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