Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

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Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby samh » Wed 23 Sep, 2009 9:14 am

HI,
After my old lens has been damaged I need to look for something new. I use a Nikon D50, so not a pro camera but it's good enough so far. I also have a D70 but there is not much difference between the two, so I mostly use the D50 as it is a bit lighter. I got a few lenses which are all not very pro either, some of them I got from my dad who has an analog Nikon, and my wife had also a couple of lenses. Here a quick rundown on what I got;
all lense have no VR

Nikkor DX 18-55mm Kit lens
- not a very good lens I almost never use it since I have a 18-125mm
Nikkor 50mm 1.8 - a good standard lens with a sharp image, however I rarely use it as it is very limited for bushwalking, so only for portraits and stuff like that
Sigma 55-200 3.5-5.6 came with the body in the beginning(yes I made the mistake of buying the camera as a kit :) ) this lens is sharper than my 70- 300mm but again I rarely use it
Sigma 70-300mm 4-5.6 - When I bought this lens I thought it was a bargain and it wasn't really expensive. However I quickly lost interest in it and now only use it when I go to watch car races or stuff like that. F4 is not very useful too.
Sigma 28-70mm - this is one of my dad's lenses, never really used it.
Sigma 18-125mm 3.5-5.6 - I really like this lens as it covers a good range from wideangle to tele, whitout pushing it to far. the image is good but could be a bit more crisp and sharp like the 50mm. The lens is surely not perfect or pro, but for bushwalking I find it ideal, though sometimes I wish a bit more wide angle. Normally this is the lens I take everywhere and now it's broken.

As I have repaired a few of my dad's lenses before, I have tried to repair this one too but it is hopeless as there are some electronic's ruined. The lens is still working, but the autofocus has it's problems and more importantly the apature does not go below 5.6 anymore and there is no way to adjust it manually. As I said I really liked the lens and would somehow not mind to buy the same one, but as I now have the chance I would not mind to find something better.
The price tag should not exceed 500 $ however I had a look at the 16-85mm Nikkor and would probably be willing to pay 800 if it is an outstanding lens. I'm also willing to buy second hand if the price and quality is good.
So, I look forward to what you got to say. If there is interst we could also try to create a database of lenses we use with some information about it. I think walkinTas is also looking for advise, he is using Olypus though.

thanks,

Sam
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Re: Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby tasadam » Wed 23 Sep, 2009 10:34 am

I note that you prefer the D50 over the D70 mainly because of weight.
There's the first problem - glass is heavy.
The bigger and better the lens, the heavier it becomes.
Assuming you don't want to spend a couple of thousand dollars on each lens, and you don't want each of your lenses to weigh more than your full water bottle, there are good alternatives.

You already have one great lens - the 50mm f1.8
Use it more, learn what it can do for you. I have the 50 f1.4
If you read good reviews of the lenses, you can get a feel for what they're best at, and keep that ion mind when using it.
A site to go to, to get a fair opinion on Nikon glass - http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html
A small, cheap and unobtrusive lens with an outstanding optical performance - can anyone wish for more? This petite Nikkor delivers the goods with a snap and clarity many lenses could - or better - should, envy. Wide open there is a trace of softness into the corners that disappears by stopping down to f/2.8. From f/4 to f/8 its performance hardly can be improved. I have obtained decent results even at f/22. The multi-coating layers on this lens gives it much better contrast and colour saturation than the E-series derivative.

According to my sources the AF and AF-D versions of the 50 mm f/1.8 are virtually identical to the MF lens, so can be safely recommended as well (if you stand the plasticky feeling of the newer versions, that is). However as more and more Nikon cameras become crippled when an older lens is mounted on them, we should at least be thankful that some of the best optical designs survive into the brave new world.

The earliest AIS version of the 50/1.8 delivers a truly stellar performance on the D2X. The field is admirably flat, too. There is nothing more to be said here. As perfect a lens as anyone could imagine. What a shining little star this lens proved itself to be.

The modern, plasticky and cheap-looking AF 50/1.8 ("Made in China") also gives excellent central image sharpness, but not so set wide open, you need to go to f/2.8. Field curvature is more prominent on this version and the corner performance a little less convincing than with the MF model, but when you factor its low price into the equation, you do get a lot more quality than you have bargained for.



When I bought my D70 lens it came with the Nikon 18-70 dx lens - this lens is very good.
This neat and well-designed lens is the "normal" lens for a starter kit together with the new D70, both of which are clearly targeted at the "keen amateur" end of the market. This description doesn't tell the whole story, however, because the end user will get an excellent optical performer at a bargain price.

The lens design comprises ED and aspherical elements and is surprisingly compact and light-weight. Some constructional short-cuts have obviously been employed to get the lens this small, so it cannot take equal beating to, say, a 17-35 Nikkor. On the other hand, the lens has a rear rubber gasket so it prevents intrusion of dirt better than some of the "pro" lens.

Images are crisply defined with a trace of softness into the corners at wide settings, all of which have disappeared by f/5.6 - f/8. Image fall-off into the corners is barely visible at 18 mm when the lens is set wide open. Contrast is high, colours are vividly saturated, and image sharpness simply is stunning compared to the dirt cheap price of this little gem. True, you do get noticeable barrel distortion at the wide end and some pincushion at the other, with a touch of wavy high-order distortion thrown in for a good measure. The really nit-picking users (those who don't ever take photographs, just do test shots) cetainly will enjoy the occasional slight trace of chromatic aberration within high-contrast areas, but the practical importance is negligible both for the nit-pickers and the rest of us. Also, the DX design this time really means "DX", thus the lens cannot be deployed on full-frame cameras to give an image free of vignetting at any focal settings. The image circle projected by the lens is by the way at a maximum around 50 mm.

