racerrich3 Loc: Los Angeles, Ca.

Hopefully going to Italy in October and decided on my "walk around" ? Lens I'm going to buy at Summer's end since I need to save up for it. It's Nikons 18-300 f/3.5-6.3 $700. I would like to hear hogs thoughts on this lens those who have and have not used it. And how it compares to Nikons same lens f/3.5-5.6 version. I'm using my D3300. Thanks to all in advance.

racerrich3 Loc: Los Angeles, Ca.

Oh, I'm not professional enough to have the f/.7 difference make a difference for me but the budget is.

JR45 Loc: Montgomery County, TX

I use the 18-300 on a D500 and once in while on a D7200. I find that it works well as a walk around for the type of photos I take.
Not a pro, just take pics.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

It is a fine lens, particularly for $700. I will be traveling in France in March with one.

Joe Blow

As an alternative, you might consider the Sigma 18-300 for $400.
http://cameradecision.com/lenses/compare/Sigma-18-300-F3.5-6.3-DC-Macro-OS-HSM-Nikon-F-DX-vs-Nikon-AF-S-DX-Nikkor-18-300mm-F3.5-5.6G-ED-VR

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Another excellent alternative would be the Nikon 18-200 f3.5-5.6 VR. If I was making such a trip I would also take something like a 12-24 f4 Nikon or similar wide angle zoom lens.

Meemz

Its a great lens for traveling...

dyximan

I shoot a D 500 and have the 18 to 300-3.5 to 5.6 And That is a good price however I also for a brief time owned the 18 to 200 2.8 And found it to be much quicker and clear but also much more expensive. And traded it for the 18 to 300 because I prefer the reach and shoot primarily outside daylight and want to be able to catch a bird or two. But have to admit when I had the 18 to 200 it was Faster and did have better IQ just depends on your budget and what you will be shooting.

Drip Dry McFleye

Just something to consider: I have toured five countries in Europe. Mostly in the cities all the usual tourist stops along the way. I think you will find that long focal length lenses is not where the emphasis should be. A moderate length zoom will be all that is necessary and the wide end of your lens will get way more use than the long. I like my 24-120 a lot but something a little wider would be even better for indoor shots of cathedrals, museums, etc. Have a great trip!

3dees

I vote for the Tamron 16-300.

geezer7 Loc: Michigan

I agree with this. We toured five countries in Europe last fall and previously trekked in the Alps and found that the wider angle lens was all we needed. I recently bought the M43 Panasonic GM5 (no longer available) and used the 12-32mm lens. There were only a couple of occasions where a longer lens would have been useful. We like to travel very lightly with backpacks so we can carry on our luggage and be very flexible in the cities. We realize that not everyone wishes to be as minimalist but it worked for us.

SAVH Loc: La Jolla, CA

I have traveled to Europe several times as well as to Australia, New Zealand and Japan using primarily the 28-300 lens on my D-800 (which is, I believe, similar to the 18-200 DX lens) and I have found it a very useful and handy "walk around" lens. Yes, I have probably a dozen other lenses to pick from when I am home but travelling overseas, it is just to cumbersome to carry all my specialty lenses. If I have the flexibility, I will also carry a 16-35mm and maybe even the 24-70mm but I think you will be very happy initially with your choice. After you process and look at your photos, decide whether you might need additional lenses to meet your interests. One suggestion is that if you find that the f6.3 end of the telephoto is too dark, don't hesitate to crank up the ISO. I have used ISOs of 1600 and up to 6400 in places like the Cistern in Istanbul where it is really dark and had very pleasing results. Yes, you risk more noise but you get some dramatic results as well. Enjoy the experience.

HarryBinNC Loc: Blue Ridge Mtns, No.Carolina, USA

I recommend concentrating on the wide-angle end for a travel lens - we do a lot of traveling and walking city streets - my favorite cameras for that are Fuji APS-C cameras, which are the same size/format as your Nikon 3300. My favorite lenses for the Fujis are 10-24, 18-55 and 18-135mm zooms. When I was still shooting Nikons, my travel lenses were 12-24 along with the 18-200 mm for APS cameras and the same 12-24 along with a 24-120mm and 80-200 for "Full-frame" (D700/800). Today, if we were traveling light, I would take only the 18-135 for the "crop" camera and the 24-120 for the "Full-frame". The bottom line for me after 50+ plus years of shooting just about any and all subjects (with the exception of birds in flight), I can count maybe 5 or 6 instances of using lenses longer than 200mm - and 90% of all of the rest were taken with lenses shorter than 135mm.

Having said all that, if I were starting out fresh now,, I would get a Nikkor 16-85 or, if I was a birder, a Tamron 16-300 for my "everyday" lens. Believe it or not, that 2mm extra on the wide-end is really great to have. And, I would look hard at Sigma and Tamron when shopping for superzooms because they get significantly higher ratings at DXO Mark than the Nikkors, especially the 300's. I bought a 28-300 Nikkor along with my D800, and sent it back because it just didn't meet my standards, and I figure the 18-300's have to be even worse.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Don

racerrich3 Loc: Los Angeles, Ca.

Thank you, I'm taking my 11-20 Tokina also.