zenagain Loc: Pueblo CO

I am wanting to purchase a wide angle zoom for my D810. The widest i currently have is a 28-70 2.8 (Tokina Atx pro)
I have no pressing needs for one just want one. Would be used for mountainous landscapes.
If possible wanting to keep the price below or around $800.00. (So used is a probability)
I have looked into the following lenses.
Nikkor 16-35 4.0, 18-35 3.5-4.5
Tamron 17-35 2.8, 15-30 2.8 g2
Sigma 14-24 2.8
Tokina 16-28 2.8, 17-35 4.0
Anyone with these lenses have comments on them?
Or any other suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
Stay safe.

AmyJ Loc: Maryland

Nikon 14-24 2.8 is a perfect pairing with the 810 or 850.

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

I have to agree, it's a little over budget but, it truly is the perfect lens.

zenagain Loc: Pueblo CO

Thanks, yes i forgot to include that in my list.

steve Loc: Iowa

I have Tokina 16-28. & 17-35. Wonderful. Great Image quality.

Flash Falasca Loc: Beverly Hills, Florida

Tamron 15-30, some rate it better than the Nikon 14-24. I love mine on my D800 plus it has image stabilization !!

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I bought a used Nikkor 16-35, but found it very disappointing...very weak in the corners with quite of the coma and chromatic aberration typical to lower cost wide lenses. Still have it, but only use it on my DX bodies where the corners don't matter. Got the 14-24 which I use quite a bit for night sky, architectural, and other subjects, but not landscapes.

Lots of extreme wide angle lenses bought for landscapes seem to end up resold or just on the shelf. They push the grandeur of the mountains or whatever too far into the background. I suggest that you borrow or rent one before buying. If you decide to go ahead, there are tons of the Nikkor 14-24 f2.8 zooms for sale by individuals at very attractive prices.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

If you haven't shot with a very wide or ultra-wide lens maybe you'd want to rent one. I have the Nikkor 14-24 - which is a good lens. I shoot a lot of landscape, but find that at 14mm, the stuff in the distance may as well be on another planet, and if you use it to create a forced perspective, something that some seem to overdo, it gets old pretty quickly. I sometimes find myself in close quarters, sometimes when I am shooting a waterfall, or doing some interior photography - and in those circumstances there is no lens I'd rather be using.

Before plunking down a fortune on something you may end up using occasionally, I suggest you explore the possibilities with your existing gear and some editing - shooting stitched panoramas. You'll get a much more natural perspective, and you can make the camera take in as much as you want. And you'll end up with a lot more pixels for greater detail.

The following panos show what can be done with longer lenses. These were taken with either a D800 or a D810.

This was done with a 100mm lens:

_DSC9742-Pano by Gene Lugo, on Flickr

This was done with a 150mm lens:

_DSC7784-NIKON D810-3007990-(09-04-18)-Pano-Edit by Gene Lugo, on Flickr

These two were done with a 45mm

_DSC5457-Pano-Edit-Edit by Gene Lugo, on Flickr

_DSC1248.jpg by Gene Lugo, on Flickr

And this last one was taken with an 85mm

_DSC1933-NIKON D800-3064517-(25-10-17)-Pano by Gene Lugo, on Flickr

You don't really need a very wide angle lens for landscapes at all, especially for mountains in the distance.

For landscapes, my most used lens is my 45mm followed by my 85mm. My least used lens is my 14-24. And I've had two copies. It is wide, prone to flare in certain situations, has significant coma and color aberrations, and is only a little better than average at 24mm. Oh, and it's expensive, bulky and heavy. The Sigma 14-24 is a less expensive alternative, but optically it is not as good as the Nikon.

The good thing is if you look around and are patient, you can score a clean used Nikkor for under $1000, which is less than a new Sigma and closer to your budget limit.

Another issue with many ultrawides is the ability to use filters. You don't really want to use a polarizer on a 14mm lens, and if you look at the Sigma and Nikkor, the integrated lens hood requires a 150mm filter holder. Popular brands include Nisi, Haida, Cokin, Lee, Kase, and my favorite, Wine Country Camera - but be prepared to shell out what you paid for the camera for a basic set of filters and the holder.

