Landscape Glass

EmancipatorEmancipator Registered Users Posts: 50 Big grins
edited February 10, 2010 in Cameras
I have a Nikon D90 and am looking for the entire spectrum of lens' for landscapes. I am going to the grand canyon. I have no specific price range. Maybe just juxtapose between affordability, travel ability, performance, and versatility? Thanks a bunch as always! :clap

Comments

  • LKN DaveLKN Dave Registered Users Posts: 61 Big grins
    edited February 3, 2010
    Sigma makes a nice 10-20mm lens that will work great for the Grand Canyon. I took the Canon 10-22mm and it was great for the wide open vistas.
  • QarikQarik Registered Users Posts: 4,959 Major grins
    edited February 3, 2010
    I have a Nikon D90 and am looking for the entire spectrum of lens' for landscapes. I am going to the grand canyon. I have no specific price range. Maybe just juxtapose between affordability, travel ability, performance, and versatility? Thanks a bunch as always! clap.gif

    the best ever: nikkor 14-24mm $1600
    the best value wrt to optical quality: tokina 11-16mm $500
    D700, D600
    14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
    85 and 50 1.4
    45 PC and sb910 x2
    http://www.danielkimphotography.com
  • cbbrcbbr Registered Users Posts: 755 Major grins
    edited February 3, 2010
    Second the Tokina 11-16. I love mine.
    Chad - www.brberrys.com
    If I post it, please tell me how to make it better. My fragile ego can take it.
  • DsrtVWDsrtVW Registered Users Posts: 1,991 Major grins
    edited February 3, 2010
    If I had to pick 1 lens to take, it would be my Nikon 18-200mm VR. Would not be my first choice but it would be the most versatile. I would want a wide angle and a good telephoto 70-200mm at minimum. Just in case you see some wildlife. A good 70-300mm would cover it good too.
    I want a 12-24mm but will probably get the Tokina 11-16mm. I do like Tokina Lens quality
    Chris K. NANPA Member
    http://kadvantage.smugmug.com/
  • DEE5THOUDEE5THOU Registered Users Posts: 28 Big grins
    edited February 4, 2010
    I have a Tokina 12-24mm on my D5000 and rate it as a very good lens. Tokina's are very well made and with my new Polarizer filter for it I look foward to some great landscape photos.mwink.gif
    My bits n bobs..
    Nikon D5000 :ivar
    Nikon 35mm f1.8G :thumb
    Nikon 50mm f1.4G :bow
    Nikon 18-200mm :thumb
    Nikon 70-300mm VR :thumb
    Sigma 150mm Macro :lust
    Tokina 12-24mm :thumb
  • Allan FGAllan FG Registered Users Posts: 492 Major grins
    edited February 4, 2010
    I agree with DsrtVW the Nikon 18-200 is the way to go. I don't know why people talk down this lens, I've owned one for 3 years and I love it. Make sure you take a polarizing filter it will make your colors pop.
  • Scott_QuierScott_Quier Registered Users Posts: 6,524 Major grins
    edited February 4, 2010
    If you have the time to "properly" frame your image, you might also have the time to use a good (excellent) quality 30mm to 50mm. Shoot in portrait orientation, shoot three or four frames on a good pano rail and then stitch them together in CS. Done right, you get good (excellent) sharp corners, little if any perspective distortion, and lots of image data. Really Right Stuff has a very, very good pano rail for about $140.

    Of course, this presumes that you will be using a tripod. deal.gif
  • EmancipatorEmancipator Registered Users Posts: 50 Big grins
    edited February 4, 2010
    Regarding the polarizer:

    Will this fit the Tokina 12-24mm Lens?

    Nikon 77mm Circular Polarizer II Filter
  • Matthew SavilleMatthew Saville Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,352 Major grins
    edited February 4, 2010
    Regarding the polarizer:

    Will this fit the Tokina 12-24mm Lens?

