort of image stabilization. It is a crop-sensor only type lens. My other wide lens, which I also love, is my Sigma 10-20mm.

 

[Patrice]

Fast, wide, good and inexpensive all at once is pretty rare. If you want to stick to D lenses you might want to scour the sell sites for a wide prime. But by all accounts the nikkor 14-24 2.8 beats everything out there remotely accessible.

In the meantime your G1 and 28 mm will give a wider field of view than the 24-70 on your d80.

Pat

 

[flea77]

Fast, wide, good and inexpensive all at once is pretty rare. If you want to stick to D lenses you might want to scour the sell sites for a wide prime. But by all accounts the nikkor 14-24 2.8 beats everything out there remotely accessible.

In the meantime your G1 and 28 mm will give a wider field of view than the 24-70 on your d80.

Pat

I absolutely know that there are tradeoffs, however in my experience I can usually live with them. For example. the 12-24 F4 would obviously not be as fast as the Nikon, and also it lacks the motor inside, two ways I can save money assuming the image quality is acceptable. But the main question with that lens is, for indoor photography (again, think weddings), is the f4 fast enough?

The G1 is a fantastic camera, unfortunately I can not use film all the time.

joemc, I specifically stated I can not afford that lens, unless of course you are offering to sell me one around $600 in which case I accept your offer!

Allan

 

[Restomage]

Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X

Buy it. I plan on buying one.

 

[flea77]

Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X

Buy it. I plan on buying one.

Why that one over the 12-24 f4?

Allan

 

[chip]

Allan, How about a Nikon AF-S 12-24mm f4 DX lens? I think f4 is fast enough. Chip

 

[flea77]

Allan, How about a Nikon AF-S 12-24mm f4 DX lens? I think f4 is fast enough. Chip

Yeah, that is much cheaper than the Nikon 12-24 2.8, but still about $1000 new. I will have to see what it costs used. Next question of course, is it worth 250% more than the $399 Tokina 12-24 f4?

Allan

 

[grafxman]

Hi Allan, my walk around indoor lens is the Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4.5 DC Macro HSM. It's plenty fast and sharp. Best of all it's a macro so it can focus extremely close. It's not extremely expensive ($369) either.

 

[flea77]

Hi Allan, my walk around indoor lens is the Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4.5 DC Macro HSM. It's plenty fast and sharp. Best of all it's a macro so it can focus extremely close. It's not extremely expensive ($369) either.

Thanks, I may stick that in the back of my mind when I need a walk around lens, looks promising. Macro really isnt a factor for me since I have a Nikon 105mm 2.8D Micro which as far as I am concerned is THE macro lens. I also cover most of your range with my 24-70mm 2.8 without the HSM (which I prefer). So mainly I am looking to fill the gap from 24mm down, with some descent speed.

Thus far I think I am leaning more towards the 11-16mm Tokina.

Allan

 

[Kegger]

I prefer the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8.

It's my primary wide angle for portraiture. And it is a tack, super sharp, good quality build, and highly recommended. In fact several people on this forum use it and love it.