Shooting raw and HDR are usually good enough to get you by on the need for graduated neutral density filters, but there is no post processing solution that will help remove reflections, or let you shoot at slower shutter speeds or wider apertures beyond what is possible with ISO and aperture settings on the camera.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Sigma 24 f1.4 .......I assume you will want to easily use filters . For what you seem to want, I would not go wider than 24. Sorry I did not see your "zoom" stipulation ...
.

zenagain Loc: Pueblo CO

Thank you,
good information. I will follow your advise and borrow or rent before buying.

CO

If you don't need VR, take a look at the Nikon 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5 G. It's very sharp and at $745 is within your budget.

zenagain Loc: Pueblo CO

First of all, stunning pics Gene.
Very enjoyable to view.
And thank you for taking the time to point out some important things to consider.
Your and others info has changed my direction, going to further explore what i have first.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

As many have mentioned, the 14-24 is an excellent lens for FX.
I have one and don't use it much.

It all depends on what you are shooting and where.

If you are at home needing ultrawide, the 14-24 is great.
If you are carrying a bag full of stuff to the venue, the 14-24 is bulky and takes up a lot of space. If you are doing a lot of ultrawide there, it's worth including it, but if you only need it for a few shots then it really depends on what you are shooting.

If you are shooting action, you need it.
If you are shooting landscapes, consider stitching. Landscapes are static, so you don't have to consider motion of the subject unless there's a lot of wind and the tree limbs are moving about. Then it's an action shot.

Stitching has the advantage of providing you with larger resolution in the end result.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

$627 ....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sigma-24mm-F-1-4-DG-HSM-A-Art-Lens-for-Nikon-W-Caps-Hood-Case-77-EP/293469382133?epid=1137622477&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item44542365f5:g:AtkAAOSwfZxeQViT&enc=AQAEAAACUBPxNw%2BVj6nta7CKEs3N0qWlPXvTtOrlzedoRZ7zeAbRrZPutk4U2FkyMiqjqKHyooAJ0PIo7sTFCoPkJfQQOENfUWG%2FGxovw9W53IblXQvIQ4RP7xvU5ORKs4YABwN%2BSxIf%2F9lwwQimtCmycovBYDK8tNaykhw0ACdxAVx%2BOU%2Fin21LHb%2FkfVoS2m5i%2FJbEVrJXSwgJWs2TTJLK35GbTcWNe6cIrWWdrXjh42FK%2FPCLQWZ2JZNnVCLsLmoSb6qQ5bCfPOl1Vf58Yyvis%2FJGfkaTxx%2F8lzdVdDDVYq3gvackZ8PGcMo6q2ikoxay%2BNK9YKvNQTUTTtrm0bSVMLhCjfAi6y8dK06P%2B7Og8i%2B4HlzG7jPcmj6WSadzeCyg6tdMt6BQYPVKmJYT6mo8%2BvBPLv7JgJsd3%2F9ZpvVxf5orrvd0a2nQ2NG03rOWAVjIMm97bZnu1hwLWVvOXQNZsKzNRA4WN66fKwrIXXUeh%2FkainPYlqHasba6%2Fp3pynTJyE4EowYW4W%2FfvBTRqdDVqln8iT1mMVC7452VSn4trp1Y4B9046D3E%2BSMsthgYyKhNAQoB%2B3Ho1e4CFZDwXFLAHgFcEPC5SExpwpeTIRPLKqlXlUGp47Mjk7ird1mYPmVTLjm4m8Z0%2FfEb3vmFTKBc%2BzI0dS9tvA%2F8NjFWwwDDpylrFxqEw2sdZmwiNVlHDOSFiGsZNVVJVJIV%2FFj9iWlKxGoa6VzG5g3BNVJeJIZAu6uGy8WI9hxPcvuju3JwlBKqsdCU9%2FoyWD3gwQQEx6YdfqwFeg%3D&checksum=293469382133644a1eaceb7742a789843cc48737b97e

Najataagihe

BEWARE!

If you are a photo-snob, blasphemy follows.

You know who you are and you have been warned.

Run away.


For those of you left, there is a perfect solution for this unique situation:

Nikon 10-20mm f/4.5-4.6 G for *DX* format for $307 from Amazon.

It, miraculously, covers *FF* down to 13mm without vignetting - 1mm wider than the vastly more expensive 14-24mm f/2.8 FF for $1450.


You don't need the speed for landscapes, as the high ISO performance of your camera is phenomenal.

For a $1000 savings for a lens you will only use occasionally, you can live with the less robust construction.

If you manage to break it (unlikely), you can buy THREE MORE OF THEM and still spend less than the "proper" lens.


It's worth considering.


Have fun!