Please tell me your fav Nikon Lens or off-brand Nikon mount lens

mycaptures

Can you please tell me your fav lens for Nikon..kinda new to Nikon. I do mostly portraits of kids and newborns but also love to do landscapes. Please also state why you like it. I've read about different lenses but would love to get some opinions from here! Thanks!

Qarik

here is my breakdown of newer nikon lens that I am familar with:

18-200mm VR, probably the best all around lens for traveling and fits the bill "if you are only going to buy one lens". It not the best in any in the zooms but is failry good across the board.

50mm 1.4 one the cheapest, sharpest versatile lens in the line up. A must have in many lineups. Good for portrait low light and general walk around lens. There is a new HSM version with improved bokeh and sharpness as well but $$.

85mm 1.4 considered by many to be the ulitimate portrait lens. Dubbed the "cream machine" for the lovley bokeh and is incredibly sharp and great for low light. Exspensive at $900.

"Pro-line" that covers from 14mm to 200mm at 2.8. $$$$

70-200mm 2.8, The primary choice for sports, wildlife, even weddings etc. Sharp, great focusing, etc. Everyone seems to LOVE this lens.

24-70mm 2.8, the sharpest zoom lens ever made by nikon.

14-24mm 2.8, best wide angle lens for nikon. hands down.

cabinetbuff

Qarik wrote:

70-200mm 2.8, The primary choice for sports, wildlife, even weddings etc. Sharp, great focusing, etc. Everyone seems to LOVE this lens.

Not those with FX cameras (D3/ D700) more about it here:

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/nikon_70-200_2p8_vr_n15/

And here's a great review on the Nikon Lenses
http://www.naturalart.ca/artist/cameragear.html

My personal favorite is Nikon 35mm f/2.0 D-AF LENS - NI352DAF. It's small, contrasty, colorful, inexpensive and has a great focusing distance. I also really like the 14-24mm -- it's simply an amazing WA lens, but a bit too heavy on a D3, especially, hiking in the mountains where every gram counts.

Cygnus Studios

My complete lineup. Covers the spectrum of studio and macro work. I have a few that overlap and a couple for backups. My basic walk around kit is highlighted. Throw in some macro tubes, a 2X teleconverter, a couple of flashes, a sherpa to haul it all around, and this is my kit.

Nikon

Nikkor 14-24MM
Nikkor 17-35mm
Nikkor 24mm PC-E
Nikkor 24-70mm
Nikkor 50mm
Nikkor 60mm Micro
Nikkor 70-200mm
Nikkor 85mm
Nikkor 85mm Micro
Nikkor 200-400mm
Nikkor 300mm

Off brand:

Tamron 17-35mm
Tamron 17-50mm

Tamron 28-80mm

Sigma 28-90mm Macro
Sigma 70-300mm Macro
Sigma BIGMA 50-500MM

jonh68

Not those with FX cameras (D3/ D700) more about it here:

That specific review been pretty much shot down as irrelevant problems with the 70-200 on full frame.

If corner sharpness is a problem when shooting brick walls, it may be relevant, as with shooting at the said brick wall against a clear blue sky in regards to vignetting. For 99% of the shots that pros get paid to take, it's not a problem.

AspectArts

Right now? At this moment, and probably for a long time to come (lol), my favorite is the Nikkor 24-70 2.8. I'm using it on a D80 and it is fabulous... super fast focus, quiet, awesome quality, tack sharp, great for indoors, wider angle, portraits, families, fast sports action, beautiful DOF... what's not to love? I hope to be testing it on a dance recital in our local theatre in February... can hardly wait!

cabinetbuff

jonh68 wrote:

That specific review been pretty much shot down as irrelevant problems with the 70-200 on full frame.

If corner sharpness is a problem when shooting brick walls, it may be relevant, as with shooting at the said brick wall against a clear blue sky in regards to vignetting. For 99% of the shots that pros get paid to take, it's not a problem.

Good to know, I am not a "pro" though, so it matters to me, since I am not making any money off of it, it has to be perfect to justify it's cost. But I know what you mean ...

DsrtVW

I use these on D300 and D50
18-200mm VR walk around lens for general purpose when I do not want to haul gear around

17-55mm f2.8 DX for wide angle low light events and portraits, landscapes

50mm f1.8 nikkor Made in Japan (older lens new ones made in china) affordable & fast & sharp. Indoor low light no flash and artsy stuff. Portraits too

75-300mm AF nikkor f4.5-5.6 outdoor events when I want something light and flexible.

300mm AF ED f4 super sharp, good hand holdable lens for birds in flight
this is the older all metal version built like a tank.Though the AF is slower than the AF-S version I love it.
Canvasback 300mm on the D50



200mm VR f2 AF-S ED Incredibly sharp with fantastic bokeh. Great for low light action I use it with a TC 1.7IIE converter which makes it a 340 f3.3 495mm with the crop factor. Big lens.
Sundown 200mm 1/1250 shutter f2 ISO 100


200mm 1/60 f2 ISO 800

cabinetbuff

DsrtVW wrote:

200mm VR f2 AF-S ED Incredibly sharp with fantastic bokeh. Great for low light action I use it with a TC 1.7IIE converter which makes it a 340 f3.3 495mm with the crop factor. Big lens.
Sundown 200mm 1/1250 shutter f2 ISO 100

Incredible shot -- depth, contrast, color -- it's 3D!

mycaptures

Wow! Thanks for all the great responses..so many to choose from. I think I have a better idea though. Thank you SO much!!

