Replacement for Tokina 12-24 f/4

D7K · Jul 2, 2014

Hi, So I have been wondering for a while whether to sell & replace my Tokina 12-24 f/4.

I like the lens but for me it's not the best, I do enjoy Wide Angle but I hear much better things about the Nikon glass (as usual). Question is, given I have only a 35mm 1.8 and a 50 1.8D - what would be a good suggested next lens. My shots are usually street / city / some architecture and travel.. Given where I live landscapes are few and far between. So, what would you throw into the mix for me to pick up once I sell the Tokina?

I am interested in gaining some Zoom ideally but I'm open to ideas..

Current system is a D7000 - So DX.. Although not against buying FX Glass as I hope to upgrade to FX in the next year or so, money permitting of course..

jaomul · Jul 2, 2014

I would say the Nikon 16-85mm may be your answer. Relatively wide, but of zoom, not to big and a good imager

D7K · Jul 2, 2014

You know, that 16-85 has been on my mind for a while now and I read good things of it's performance also... *Bumps it up on the list*

astroNikon · Jul 2, 2014

Isn't the 16-85 a DX lens?
Something to keep in mind if you really have your mind set on going FX.

Keep in mind though, you go from 12 to 16 (4mm) as the minimum focal length. Not much, but I have alot of fun with perspective distortion and wish I had a wider lens.
The last car show I was taking shots at people walked up to me and mentioned that I was taking pictures of car emblems. Umm ..no .. I was taking pictures of the entire front of the car. lol you have that ability with the UWAs. It's amazing though how actually close I'm getting to the cars which definitely looks like I'm taking emblems photos !!
I really like taking photos from a corner and the distortion is quite evident then but neat.

I use the Nikon 18-35/3.5-4.5 FX lens. I have the AF-D and not the AF-S G lens due to cost.
The 18-35 is my most used lens now for car shows, architecture, flower gardens, etc. Whereas my 80-200 is for sports and failed birding attempts.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/100677477@N08/sets/72157645081760985/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/100677477@N08/sets/72157645336414593/

But you don't have much focal length in your lenses.
I think the 2nd FX lens I bought was the 24-85/2.8-4 FX lens. It's still my "goto" lens when the UWA and 80-200 is too little or too much.
So the 16-85 makes alot of sense in your case filling in alot of needed zoom capability for a general all-around goto lens (I've never used that lens, but just in general focal length flexibility).

I had the old trinity lenses. 20-35/2.8, 35-70/2.8 and 80-200/2.8 - all AF-D lenses. The only one I really recommend is the 80-200. the others I just don't/didn't like. But it also showed me - as I like to shoot a variety of things - that 3 main lenses are kinda needed to cover about everything that you need.

So, for me right now that is the 18-35, 24-85 and 80-200. I am trying to move up to the 28-70/2.8 AF-S though, and later the 17-35/2.8

It's hard trying to plan a move to FX especially if you get the UWA bug. Luckily I made the FX switch because of UWA and haven't looked back. I love the Dynamic Range of the d600 compared to the d7000. That one Auburn Hills car show in flickr was done in sunny but tree shady area .. horrible basically. But some LR magic pulled out the shadows, etc. Now when I use my d7000 I'm not very impressed with it in those situations.

D7K · Jul 2, 2014

Cheers for the feedback Astro - Some great shots in there..

You make a few valid points, my current setup is shy on focal length.. - It is indeed hard to plan, without knowing when the FX upgrade would be, which would be a suitable lens to go to. The UWA bug, well, it has me but my experience and ability to use it compared to "normal" is weak at best, this is why I have toyed with the idea of selling for so long and everytime I've received an offer up to now, i refuse it as I know it would be a while before I picked another one back up..
I do like the idea of some decent zoom, it's all well and good shoot wide and primes only for some but then i do miss zoom, no doubt if I had only zoom I'd miss primes, the joys of photography huh

I may well be using the D7000 for another year, even more if the boss gets her way, and it's a camera I'm still learning to use correctly myself, i don't just want to throw money away for the sake of new kit, but I do feel a little constrained having the 12-50mm (75mm effective FOV) range on the gear at the moment..

Maybe it's worth me picking up a DX lens for now and looking to bundle it when I sell the kit prior to upgrading...

Ugh, too many choices and not enough money...

astroNikon · Jul 2, 2014

D7K said:
Ugh, too many choices and not enough money...

That's always the problem.

But you have an advantage. The d7000 has a focus motor (like for your 50mm AFD). That was my savior and part of the plan. You have a *ton* of options out there for AF lenses which coincidentally can be *alot* cheaper than their newer AF-S cousins. Some may have not been made for the higher megapixel cameras like the d800 but you have a d7000 ...

This is the order of the lenses I bought ...
-- d7000 w/kit 18-105
-- 50mm 1.8 AF-D -- taught me alot about DOF
-- 24-85/2.8-4.0 AF-D (macro) - didn't use much, but now my goto lens. And I've toyed with the macro too !!
-- 75-300 AF lens. Great reach, push pull. I still use. Very high quality images and super cheap normally at $100. Slow focusing but you have to learn how to use like the 80-200, though even slower focusing. But $100 !!
-- 24/2.8 - (SOLD) learned alot, had fun and a great lens. But it was duplicated a few times over later on. Cheap too for a UWA.
all these photos were with the 24mm - a great learning tool https://www.flickr.com/photos/100677477@N08/sets/72157644541574462/
-- 85mm/1.8 AF-D (SELLING) Derrel likes to call this the purple monster for purple fringing. I still haven't seen it but then I don't use this much. I have overlap. There are some artistic things that I would love to do but realize to do those things I really need a f/1.4 .. yike$$$
-- 80-200/2.8 AF-D - love it, a KEEPER. Would love to be able to grab the focus ring for quick manual focus though. Also faster focusing .. but that is all in the newer 70-200 models which cost alot more $$$. I've learned how to use this lens much better than when I first started. Most shots at f/2.8 for subject isolation.
-- 35-70/2.8 -- (SELLING) push pull, AF-D. great in the studio. Not so much outside. plus, I probably just suck anyways. Want to replace with the 28-70/2.8, okay, I prefer the 24-70/2.8 but way, way, way too much $$$.
-- 20-35/2.8 great lens. short focal length .. waaant super UWA !! (GONE)
-- then I looked at the nice Nikon UWAs and realized I was within a couple hundred $$$ of a refurb'd d600 ...... so I got the d600.
-- 18-35 AF-D that I use now.

Of course, we'll leave out the flash photography ... that's just insane.

focus motor ... a cheaper way to get it done

FYI .. I really don't use my primes anymore. 24(sold), 50, 85. But there are some artistic things I want to do which requires f/1.8 or better.
The older glass like the 24mm/2.8 you may get more pincushioning which was evident vs the 24-85@24. but it can be fixed in post.

but, in the end of the day, like you said ... too many choices and not enough money...

D7K · Jul 26, 2014

So... I sold the Tokina... Now I miss the option of wide angle.. Typical I know.. Currently in discussion with someone about getting the 16/85 so well see how that goes... With that I guess I could give up one of the primes and look at maybe a 70_300 to add in there.. The 80-200 2.8 is too much of a stretch and tbh I don't think I need that 2.8..

I could get the 18/105 cheaper but I think from what I've read the extra 2mm on the wide end help in DX somewhat and the 16-85 seems to be a better rated lens..
In all honesty shooting at 12 mm on the Tokina was rare but we'll see what happens..

Thanks all for the inputs and advice..