Originally Posted by
Gaucho100K
OK.... so after not buying any Camera stuff for over 4 years, I bought my Nikon D300 a couple of months ago... and Im now in the market for one nice new lens. I do have quite a bit of glass in my camera bag but the newest pieces are already 4-5 years old, so Im not being able to use all the functionality of my camera body.... hence its time to upgrade !!!
I would ask the resident Nikon experts to point me in the right direction..... here are my guidelines for what Im looking for:
a) zoom lens with a solid fixed max aperture
b) I dont mind a heavy/bulky lense - I want top quality glass & specs
c) Im quite flexible with my budget
d) VR is highly desireable
e) Im looking for a zoom that includes proper wide angle coverage (a low teen zoom range would be good)
So... what say the experts...??? What are the top 2-3 options for something like this...?
Thanks,
Gaucho100K
Hi there, new to this forum, but not that new to Nikon. I think its already been said but regardless of what any one lens will give you in features there will always be compromises.
If i had to pick one lens to pair with the d300, it would definitely be the nikon 17-55 af-s dx 2.8. However that combo would be pretty hefty, and you havent even gotten to a speedlight yet!
For the longest time what I did was just use the 18-55 vr for a majority of my everyday stuff, and then the new 35 1.8 af-s if i really needed to get some lowlight shots. in between, Id use my sb600 for bounce flash indoors.
Id say the 18-55 range took care of most of my focal length needs. and i just walk closer or further as needed
Besides the 16-85, I would like to suggest the older 18-70 af-s. it doesnt have vr but it does have a higher max aperture. (4.5 vs 5.6 iirc)
id say if you could swing it, get a midrange zoom like the 16-85 and supplement it with a nice prime like the 35 1.8 or even the new 50 1.4.