Lens Recs for Christmas gift....Very last minute.

[makeupgrl8]

So my husband needs more gift ideas. I really want more glass. All I have are Prime lenses (50&35mm 1.8 which are great), but when I take photos of large groups (I am a coach) it's a hassel having to stand 20-25ft back to get them all in the frame. Any good lens recs that won't break the bank? I REALLY want the Nikon 24-120, but that's too much for us right now. By the way, I have a D7000.

Also, looking at these lenses in addition to a zoom:

[h=1]Nikon - AF-S Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G ED Macro Autofocus Lens [/h]Nikon - 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX Nikkor Lens

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Nikon - AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR Lens

Are these a waste of my money? Pros/Cons of each?

TIA!

 

[tirediron]

How about just asking for a "credit" and then wait 'til after Christmas and hit the used market? Lenses are a great thing to buy used (as is most photo gear), and by New Year's day, Crait's List should be chock full of both new gear being sold because it wasn't wanted, or slightly older gear being sold because it was replaced by something brand new. FWIW, none of those are terribly wide on a crop-body. Try and avoid "Swiss Army" lenses like the 24-120; anything that tries to do too much winds up doing none of it well. While the 24-120 is still reputed to be a good performer, it won't be as good as getting several different lenses to cover the range. The Tokina 11-16 is about the most highly regarded UWA zoom.

 

[brunerww]

Hi makeupgrl8 - I agree with tirediron on the Tokina. It is the best of the 3rd party lenses, in my view (I own Tamrons and Sigmas as well). The $599 f2.8 11-16 is a great lens for group photos. And if you don't need f2.8 and really want the best value-for-money wide angle zoom for Nikon, try the $399 Tokina 12-24.

Hope this is helpful and best of the holidays,

Bill