Malindi

Does anyone know if there is a good chart showing all the Nikon lenses in a decent grid order? Haven't come across one.

Thanks.

ziggy53

Malindi wrote:

Does anyone know if there is a good chart showing all the Nikon lenses in a decent grid order? Haven't come across one.

Thanks.

Nikon has 2 pdf brochures you might be interested in:

NIKKOR Lenses:
http://chsvimg.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/lens/pdf/nikkor_lenses_36p.pdf

Lens Guide:
http://chsvimg.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/lens/pdf/Lens_guide_Ver5.pdf

Printed, those would make a nice wall chart.

Malindi

ziggy53 wrote:

Nikon has 2 pdf brochures you might be interested in:

NIKKOR Lenses:
http://chsvimg.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/lens/pdf/nikkor_lenses_36p.pdf

Lens Guide:
http://chsvimg.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/lens/pdf/Lens_guide_Ver5.pdf

Printed, those would make a nice wall chart.

Thanks, I did see those as well as some others with loads of detail. I just find the Nikon stuff hard to digest from a "hard information" aspect. I like to look past the fluff.

I found this page last night:
http://photo.net/equipment/manufacturer/nikon-cameras#nikon_3

It seems to be pretty complete and well laid out.

HarveyMushman

The newest, of course. Which in my case means the 35mm f/2D.

Joves

Well for off brand I was quite surprised by the Tamron 28-300, it turned out to be a great walking around lens. It is also my only off brand lens. But I do plan on getting the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 after seeing some pics from it and, hearing how the users liked it alot. I love my 80-400 VR for wild life. Also here is another site to find info on mostly Nikkor lenses but with a couple of off brands.
http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_surv.html Just look up any lens type you are thing of and he has short sweet reviews. He also covers quite a few older lenses and, how compatable they are with the new cameras.

cpallen

Malindi wrote:

Does anyone know if there is a good chart showing all the Nikon lenses in a decent grid order? Haven't come across one.

Thanks.

How about this?

http://www.bythom.com/nikonlens.htm

Malindi

cpallen wrote:

How about this?

http://www.bythom.com/nikonlens.htm

Sweet!

Thanks a bunch, this is very helpful.

Kyle D

I only have 3 lenses so far to go on my D50:

- Nikon 50mm f/1.8
- Sigma 70-300mm APO
- Nikon 18-55mm II

My absolute favorite is the 50mm, it is so light and sharp. Works great in low light situations and for both human and animal portraits. It's also currently my goto lens for when I'm shooting inside a darker horse arena at a barn. This has to be the best $100 CAD I've spent, I managed to pick it up used and haven't looked back. It's usually the lens that's on my D50.

Next up is my Sigma 70-300 APO. I use/love this lens as long as there is good light. I use it alot outdoors at horse shows and such and get numerous amounts of keepers. Sure it doesn't have the quality of the pro-grade Nikon glass but for someone on a budget it does wonderfully. You can generally pick them up for about $150 CAD used. The macro function works pretty nicely too, although not a true 1:1 macro but it's good enough for me right now.

Lastly, is my 18-55mm II kit lens that came with my D50. This has to be my least used lens because I find the other two far more versatile. The only time I use this lens is if I need the wider end. Other than that it's my 50mm all the way. Back in November I shot a wedding with the 18-55 II and the clients loved it. The entire wedding and dinner took place in a private residence. I would have preferred to use the 50mm but I needed the wider angle flexibility that the 18-55 offered. Thankfully my SB-600 and Gary Fong cloud lightsphere came to the rescue!

Also, just so you know I am a university student on a budget.

TRWhite

I am considering geting the Sigma BIGMA 50-500MM w/HSM for my D60.

How do you like this lens? Is it a good buy?

Tim

ziggy53

TRWhite wrote:

I am considering geting the Sigma BIGMA 50-500MM w/HSM for my D60.

How do you like this lens? Is it a good buy?

Tim

The Sigma "Bigma" is a very good value. Like any extremely long lens it takes special handling to get the most from it at the long end. It also deserves some extra attention in post-processing.

That said I have the non-DG version and like it pretty well. Like most long lenses it likes scenes with more contrast in order to be interesting. I don't expect too much from overcast days and flat lighting.

Used properly, and assuming you get a good copy, it rewards you with an astonishing range of focal lengths and very high quality.

I am most anxious to use the Bigma on a full frame body. While users note significant vignetting at the long end it appears to be correctable in software.

Cygnus Studios

I have the DG version and absolutely love it. Sure it is big and heavy, and a tad slow in less than good light, but no lens is perfect. It offers a nice range and is nice and sharp.
I do see vignetting, but it isn't bad at all. Here is an example at the full 500mm Here is the exif
In my opinion it is worth every cent.

TRWhite

Cygnus Studios wrote:

I have the DG version and absolutely love it. Sure it is big and heavy, and a tad slow in less than good light, but no lens is perfect. It offers a nice range and is nice and sharp.
I do see vignetting, but it isn't bad at all. Here is an example at the full 500mm Here is the exif
In my opinion it is worth every cent.

Thank You for the replies. It looks like I will be adding this lens to my setup.
:photo

manbou

Cygnus Studios wrote:

I do see vignetting, but it isn't bad at all. Here is an example at the full 500mm Here is the exif
In my opinion it is worth every cent.

Looks like if you crop to 8x10, you would lose the vignetting entirely.