Looking for a Wide-Angle Zoom for Nikon D90

[markkelsey6]

Hello Guys,

I just stumbled upon this website, which appears to be a wealth of information. I'm new to DSLR photography, and new to these forums. Please be patient with my questions.

My kit is as follows: Nikon D90, Nikkor Af 50mm f/1.8, Nikkor AF D 70-210mm. I have been having a great time with these lenses, and taking some good pictures, but there is a clear void in my kit. I am in the market for a wide-angle lens.

I would love to hear suggestions from you guys on a good Nikkor lens to complete my kit. Keep in mind that I am an amateur, and that I do not have a lot of cash to throw around. My 70-210 is a used lens, and I might be looking at a used lens now as well. I would like autofocus, but I like the apparently tough metal construction of some of the older Nikkor lenses. I don't see a full frame camera in my near future, but don't have my heart set on DX either.

I've been looking at the 16-85mm, but it is a little bit above my budget right now. Surely there is something similar, but a bit older? I don't need VR, although I'm sure it's nice.

Also, do think this lens needs to be a zoom? Would a fixed 20mm give me a kit that I could work with? I know a lot of this is personal preference, but I'm eager to hear what you think.

So, an inexpensive, quality wide-angle Nikkor lens for general purpose use by a discerning amateur photographer. What have you got?

Thanks in advance. I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,

Mark

 

[chip]

if you want a stay on normal zoom lens, you can't beat the Nikon 16-85mm. It also has VR II which really works great. I know this from personal experience. If you want a wide angle zoom, then either the Nikon 12-24mm F4 or the Nikon 10-24mm will work well for the D90.

 

[JAFO28]

You could try the 18-70mm nikon, its a bit cheaper than the 16-85mm. Can't really compare the two as I only have the 18-70mm. I really like it though, have no complaints.
Good luck, these decisions are always fun.

 

[djacobox372]

This is a good budget choice:

Tokina 17mm f/3.5 SL

The negative is: It won't meter on your d90 (you'd need a d300, d700, or d3 for that)

The positive is: It's full frame, so if you ever upgrade to a full-frame camera you'll have a very wide lens.

I used this to replace my crop-sensor sigma 10-20mm after I upgraded to a d700.

Autofocus isn't that essential with a wide angle lens, as the depth of field is huge.

 

[wescobts]

You could also find a used one, if you are like me, love the wide angle but don't use it everyday.