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Walkaround lens
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Jul 13, 2017 16:05:45   #
Grandpa Loc: Sacramento, CA
 
Looking for a decent walk around lens for my Nikon D7100. I would like your opinion on the following lens:
Nikon 18-300mm
Sigma 18-300mm DC Macro OS HSM
Tamron 16-300mm VC PZD

Thank you

Reply
Jul 13, 2017 16:10:59   #
rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona
 
I've a personal preference toward Nikon products.
--Bob
Grandpa wrote:
Looking for a decent walk around lens for my Nikon D7100. I would like your opinion on the following lens:
Nikon 18-300mm
Sigma 18-300mm DC Macro OS HSM
Tamron 16-300mm VC PZD

Thank you

Reply
Jul 13, 2017 16:13:02   #
Kissel vonKeister Loc: Georgia
 
Grandpa wrote:
Looking for a decent walk around lens for my Nikon D7100. I would like your opinion on the following lens:
Nikon 18-300mm
Sigma 18-300mm DC Macro OS HSM
Tamron 16-300mm VC PZD

Thank you

None of the above. Too much zoom range.

Reply
 
 
Jul 13, 2017 16:15:55   #
JR45 Loc: Montgomery County, TX
 
Grandpa wrote:
Looking for a decent walk around lens for my Nikon D7100. I would like your opinion on the following lens:
Nikon 18-300mm
Sigma 18-300mm DC Macro OS HSM
Tamron 16-300mm VC PZD

Thank you


I've been using the Nikon 18-300 as walk around on my D7200 and D500.
No experience with the others.

Reply
Jul 13, 2017 16:55:26   #
Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida
 
Kissel vonKeister wrote:
None of the above. Too much zoom range.


Absolutely correct.
It is a personal preference, but I walk around with a 35mm on a full frame body.

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Jul 13, 2017 17:11:58   #
CO
 
Kissel vonKeister wrote:
None of the above. Too much zoom range.


Agree. I stay away from superzoom lenses. The engineers have to compromise too much in the design to achieve the long zoom range. They usually have a lot of barrel distortion at wide angle settings and a lot of pincushion distortion at long focal lengths. Chromatic aberration can be an issue also. Take a look at the Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. It's sharp, has excellent build quality, and has one-half the distortion of Nikon's superzoom lenses.

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Jul 13, 2017 17:32:25   #
GPS Phil Loc: Dayton Ohio
 
Grandpa wrote:
Looking for a decent walk around lens for my Nikon D7100. I would like your opinion on the following lens:
Nikon 18-300mm
Sigma 18-300mm DC Macro OS HSM
Tamron 16-300mm VC PZD

Thank you


I was given some good advice when I asked that question years ago, a friend told me to go through my files and see what length I used for most of my shooting. Everyone is different, so no one can give you a satisfactory answer on what you need except you.
It turned out most of my shooting at the time was 18mm, the widest I had at the time. I purchased a Nikon 16-85mm which for me turned out to be a wise choice. On my full frame I use either a 20mm 1.8 or my 24-105mm, both wide. Probably 80% of my shooting is covered by these lenses. For many this would not work, but I always appreciated the guidance my friend gave me, it saved much time and money. Good luck!

Phil

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Jul 13, 2017 19:10:24   #
dandi Loc: near Seattle, WA
 
Kmgw9v wrote:
Absolutely correct.
It is a personal preference, but I walk around with a 35mm on a full frame body.


Reply
Jul 13, 2017 21:14:01   #
Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)
 
Grandpa wrote:
Looking for a decent walk around lens for my Nikon D7100. I would like your opinion on the following lens:
Nikon 18-300mm
Sigma 18-300mm DC Macro OS HSM
Tamron 16-300mm VC PZD

Thank you


These are all nothing special. I would suggest you consider the Nikkor 18-200.

Reply
Jul 13, 2017 22:20:37   #
rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA
 
Kissel vonKeister wrote:
None of the above. Too much zoom range.
So, how much zoom range are you willing to tolerate?

Reply
Jul 13, 2017 23:47:22   #
HOT Texas Loc: From the Heart of Texas
 
None of the above, to much zoom for me 24-70 would be about right, unless your walking around a pond or something.

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Jul 13, 2017 23:56:59   #
Kissel vonKeister Loc: Georgia
 
rehess wrote:
So, how much zoom range are you willing to tolerate?


I can tolerate any zoom range, the more the better. What I don't like is the shift in IQ and other vagaries of a long zoom range. Long zoom ranges imply design compromises.

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Jul 14, 2017 00:09:13   #
rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA
 
Kissel vonKeister wrote:
I can tolerate any zoom range, the more the better. What I don't like is the shift in IQ and other vagaries of a long zoom range. Long zoom ranges imply design compromises.

OK, I'll rephrase my question: in your experience, at what point {3x, 5x, 10x, etc} do those design compromises become bothersome, something to be avoided??

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Jul 14, 2017 00:20:55   #
Kissel vonKeister Loc: Georgia
 
rehess wrote:
OK, I'll rephrase my question: in your experience, at what point {3x, 5x, 10x, etc} do those design compromises become bothersome, something to be avoided??

I don't have that kind of experience because I've never had really long range zoom ratios. My experience is this: (And I dislike the constant references to what EYE have) My 80-400 Nikon mount Tokina zoom (5:1) is nice, except at the long end, where it really falls apart. My 70-300 (just over 4:1) Olympus lens is superb at all settings, but it's the old 4:3 formula with an MFT adaptor and is a bit better built (in Japan) than the current lens.
This may not prove my point, but I think it illustrates that there is a point where design compromises start to creep in. I have a Nikon mount Tokina 12-24 that's a real winner, likewise an 18-55 Fujinon 2.8-4 that's a great performer throughout its range. Many regard that as the best "kit" lens available.
Now if I could only decide which system to stick with

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Jul 14, 2017 00:27:40   #
rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
 
For D7100, Nikkor AF-S 16-80 1:2.8-4E ED VR. This is what is on my D7200 most often. It is fast, sharp and has excellent VR. Hands down, the best DX kit lens Nikon makes.

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