Next lens????

[stephen]

As the title says i am interested in picking up another lens to my mighty arsenal consisting of the kit lens .I like doing some landscapes but have not had a lot of practice with them but i have been also wanting some extra reach espesially at boxing tornaments and other sporting events (motor racing). I realise that i cannot have both as one is a wide lens and one is not, i am continually amazed at the clarity and sharpness that many on here achieve and would maybe like something a little faster to sharpen up some of my images(or maybe a better technique would help ).
Can some members please report on what they have bought and why and if they are happy with the new lens . Many thanks Stephen

[johndec]

At the wide end you basically have 3 x 12-24mm lenses by Nikkor, Stigma and Tokina to choose from. As of tomorrow I will be the owner of a Tokina and judging by reports here and elsewhere I should be happy.

At the long end, if you are talking about indoor dimly lit sports such as boxing a fast lens (f2.8 ) is a must. If you have a spare truckload of cash the 70-200VR is the obvious choice. Other more affordable options include the Nikkor 80-200 or the Sigma 70-200. I have a 10 year old 80-200 2.8 and it is truly a magnificent lens. $600-800 should get you a good second hand 80-200 and a glance at the lens lust thread will give you an indication of the price of a new one.

[stephen]

Thanks John so the only difference between the nikon 70-200vr and the nikon 80-200 is the VR??The 70-200vr is unavailable i believe so thats not an option unless birdy has a few hiden in his closet?
The Tokina is well priced do you have a link to any reports on it handy that i could read???

[johndec]

Stephen, the search function is your friend. You can find talk about the Tokina on this forum here or here or here . And that is only from the last couple of months. Also you can find useful reviews at nikonians.org and to a lesser extent at dpreview.com. Google will also bring up many matches from several websites - have a look around, there is plenty of info.

To answer your other question, optically the 80-200 is up there near (if not with) the 70-200VR, so yes in a nutshell you are coughing up a Gorilla for VR

[tasadam]

Another place for reading is kenrockwell - that's his lens page, and while you're there, this page is worth a look.

I've currently only got the 2 kit lenses (the 70-300G doesn't get used much) and a loan of an 80-200 f2.8. Not an ideal lens for me as I do a lot of bushwalking and it's heavy. But it is good.

I've been looking to decide which lenses I will need to buy in the future, once we get a D200 and the wife is given my D70.
Ultimately my arsenal will look like (budget permitting)
Nikon 50mm f1.4 (everyone raves about this - and it's affordable)
Nikon 80-400 VR (less glass and less weight than the Sigma)
Sigma 150 Macro f2.8 (tough call between this and the Nikon 105 macro)
New Nikon 18-200 VR (for the wife with the D70)
And eventually, a 12-24 lens - probably the Nikon.
And the kit lens - it's really not that bad.

But as I haven't used any of these (apart from the kit lens) I am only going by what research I have done. If I find I need a sharp fast lens, the 70-200 VR will be my option (Nikon or Sigma). But for where I stand now, the 80-200 f2.8 will do while I have the luxury of the loan.

So for me, back on the fence to watch what other users of these lenses have to say.

Johndec I am curious - what do you mean by Stigma ?
Is there a problem with them?

[birddog114]

tasadam,
Come to Sydney for a mini meet and you can play full range of lens on your list, and lust them with you back if you're sastified with them.

[tasadam]

tasadam,
Come to Sydney for a mini meet and you can play full range of lens on your list, and lust them with you back if you're sastified with them.

Birdy your generosity is overwhelming and humbling - more so than the wealth of my hip pocket - for a while anyway.
Saving and scheming ways of wealth for the D200 and a lens for the wife (on the D70) likely the 18-200VR.
Once we have them and are financial again, we may just do that!

In Tassie the most exciting lenses I have seen are a 2nd hand 50mm f1.4 for $430 (I told them what a joke that was and what I could buy a new one for, but they're looking for a sucker) and a new Sigma 50-500 which wasn't bad but a bit hard to tell from the back of the shop it was in.
Needless to say, I won't be buying in Tassie.

[Killakoala]

Stephen, the lens you buy is totally dictated by what it is you want to shoot with it. (Budget also has an input)

If you want to do landscapes, then a 12-24 would be ideal, in combination with your kit lens. The extra wide angle will certainly have you looking at scenes in a new way.

For sport stuff then you might be interested in the Nikkor 80-200 F2.8 or the Sigma 70-200 F2.8.

All these lenses will produce nice sharp images and you will be happy with them. But you will need to think about your intended subjects to decide which way you go.