The lens I used the most on my Crop sensor Nikon was the 24-120, any of the iterations, the VR was a game changer. The 16-80 and 16-85 are both great, the 35-70 is superb on full frame but just too limited, I use mine for weddings. If you have a clean one, set it aside. I’ve tried Tamron and Sigma, never had a problem, just couldn’t get into them.

Unquestionably an upgrade if only for the VR and the range. I’ve had and used both the 35-70 f2.8 and the 16-80, I can’t tell the difference visually, except where lower shutter speeds gave the nod to the VR lens.
I no longer have the 16-80 as I went to ff and the 24-120, I like it better but could live with the APS-C Nikon sensor and the 16-80 quite happily.

JPEG

Get a D700. Built like a brick they are indestructible. They had a used one here at Dodd for $250. 12 mpx is plenty, low light is great, superb autofocus so sports is great, wildlife and landscapes are great. Nothing goes wrong with them, reliability and dependability are without peer. I have and use two of them and have had one fall, with me 4’ onto icy highway, no damage.
It all depends on your available $$$, a used D700 will allow you to get into good glass cheap. Get a 24-120 VR for $100 and for less than $500 you can do anything. Get a 50 f1.8 or some older manual focus glass, the D700 plays very well a 35mm f2 ai-s.
For comparison I have a D850. It’s a wonder horse. But every picture taken with it could have just as well been taken with a D700.
Mpx above 6 and low noise above iso 800 are all that’s needed today, everything else is extra. And unless you regularly print above 11x17 you will be fine. BTW, my D850 did Not survive a fall from 3’ onto a Runway apron during a shoot, I believe based on previous experience that my D700 would have.

I love my 80-400 af-d. yes it is a bit slow to focus, but for what I paid, it’s a great lens. If money were no object I would be most tempted on the G version, the 200-500 is a long honker too long for me, but a great lens, however the range on the 80-400 is pretty ideal.
If you have the money then get the G version, but you’ll be happy with the D. Most of the guys who pop-poo lenses do so because of others, and not their own experience.

I disturbed the atmosphere…just now

I love my 80-400 AF-D lens, I keep it on a D300s for now, killer cheap combo.

This last week, same thing happened to me, my Oly ‘em-5 would focus but not clear in viewfinder, figured it out pretty quick but was momentarily alarmed

My long term go to Camera Store, so rare, so precious

I go to my den/office. I love to try different papers as the photo might suggest. It’s my ultimate goal, and my Canon Pixma Pro is wonderful at prints on 13x19 size paper, and it awes me to see the results that are possible with a push if a button.

I had one, loved it, the Oly 4/3’s lenses were great

Well I think this thread is about haptics largely, how cameras fit in our hands and pleasant operation in use. I’ve always loved the feel of the big Nikons my D2x with a 25-50 f3.5 isn’t used much but I just love to play with it.

I really like my Oly’s, but every time I reach for one it seems the battery goes kaput asap, never happens though with my Nikon DSLRs.

I have the first edition and I absolutely love it on my D300s where it is a 120-600. If money were no object then yes it would be nice to have the longer (awkward) and heavier 200-500, but I love my old slow AF-D super zoom and have taken tons of great pics with it. But with the D type focusing being lackadaisical at best she isn’t ideal for BIF, just ideal to me.

Excellent advice here