    Nikon 77mm Circular Polarizer II Filter
    Personally I recommend the Sigma EX 77mm polarizer, it's super thin but keeps it's front threads for when you need to add a GND. ;-)


    In my honest opinion, I think the BEST kit you could want for landscapes, if you were ONLY shooting landscapes, nature / wildlife and not much else, would be this:

    Sigma 10-20:
    Yes, the Nikon 14-24 and Tokina 11-16 are amazing, but they are f/2.8, and less practical for a crop sensor. No sense in lugging around all that weight, or buying a lens that doesn't have the perfect zoom range, just because it's 1 pixel sharper in the extreme corners. The Sigma 10-20, (both versions) has been proven to be incredibly sharp, especially stopped down where you'll be taking most of your landscapes anyway... (EDIT: I just checked the SLRGear.com reviews of the 10-20's, and I think it seems like the f/4-5.6 version of the lens is a LITTLE better suited for landscapes. (stopped down.) At f/8 it performs noticeably sharper across the chart. Go for that lens! (It's probably cheaper too!)

    The Sigma 50-150:
    If you have no room for any other lenses, I'd get this one. Yes, it's f/2.8 and goes against my rule of never lugging an f/2.8 zoom into the wilderness if you can avoid it, but this lens is surprisingly small, light, and sharp. I'd consider it an asset because any time you need to shoot wildlife at sunrise or sunset, f/2.8 WILL come in handy. And the rest of the time, just enjoy a lens that is once again insanely sharp especially stopped down. (Although at 50mm, the Sigma 50-150 is so sharp at 2.8, it looks like f/8!)

    In between: The Nikon 16-85:
    If you are ever on an adventure that only allows ONE lens, for whatever reason, this is the ONLY lens to bring IMO. Unless you know for a fact that you'll only ever be shooting super ultra-wide, (like if you're going caving) then maybe that ONE lens would be the Sigma 10-20, but for 90% of general adventures that only allow 1 lens, the 16-85 is the sharpest, lightest, most versatile range lens on the market.

    In between: Either way, if you get the 10-20 + 50-150 OR the 16-85, you'll be missing something towards the middle. Even a landscape shooter may want something fast and "normal" for when you're sitting around the campfire with friends. (Or for star pics at night, etc.) For DX, I'd recommend the 35 1.8 because it fits well between the 10-20 and 50-150.


    Now, remember that this advice is for people who do NOT plan on upgrading to FX in the next couple years. If you're eventually aiming for FX landscape photography, well then you'll probably want to consider different lenses. Lenses that unfortunately don't exist yet. I think the ultimate FX landscape kit would include the un-released rumored 16-35 f/4 VR, a 70-200 f/4 VR that doesn't exist at all, OR a replacement to the 80-400 VR, if you're really into telephoto stuff. If you're NOT so much into telephoto, but would still like to cover that range, the Sigma 150 2.8 Macro is an amazing lens for both up-close macro AND more distanced work....

    I'm just not a big fan of the 14-24 or 24-70 for landscape work, because their size and weight is just REALLY more practical for photojournalism and portrait etc. work. Hardcore landscape photographers value a lens that is sharp at f/8, small and light, and accepts front filters...

    =Matt=
    My first thought is always of light.” – Galen Rowell
    My SmugMug PortfolioMy Astro-Landscape Photo BlogDgrin Weddings Forum
  • InsuredDisasterInsuredDisaster Registered Users Posts: 1,132 Major grins
    edited February 8, 2010
    I also really like the Sigma 10-20 (I've got the older version). I use it a lot for buildings, landscapes and everything else. I find its a bit slow for nighttime and moving people but lanscapes don't move much. I really like wide angle lenses.

    Its also got my stamp of approval for how well built it is. I crashed a scooter with the lens attached to my camera. The UV filter was broken and bent so much it required tools to remove. The lens only goes to 11mm now but other than that, it still works very well.
  • CoryUTCoryUT Registered Users Posts: 367 Major grins
    edited February 10, 2010
    Throw in another vote for the Sigma 10-20mm. I recently did a lot of research on this subject myself and ended up going for the older Sigma. It's been a fantastic lens. The Tokina is great as well, but the zoom range is much more limited.

    I've had the Sigma on my camera since I got it a month and a half ago, with the exception of an hour or so when I had the telephoto on.
    Daily Shot
    My Photographic Adventures

    Nikon D7000 | 10-20 | 50 | 55-200
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