Sharpest Zoom for Nikon? (Page 4): I have the same and couldn't agree more

Jim S Loc: Barrington RI, DC now Hilton Head,

treadwl wrote:

I have a D800 and a D7100. My go to lens for landscapes is the 24-70. It simply is the best landscape lens I have ever used.

My holy trinity of lenses include the 24-70, the 70-200 and the 200-400. With those three I can capture anything with unmatched clarity and resolution. Period!!

Note: for my money (and I did spend it to back this up) the 24-70 makes the 18-200 look like it is shooting through sand.

I have the same and couldn't agree more - they are fabulous lenses

lone ranger Loc: Port Saint Lucie, Florida

I agree, with you, as I own the same lens as well.......

Jim S wrote:

I have the same and couldn't agree more - they are fabulous lenses

amehta Loc: Boston

Nikonhermit wrote:

I respectfully disagree. Here's why: imagine two photographers, one shooting with an "any lens" and the other with a thoroughbred. Come post-processing time, an expert works on both files. Which one do you think will give better prints?

Starting with the best possible input will give the best possible output.

:thumbup:

The most useful part of this example: change only one variable, by having the same expert do the post processing. :-)

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

cthahn wrote:

Use a prime lens instead of playing zoom all the time with cheap lenses.

It would not change anything. I probably use more primes than most.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

For a general zoom the 16-85 Nikon is much better than the 18-200. I have both. For wide wide, the Sigma 8-16 can't be beat. The Nikon 10-24 is also quite good but suffers from unsharp corners, but only the extreme corners and only at 10mm. Read the lens reviews at www.photozone.de.

pego99

Nikon 70-200 F4 is as sharp as the 2.8 and lighter, smaller and less expensive and totally self contained with all the movement internal.

Also the Nikon 24-70 2.8 is very sharp.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Ambrose wrote:

I would like to hear opinions on what you may consider the sharpest zoom available for Nikon. I've grown unsatisfied with my 18-150 and 18-200 due to generally soft results on my D7100.
I shoot mostly landscapes, so I would be looking at the wide end on the low side.
Thoughts?

I have not used all of the Nikon zooms so my view is narrow just like others.

Based on my experience with Nikon zooms, which includes:

35-70 f/2.8
70-300 f/4.5-5.6 VR G
24-70 f/2.8
70-200 f/2.8 VR

The winner is 70-200 (older version).

The images form all of them could be processed to where there is no apparent difference in IQ.

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

After researching wide and ultra-wide lenses, it appears if your preference is Nikon, and you like it for landscapes (also real estate), the hands down choice based on reviews is the Nikon 14-24.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

sirlensalot wrote:

After researching wide and ultra-wide lenses, it appears if your preference is Nikon, and you like it for landscapes (also real estate), the hands down choice based on reviews is the Nikon 14-24.

The 14-24 is absolutely awesome in DX mode--nothing can touch it in that range.

rdgreenwood Loc: Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Ambrose wrote:

I would like to hear opinions on what you may consider the sharpest zoom available for Nikon. I've grown unsatisfied with my 18-150 and 18-200 due to generally soft results on my D7100.
I shoot mostly landscapes, so I would be looking at the wide end on the low side.
Thoughts?

I'm a little surprised no one has mentioned Nikon's 16-35 f/4 lens. It's tack sharp and sits in a nice range. I tend to bounce between it and my Nikon 24-70 f/2.8, another ultra sharp lens.

kb6kgx Loc: Simi Valley, CA

tradio wrote:

14-24, 24-70, 70-200

Presumably you are referring to the Holy Trinity, so to speak. If I were to win the lottery (or get my credit card bills fully paid off), I would definitely consider this. OR, get a kick-ass collection of primes.

kb6kgx Loc: Simi Valley, CA

rdgreenwood wrote:

I'm a little surprised no one has mentioned Nikon's 16-35 f/4 lens. It's tack sharp and sits in a nice range. I tend to bounce between it and my Nikon 24-70 f/2.8, another ultra sharp lens.

I would think that, unless you are shooting birds, sports or air shows, there isnt much need for super zooms. Also, Ive been told that the greater the zoom ratio/range, the worse the sharpness is going to be, especially at the max end of the zoom range.

Moles Loc: South Carolina

The Nikon 14-24mm 2.8 is hard to beat for landscapes. The 70-200mm 2.8 is most photographers most important overall lens, a matter of opinion, but I have heard many pro's say so. You can probably fill in the gap with a 50mm.

Ambrose wrote:

Good point. These are Nikons. While there is a sweet spot, I guess I'd rather have a "sweet range" that is larger than what I'm getting. Thanks!

Bazbo Loc: Lisboa, Portugal

tradio wrote:

14-24, 24-70, 70-200

Agree. I have had excellent results with each of these lenses.

JFO Loc: Oregon

Ambrose wrote:

I would like to hear opinions on what you may consider the sharpest zoom available for Nikon. I've grown unsatisfied with my 18-150 and 18-200 due to generally soft results on my D7100.
I shoot mostly landscapes, so I would be looking at the wide end on the low side.
Thoughts?

Sounds to me like you need to fine tune your auto-focus. I don't know about the D7100 but the D800 has this fine-tuning feature so I would expect most other current Nikons to be so equipped. David Busch's D800 'bible' explains this simple process in detail and if your body is capable, the steps detailed in that book would be the same even though your body isn't a D800. (Or if you are simply having a GAS attack, disregard these suggestions.) John O.