Digital camera lens

[Jim]

Transisitioning from film to digital, slowly. Looking for a good wide angle - normal zoom for a D80. Candidates:

 

Nikon 17-55/2.8 fast, big, expensive

Nikon 17-35/2.8 AF film lens, expensive, hardy

Tokina ATX pro 16-50/2.8 good quality, moderate price

Tamron 17-50/2.8 same as above

Nikon 18-70/3.5 light, moderate price, moderate performance

 

Bother with having to get a 2.8 if it's all outdoor photography? Invest in the better quality for the long run? Any experience or advice. Thanks.

[Hugh Conway]

I sold the Nikon 18-70f3.5-f4.6 and bought the Tamron 17-50. Optically the Tamron is better (but neither are bad), and build quality is better and it just feels more "solid". The constant aperture is nice as well. If you'd like to borrow it send me a pm. I wouldn't spend the money for the 17-55f2.8DX unless one is making a living.

 

I'm tempted to sell the 17-50f2.8 and buy the Nikon 18-200 for skiing/travelling lens. Dragging along the 12-24, 18-70 and 80-200 was a pain.

[Jim]

Know what you mean. "That 17-55 is a chunk of cash, and I have to computer upgrade soon. Someone PMed and suggested the Nikon 18-35 as a decent lens for around $500, about a third of the 17-35/2.8 - similar to your Tamron. I've just found for climbing/skiing that that range is optimal and managable.

[Hugh Conway]

Long term a FF lens is probably a better investment

 

I've ended up preferring wider 12-24f4 or longer 80-200f2.8 for skiing over the 17-50 on a 1.5x crop camera (I have a D70). I do like the 17-50 range for walking around travel photography. Part of the reason I sold the 18-70 was I had lots of problems with dust getting sucked inside the lens travelling in the 3rd world.