Paradise Pirate Loc: Cape Coral, FL

Looking at WA for D810, I have D810 w Nik 28-300, D7500 w Nik 18-200, Rokinon 2.8/14mm for astro, Tamrom 150-600. Looking for landscape lens. Choice between Nikon 16-35 F/4 and Tamron 15-30 2.8. The Nikon will take a polarizer and the Tamron will not without added cost. Comments on choice welcome please. WA for 7500 an option because of less weight.

Quixdraw Loc: x

You might consider the AF S Nikkor 18-35 3.5 4.5 G. DXO rates it above the 16-35. Have one and it is very good. https://www.davemclelland.com/lens_comparisons/nikon-af-s-16-35mm-f4-vr-vs-nikon-af-s-18-35mm-f3-5-4-5/

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

The D810 is good at high ISOs, so the 1 stop difference between max aperture in the Nikon and Tamron shouldn’t matter, you would only need to increase the ISO with the Nikon one stop to compensate. The polarizer is an important filter. I would go with the Nikon.

Sidwalkastronomy Loc: New Jersey Shore

Have you looked at the Tameron 10-24
3.5-4.5 IS lens. just bought it and like it

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

I would go with wither the Nikon 16-35 F/4 or AF S Nikkor 18-35 3.5 4.5 G depending upon your budget Pirate.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

I found the Nikkor 16-35 to be sharper than the Tamron.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

1st of all it's a Tamron and that lens is a DX lens for cropped sensor cameras. The original poster has a full frame Nikon D810.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I have the older Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-D wide angle and the 14-24mm f/f.8. I do not, as a rule, use either of them for landscapes. Too much loss of detail, and I don't like the way that the backgrounds get pushed so far away. By the way...the 18-35 now lives with my DX bodies as a normal-wide angle (28-50mm equivalent or so). It does a much better job in that application than as a full frame lens.

It has been my experience that "flat front" ultra wide angle lenses suffer too much brightness falloff in the corners to be particularly useful as landscape lenses. While correction is available both in the camera and in post processing software, I still don't like the final results. Even the 14-24 has a little bit of falloff, but it seems to be easily and effectively correctable. Further, polarizing filters almost always yield uneven and unattractive results when used on lenses this wide on a full frame camera. I have learned to back off on exposure just a little bit and boost saturation a small amount instead on the rare occasions when I do use them for landscapes. The result is not the same, but I find it more pleasing than the splotchy or banded effects from a polarizer acting over a wide range of sun angles. It makes for quite good JPEGs from the camera and provides a good starting point for editing raw files. I'd suggest just using a polarizer at 28mm and above on your other lenses.

If you are still experimenting on your road forward here, you might look at the fairly new 10-20mm Nikkor DX lens for your D7500. (Verify compatibility, but I'm pretty sure it will work.) It isn't much to look at or to hold, but I have friends who have gotten some really nice results from it. I don't have one, but if I did, the first thing I'd have to try is to see what it might do on the D810. It would for sure cover the 24x24mm square format available on that camera, and who knows, it might cover almost all of the 24x36mm frame. It also has the advantage of not being very expensive.

I hope there is some food for thought here, and that I haven't gone too far afield from your original question. Best wishes with whatever you decide.

Paradise Pirate Loc: Cape Coral, FL

Thanks for your opinion.

Sidwalkastronomy Loc: New Jersey Shore

thanks I'm a Canon user and not familiar with any Nikon products, thanks

VTMatwood Loc: Displaced Vermonta in Central New Hampsha

I have the Tamron 15-30 f/2.8 and love it. I have used it with my Nikon D610 and gotten excellent results.

TerryVS

I have the Tamron 15-30 and really like it. However others have made some points reference the Nikon that a little less wide/longer. I bought mine so I would have a lens for astro and you have that covered with your 14mm. The 15-30 is a chunk as well but haven't really played with the Nikon to compare weigh. Bottom line is if you want a very wide angle and fast lens the tamron is great. I really enjoy mine.

SWADE Loc: Rochester, MI

Tamron 15-30 2.8 is a FX lens

TerryVS

Yes and a Nikon D810 is an FX camera

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

The Nikon 16-35 f4 is my main landscape lens along with the Nikon 24-120 f4, is use them both cause they share the same f4 and 77mm filters.
I have found the 16-35 f4 to be one of the sharpest Nikon lenses ever make. I have owned over 50 Nikon lenses during my tenure and this lens is in the top two along with my 70-200 2.8 FL lens.
Below is just an example of it's sharpness. Love to do Foreground-Background Landscapes.