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Lens Upgrade

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Gman_Charlie

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I would really appreciate some suggestions on upgradings my lens.

Current equipment consists of the following Cameras:
Nikon D70 - Primary camera
Nikon D50 - Backup for traveling abroad
Nikon N80
Nikon FM2 w/50mm 1.8 Series E lens

The two film cameras haven't been used for 2 years and I will most like sell them.

Currents Lens are:

Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens

Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G IF-ED AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom
Nikon 18-55mm 3.5-5.6G ED-II AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor Lens

Nikon AF 50MM 1.8 D AUTOFOCUS LENS
Nikon 28-105mm f3.5-4.5D IF Zoom-Nikkor
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6D AF ZoomTelephoto Nikkor Lens
Nikon 28-80/3.3-5.6 G AF Nikkor Zoom Lens

Most of my photography is landscapes, scenics and 3-4 air shows per years.

I looking to sell some of the above equipment and buy one or two faster prime lens that will give me sharper images.

Your suggestions/recommendations greatly appreciated.
 
my question; is landscape usually shot at f8 or more? If so, then is a prime going to give you much better sharpness than the 18-70 or 28-105 at these f stops? and doesn't a zoom give you more flexibility when shooting lanscape? I might get the 12-24 tamron to go with the 28-105 which is supposed to be a very nice and sharp lens. just my opinion. I have the 85 f1.8 but think that my 18-70 match it above f7.
 
austin mcgowan said:
my question; is landscape usually shot at f8 or more? If so, then
is a prime going to give you much better sharpness than the 18-70
or 28-105 at these f stops? and doesn't a zoom give you more
flexibility when shooting lanscape? I might get the 12-24 tamron
to go with the 28-105 which is supposed to be a very nice and sharp
lens. just my opinion. I have the 85 f1.8 but think that my 18-70
match it above f7.
Click to expand...
oops meant tokina 12-24 not tamron. sorry.
also, how about 70-300vr for nice weather shots of the planes.
 
If it were me I'd sell the N80, keep the FM2 'cause its a cool old school metal 35mm. Sell the 18-200, 18-55, 70-300, 28-80. Buy a Tokina 12-24, 70-200VR and 1.4X extender. Landscapes and scenics don't rely heavily on speed so the zooms along with your 50 1.8 you have left will serve you well stopped down a little on your sturdy tripod (you have one?). The 12-24 will give you those broad vistas, and the 70-200 will do far better than your 70-300D for the air shows IMO.
It's easy to spend someone else's money!

Regards, Paul
--
Lili's Dad

http://www.pbase.com/lilis_papa
 
If you want a good prime, get a 35 f2.0. Otherwise, I would just use zooms. Shooting landscapes your going to be stopping down to f.8 or so, and I can assure you that you will see little, if any, difference in resolution. The flexibility of being able to crop with your lens far outweighs the minute increase in resolution you might get with a prime. However, a prime, since it does have a larger aperture, can be better when the light gets dim, and they will have less distortion too, which is good for buildings & such. I have both the 24f2.8 and 35f2.0. Both are good lenses. But I use my 18-70 far more.

Mike
 
You have a lot of overlap. I agree sell and increase your range.

I would Keep the 50MM 1.8 D as a low light and portrait lens.

Keep one of:
Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens
This is your moderate wide and walk around lens.

Sell:
Nikon 18-55mm 3.5-5.6G ED-II AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor Lens
Nikon 28-105mm f3.5-4.5D IF Zoom-Nikkor
Nikon 28-80/3.3-5.6 G AF Nikkor Zoom Lens

They offer noting much special except slightly better quality than the 18-200. You might want to keep the 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G over the 18-200 if you want slightly better IQ. I’d rather have the convince.

Upgrade the 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6D to 70-300 VR or 80-400 VR
Add one of the ultra wide zooms from Nikon, Tamron, Tokina, or Sigma.

Have primes passed there prime? Well I like zooms. It’s your call.

Morris

--



http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/~morris/POD
 
THANKS to everyyone for your suggestions.

One clarification. One of the suggestions was to get a 18-200, as you can see below I have the 18-200VR

Morris you made these comments:

Keep one of:
Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens
This is your moderate wide and walk around lens.

Sell:
Nikon 18-55mm 3.5-5.6G ED-II AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor Lens
Nikon 28-105mm f3.5-4.5D IF Zoom-Nikkor
Nikon 28-80/3.3-5.6 G AF Nikkor Zoom Lens

They offer noting much special except slightly better quality than the 18-200. You might want to keep the 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G over the 18-200 if you want slightly better IQ. I’d rather have the convince.

Are you saying that the 18-70G Kit len produces better a better quality photo than the 18-200VR?
 
landscapes & airshows...probably want a wide angle & a telephoto. I think what you do really depends on your budget & what you want to accomplish. For landscapes I'd definitely consider something like the tokina 12-24 (I covet this lens, sorry Father...) For the zoom, again, depends on the budget. For airshows, 300mm would be very helpful. 70-300VR, or a constant 2.8 zoom would do a nice job.

Personally, I don't think I would sell the 50 1.8. It's not worth it for the $75 you'll get for it.. Great lens that you will always find a use for...
 
Gman_Charlie said:
I would really appreciate some suggestions on upgradings my lens.

Current equipment consists of the following Cameras:
Nikon D70 - Primary camera
Nikon D50 - Backup for traveling abroad
Nikon N80
Nikon FM2 w/50mm 1.8 Series E lens
The two film cameras haven't been used for 2 years and I will most
like sell them.

Currents Lens are:

Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens

Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G IF-ED AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom
Nikon 18-55mm 3.5-5.6G ED-II AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor Lens

Nikon AF 50MM 1.8 D AUTOFOCUS LENS
Nikon 28-105mm f3.5-4.5D IF Zoom-Nikkor
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6D AF ZoomTelephoto Nikkor Lens
Nikon 28-80/3.3-5.6 G AF Nikkor Zoom Lens

Most of my photography is landscapes, scenics and 3-4 air shows per
years.

I looking to sell some of the above equipment and buy one or two
faster prime lens that will give me sharper images.

Your suggestions/recommendations greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
For landscapes, I'd think you'd want/need the flexibility of a zoom. Personally, I buy Sigma lenses, as their IQ equals or exceeds that of Nikkors, but at a fraction of the cost, so your dollar will go farther.

On the short end, I'd recommend the Sigma 10-20mm, and 24-70mm lenses.

Regarding the air shows, on the long end, again, I'd go with a Sigma, probably, the APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG MACRO HSM. I don't have it, and have never shot it, but if it's anything like the rest of their lineup, you can't go wrong, it will help you to stretch your dollar, and you can always add a TC, if you need more reach.

Personally, I have the Sigma 120-300mm, but it costs around $2,700.00. Best lens on earth under $3k, imo, but not in everyone's budget.

--james

PHOTOGRAPHS:
http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/free/gallery.asp?memberID=158378
 
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