My Nikon DX AF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 has finally crapped out.
Oddly enough, despite having a 50mm f/1.8 and a 50-150mm f.28 (that retailed for $900!) I use the kit lens the most often. I love the wide end, and probably 60% of my pictures are taken at 18-35mm.
So I'd like to replace this lens with something with a narrower focus range (more bokah!) and slightly faster aperture, like a 2.8 or so.
Are there any sub $600 17-35mm f/2.8 with a Nikon mount?
There are a bunch of 16/17-55 2.8s from the usual third-party manufacturers that tend to get decent reviews, at least better ones than the Nikon one which seems to be OK but the cheaper ones seem to be better.
IIRC there are a couple of full-frame 17/18-35mm lenses that would work on a digital camera but I have no idea what they cost these days.
My two favourite lenses for my D200 are the 35mm/1.8 AF-S and the 12-24mm f/4. Both bought used on ebay - in fact with your budget I'd look for a used lens, too.
BTW I'm shooting on a D50. It's beat. It's old. I dont have worry much about it and it gets the job done.
I've read about the 12-24mm. It's pretty wide, but I'd wonder if I want the gap between 35mm and 50mm.
Though like I said I hardly use my 50mm prime.
Well, I do have a 18-55 AF-S kit lens to bridge the gap - I also have the 55-200 AF-S but haven't used it much so far. Given the cost of a 18-55 it might make sense to have one to combine with a wider lens?
Oddly enough, even though one of my favourite lenses on my film camera is an 85/1.4 I don't feel compelled to get a similar lens (ie 50mm) for the D200.
KEH has a Nikkor 16-85 3.5-5.6 G ED VR used for $589. I have never used this lens so I don't know how sharp it is. I would recommend the Tamron 28-105 2.8 but since it will be used on a DX camera that would net you about a 42-150 so there goes your wide angle.
One lens you might consider is the Sigma 30mm 1.8. This lens is almost permanently mounted on one of my bodies.
30mm isn't terribly wide and some people dislike primes, but the price is right and the build quality is good.
tb wrote:One lens you might consider is the Sigma 30mm 1.8. This lens is almost permanently mounted on one of my bodies.
30mm isn't terribly wide and some people dislike primes, but the price is right and the build quality is good.
This is an excellent lens for sure. I feel the same way about my 35mm AFS 1.8 but then I do like primes. This lens has been attached to my D1X for about 3 months now and it produces BEAUTIFUL shots. Before this lens I loved my 50 1.8 but now that hardly ever gets used.
Right now my wider range kit consists of the 18-55 VR and the 35 and 50 1.8 primes. Fairly inexpensive kit that produces great shots on my full range of Nikon DSLRs (D40, D70, D1X).
If you are dead set on one of the pro level lenses expect to pay out the nose for a good wide zoom and expect some of those to have distortion. You can normally buy a whole stack of primes in a wide variety of ranges for what you would pay for a good pro wide zoom. You will have more lenses to choose from however you will most often get better results than all but the best of the zooms.
Oh also if you order from KEH (I get quite a bit of gear from them) make sure you test it FULLY right when you get it in a variety of conditions and settings to insure there are no issues. They are good about returns though they can take some time.
This site might be helpful:
http://www.bythom.com/index.htm
He seems to have good credentials: http://www.bythom.com/thom.htm
procainestart wrote:This site might be helpful:
Thom's site is good and so is Photofocus. http://photofocus.com/
Another vote for the f1.8 35 mm prime. It stays permanently attached to one of my bodies at all times.
Tommy Suddard wrote:Another vote for the f1.8 35 mm prime. It stays permanently attached to one of my bodies at all times.
I had forgotten to mention when I was shooting at the sled dog races this year I had my zoom lens on one camera then another camera around my neck had the 35mm on it so when the racers hit the right spot I would grab that body and fire away with the 35. Those shots consistently had the best color and sharpest focus.
rebelgtp wrote:tb wrote:One lens you might consider is the Sigma 30mm 1.8. This lens is almost permanently mounted on one of my bodies.
30mm isn't terribly wide and some people dislike primes, but the price is right and the build quality is good.
This is an excellent lens for sure. I feel the same way about my 35mm AFS 1.8 but then I do like primes. This lens has been attached to my D1X for about 3 months now and it produces BEAUTIFUL shots. Before this lens I loved my 50 1.8 but now that hardly ever gets used.
Right now my wider range kit consists of the 18-55 VR and the 35 and 50 1.8 primes. Fairly inexpensive kit that produces great shots on my full range of Nikon DSLRs (D40, D70, D1X).
If you are dead set on one of the pro level lenses expect to pay out the nose for a good wide zoom and expect some of those to have distortion. You can normally buy a whole stack of primes in a wide variety of ranges for what you would pay for a good pro wide zoom. You will have more lenses to choose from however you will most often get better results than all but the best of the zooms.
Oh also if you order from KEH (I get quite a bit of gear from them) make sure you test it FULLY right when you get it in a variety of conditions and settings to insure there are no issues. They are good about returns though they can take some time.
Huh another person who uses a D1X still. It's the Volvo 240 wagon of cameras!
In reply to DaveEstey:
Only tougher 
Its a great camera that takes beautiful photos but batteries can be problematic. Though a few months ago Sears online had aftermarket batteries for the D1 series for $20 a pop. They are good batteries actually.
I would say either go for the 18-55 VR or the 16-85 VR. The 17-55 f/2.8 is also good, but a huge step up in price. The 17-35 f/2.8 is an FX lens, and is way overkill for a D50.
I just got rid of my D40 in favor of my new D700 
. I tell you what, though, the D40 has the same sensor as the D50 and D70, and I have no complaints about the image quality. Just didn't have enough buttons to suit me.
Sorry for the small hijack: So, any chance any of you who don't care for the 50mm 1.8 would want to get rid of it? I have been debating it for a while and think I'm ready to give it a shot...
/hijack
