Happy with Nikon 16-80mm Dx lens? Purchased this lens (refurbished at very good savings) for my D7200 but I am having a bit of remorse about having done so. I have not unpacked or...

YNY Loc: Youngstown NY (Western New York)

Purchased this lens (refurbished at very good savings) for my D7200 but I am having a bit of remorse about having done so. I have not unpacked or opened the box yet and I was thinking of returning it. We are going to Mystic Connecticut in a few weeks and was considering taking it with us. If you use this lens are you happy with it? Do you regret buying it? Helpful comments are appreciated.
Thank you, YNY.

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

Don't you hate it when you have buyer's remorse!! I don't know how helpful this is but the lens is not weather resistant which would be a big negative for me. If not for you then this is a great range. Good luck.

poprock48

Nice lens. Came with my D500. Eventually sold it because I was always changing lens for more reach.

StevenBrownPhoto Loc: Excelsior, MN

YNY wrote:

Purchased this lens (refurbished at very good savings) for my D7200 but I am having a bit of remorse about having done so. I have not unpacked or opened the box yet and I was thinking of returning it. We are going to Mystic Connecticut in a few weeks and was considering taking it with us. If you use this lens are you happy with it? Do you regret buying it? Helpful comments are appreciated.
Thank you, YNY.

I did own this lens when I was using Nikon (D500). It came bundled with the body. My copy performed very well, though some here and elsewhere were disappointed.
What lens would this one replace? Are you trying to reduce your travel kit size?
I switched to Fujifilm about a year ago for smaller and lighter equipment.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

I find the reviews at PCMag.com helpful and they give it a Good rating. https://www.pcmag.com/review/344697/nikon-af-s-dx-nikkor-16-80mm-f-2-8-4e-ed-vr?source=autosuggest If you were looking for a solid normal zoom lens, fast f/2.8 at the short end, and not bad f/4 at the long end, this lens fits the bill. Could be your go to lens.

Festus Loc: North Dakota

YNY wrote:

Purchased this lens (refurbished at very good savings) for my D7200 but I am having a bit of remorse about having done so. I have not unpacked or opened the box yet and I was thinking of returning it. We are going to Mystic Connecticut in a few weeks and was considering taking it with us. If you use this lens are you happy with it? Do you regret buying it? Helpful comments are appreciated.
Thank you, YNY.

I have the lens. Came with the D500. I have not removed it from the D500. It is a perfect match. Love the lens, it gets very good reviews.

jederick Loc: Northern Utah

The 16-80DX was one of my favorite lenses on my D7200 and used it extensively for landscape, cityscapes and general walk around lens. Doubt you could find a better alternative for the type of photography I just mentioned.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

jederick wrote:

The 16-80DX was one of my favorite lenses on my D7200 and used it extensively for landscape, cityscapes and general walk around lens. Doubt you could find a better alternative for the type of photography I just mentioned.

My go to lens is 24-70mm f/2.8, which was recommended by a friend of mine who is a professional photographer. Much faster at the long end and tack sharp.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Since you have the D7200 and not the D500 can we assume that you're landscape-oriented or are just looking for a good walk-about lens? If so the 16-80 is perfect. I have a 16-85 (also DX) which does almost all of what I want.

CO

I purchased a new Nikon 16-80mm f/2.8-4 lens and ended up returning it. Mine had a severe back focusing issue on all of my Nikon bodies and its autofocus was somewhat loud. A review I read online mentioned the back focusing issue their copy had. It's way overpriced. It seems like a $500 lens that sells for $1000.

I now have two of the Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 lenses. It seems to be have better build quality than the 16-80mm with just a slower max. aperture.

The weight and diameter of the lenses make me wonder what they did to make the 16-80mm lighter than the 16-85mm. The 16-80mm uses 72mm filters and is 85.5mm long. It weighs 480 grams. The 16-85mm uses 67mm filters and is 85mm long. It weighs 485 grams.

Glass is heavy. The 16-80mm should weigh significantly more than the 16-85mm. They must have cut corners somewhere in its construction.

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

I think this lens is perfect for the DX format. I use it more than any of my other dozen lenses, except for wildlife as it's not nearly long enough.

Revet Loc: Fairview Park, Ohio

I have this lens on a D500. I was worried about the reach also so I saved my Nikon 18-200. It's been two years and I have yet to put the 18-200 back on. The 16-80 is the perfect walk around lens for me.

david vt Loc: Vermont

I have this lens on my D7200. Both refurb from Cametta. My experience is more like CO’s than others. I find it slow to focus, VERY loud, and not particularly sharp.

As to the f2.8-f4, for my usage (near in sports), I find it slow (in light) and the f4, when shooting indoors gyms @ 80mm => f4 end, slows my SS enough and not enough separation. For this application, I replaced it winter with an old Sigma 50-150 f2.8, Gen 2, which, while heavy, I like better

That said, I do keep it on the camera for a general walk-about lens, but I will be looking for something better.

YMMV

CO - thanks for the tip on the back focusing potential issue for this lens. I had not considered this, and frankly, while I have ready Steve Perry’s book on this, am still too much of a newbie to DSLR to feel confident to check this. You comment may make me finally go ahead and take the plunge, as maybe the root cause of my softness issue is really a slight out of focus issue

theehmann

This is my favorite lens. It's light, fast and extremely sharp.

ELNikkor

don't have the remorse without even using it; put it on and try a few portraits and landscapes etc. I bet you love it!