Flare and ghosting resistance is well above average and much better again that you'd expect from such a low-priced item.

Looks like Nikon has come forward with a real winner this time. For the high-resolution cameras such as D2X, however, the weaknesses of the design are easier to detect, but not all applications to which this lens is put will show them.

Where to buy...

The next addition should perhaps be a macro lens - when you get started you won't want to stop.
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Re: Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby samh » Wed 23 Sep, 2009 11:22 am

The reason why I use the D50 is not only the weigh but also the fact that there is not a huge difference between the two same sensor, almost the same specs, nothing what would change the performance really, so why bother carrying more? I know that good lenses are heavy and I have no problem carrying them either :D > Maybe the other reason that I don't take the D70 is that I'm so used to the D50 that I don't want to change, for as good as no difference in the end result. The 18-70 look's like a good lens. I also had the 18-105 in mind which is very similar and also has lot's of good reviews, the price is similar too. I'm a bit tempted by the 16-85mm but somehow I don't know if it is that much of a difference in the end. I also thought about fixed lenses but that would get much more expensive. A friend is using a 17-50mm 2.8 Tamron on a Canon which he really likes but I have no real experience with that one.
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Re: Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby stoogest » Thu 24 Sep, 2009 10:38 pm

It really depends on what you like to shoot.

For me when bushwalking I tend to shoot 90% landscapes (18mm end of my 18-55mm lens), and 10% closeups at the 55mm end (not really true macro, but not bad). I've recently purchased a 55-200mm lens and will take it with me bushwalking because it's still fairly light, but I don't think I will use it all that often.

So if I was to upgrade, I would be going for something at the wider end like the Nikon 16-85mm lens and a (drool....) Tokina 11-16mm.

Each to their own though...
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Re: Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby tasadam » Fri 25 Sep, 2009 12:26 am

If you want wide, try this lens...
$1000, but still lightweight and entering the realm of serious glass.
We've had this lens for some time now and it's great. Equates to 18-36 due to the DX 1.5 thing, but being a DX it's no good on my new D700, still fine for the D200 and D70.

Our current glass -
Nikon 12-24 DX f4 - very very good for a DX body.
Nikon 17-35 f2.8 Great, but expensive and heavy.
Nikon 24-70 f2.8 (my usual lens) Fantastic, but expensive and heavy.
Nikon 105 macro (not the VR) Can be used as a fixed 105 lens, but it's much better as a dedicated macro lens.
Nikon 50mm f1.4 - looking forward to trying this out on the D700 at night. The first lens to drop from the kit if weight must be saved, as 50mm can be achieved with another lens.

Still have but don't use -
Nikon 18-70 - like it a lot but it's not perfect.
Nikon 18-200VR Great travel lens but the optics leave a bit to be desired. VR is cool if you don't have a tripod, useless if you do so turn it off.
Nikon 70-300G - pretty much a waste of money. Cheap, and for good reason. Surprised to see "Nikon" on this.

Wish list -
Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR II
Nikon 200-400 f4 VR (3.2 kilo's) The 200-400mm f/4 VR AF-S is as good as a lens gets. When you pay over $5,000 for a lens from Nikon, you get one heck of a lens in more ways than just optical quality.
Nikon 85mm f1.4
And a lotto win...
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Re: Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby samh » Fri 25 Sep, 2009 10:04 am

@tasadam Great arsenal of lenses to shoot with :mrgreen:
I think there is a mistake in the list, I think the 24-70 is 2.8 as well or not? The D 700 would certainly be my next camera if I would upgrade, but that's a few years down the track. At the moment I study so no real income, mt wife says if you want more camera gear you need to earn some money with the photos first :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Well, and that is hard buisness. Don't know if I can ask, but are you interested in selling your 18-70mm and how would you compare it's image quality with the 18-200 I guess the 18-70 should be far better, or am I wrong.
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Re: Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby tasadam » Fri 25 Sep, 2009 10:45 am

samh wrote:I think the 24-70 is 2.8 as well

Late night typing error, fixed, thanks.

Not interested in selling the lens at this stage, eventually will probably sell the D70 and kit it with that.
Tis a good all-round lens though. See if you can try one.
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Re: Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby samh » Sat 26 Sep, 2009 9:58 pm

I sort of consider buying the 18-70 now, I read a report though that the image quality is similar to the 18-55 lens, so I wonder if anyone can confirm that. Before I buy the lens I want to see if I can try it at a shop or so anyway, but it's always good to hear peoples experience. Another question is; Does anyone know about shops in Tassie offering second hand camera equipment?

thanks,
Sam
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Re: Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby tastrax » Sun 27 Sep, 2009 7:47 am

Walch Optics in Macquarie St Hobart have a range of secondhand lenses

(03) 6223 8855
Cheers - Phil

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Re: Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby stoogest » Sun 27 Sep, 2009 9:01 am

Pity they don't have a website. I'll have to have a look. SOunds interesting.
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Re: Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby tasadam » Sun 27 Sep, 2009 9:11 am

Just a point of note, I will never buy 2nd hand camera gear again.
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Re: Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby stoogest » Sun 27 Sep, 2009 9:20 am

What was the experience?
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Re: Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby tasadam » Sun 27 Sep, 2009 9:26 am

stoogest wrote:What was the experience?

PM sent.
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Re: Advise on Nikon lens for bushwalking

Postby tazz » Fri 14 May, 2010 10:13 am

A nice wide angle lense maybe, like the sigma 10-20, the NIKON 24-70 f 2.8 is on my wish list.
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