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Walkaround lens
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Jul 14, 2017 10:08:37   #
larryepage Loc: North Texas area
 
One factor which I didn't see mentioned here was lens speed. The super zooms all have varying f stops, and at the long end you are likely limited to f5.6 or smaller. This means that at the long focal lengths, you are going to have to be using slower shutter speeds. Even though today's cameras have much extended high ISO performance, that comes with a tradeoff of dynamic range. And as we get older, this gets more important. In my younger days, I could comfortably hand-hold a 200 mm lens and get good (not perfect) results at 1/60 second. Now I have to use quite a bit faster shutter speeds in that situation. That's why it's important to answer this question within the context of what you are going to be photographing and how you are expecting to be doing it.

There is no real magic in lens design, although there are choices that can make them perform better. These choices all come with tradeoffs. For example, the Nikon 70-200 mm f2.8 VR is by far the finest and sharpest lens I own. I use it a lot. But it is way too heavy for me to commit to carrying all day long. My wife's 18-200 mm f3.5-5.6 VR that we bought several years ago is much easier to manage all day. I have borrowed it from her on occasion. But when doing that, I know that I may not be able to get, even with VR.

Good luck as you decide.
Larry

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Jul 14, 2017 10:08:47   #
dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho
 
I agree with others who say too much zoom range. My walk around lens for my D800 has been the 24-85 and I love it. I must say, however, that I sometimes long for the 24-140 lens. It gives me a bit more range when needed. I do love the 24-85 though. Unless you are going to the mountains or an area where there is truly something some distance away how often his the long side of the 18-300 used?

Dennis

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Jul 14, 2017 10:15:31   #
Nikonman44
 
agreed. Back a few years ago I fottoged the Atlanta Flames. Hockey

I carried the 500 mm F 2.8 Reflex lens. Oh my what a jewel.

cant afford those any more but still have it.

Maybe 10 or 11 inches long but what a beauty.

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Jul 14, 2017 10:18:57   #
Nikonman44
 
Let me weigh in on that.

Yes it is heavy compared to other options.

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Jul 14, 2017 10:20:57   #
dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho
 
Nikonman44 wrote:
Let me weigh in on that.

Yes it is heavy compared to other options.


If you use, Quote Reply, when you answer it will let us know exactly who you are answering. It is a big help to those of us who have no idea who or what you are referring to.

Dennis

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Jul 14, 2017 10:22:22   #
Nikonman44
 
Larry, you have a wonderful wife. Especially if she lets you use her camera equipment.

Keep borrowing and shooting.

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Jul 14, 2017 10:28:54   #
deepdiverv Loc: arizona
 
My Nikon 18-300mm is my go to lens for travel and one lens solution.

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Jul 14, 2017 10:42:05   #
rfmicro
 
My walk-around lens is the 70-300mm F/4.5-5.6G VR ED. It doesn't have the wide angle coverage you maybe looking for (or not). At a price of between $300 Used - $500 new. But the prices of the Sigma and Tamron lenses are on par, price-wise. If your needs tend to more wide angle, then I recommend 24-85mm F/3.5-4.5g lens at a price of $250.00 used, or $450.00 new. Both have garnered the "must have" lens status from the 'Angry Photographer'. If you are not familiar with him, look up his name under 'Google Search' engine under Youtube. Once in Youtube use the name "Theoria Apophasis" and the lens you are interested in (his real name is Ken Wheeler). This will give you more information than you can shake a stick at (he tends to get rather verbose, almost a rant, but he is thorough).

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Jul 14, 2017 10:43:58   #
d3200prime
 
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


No opinion on these lenses as I don't own either one. So, I agree with some other hogs that these so called "walk around lenses" suffer from various distortions according to the research I have done. Therefore, in my case, I choose the Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED which has proven to be an exceptional lens as far as shooting landscape and portraits with sharpness and very minor distortions while providing some telephoto. My long lens is the Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED and I find this lens provides stellar performance. It is a FX lens so on my DX camera it provides a telephoto range of 105-450mm. This lens combination won't break the bank and are proven solid performers. Of course you must do due diligence and pick the lens you decide on but I would't put much credence on this all-in-one idea if I were you. In conclusion, if I could afford it I would purchase the higher, professional models with better aperture range as there is no question these provide much better images all the way around. I any case I would advise against the all-in one lenses of any brand. Good shooting to you. PS: Almost forgot! Purchase lenses with optical stabilization. You will be glad you did.

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Jul 14, 2017 10:44:19   #
TRoman5486 Loc: WV
 
I agree with this one; 24-70 mm would be my choice. 105 mm if looking for a fixed lens.

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Jul 14, 2017 10:44:26   #
shutterbob Loc: Tucson
 
If you really feel you need this super zoom focal range, then I would go with the Nikon 18-300 f3.5/6.3. But my reccommendation would be to get a Nikon 16-80 f2.8/4. It is my favorite lens for my D7200. I use the extra 2mm on the wide end fairly often, I can always crop with the 24 mpx, the f2.8 is sometimes useful, and most important, it is a much sharper lens at all focal ranges that it covers than any of the superzooms.

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Jul 14, 2017 10:46:56   #
jaycoffman Loc: San Diego
 
OK, you asked about one of the three lenses as a walk-around lens for your d7100. I will assume you understand some of the tradeoffs you make when you use one of the super-zoom lenses so won't bore you will all the other stuff. I have used the Tamron 16-300 on my d7100 for over three years as my go-to walk-around lens and it does very well at what I want. I travel a lot both internationally and on my motorcycle and can't take more equipment than my camera, spare batteries and chips and charger. I shoot wildlife, landscapes, flowers, bugs and street photography in whatever conditions I wind up in. I also do not blow my pictures up a lot although in post-processing I will crop quite a bit if I need to in order to get the picture I want. I then use the pictures in stories I write about my travels and then convert them to PDF and email them to friends who are interested.

I'm telling you this only because these are the considerations I gave when deciding on a walk-around lens--you should analyze your needs similarly. The Tamron does quite well in all of these situations but not nearly as good as a prime or shorter zoom may do. My biggest concern with it is that it is not as fast as I may like in low light so I have to work around that the best I can. Hope this helps you think through your choices.

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Jul 14, 2017 10:49:18   #
Digital1022 Loc: Holland, PA
 
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


It depends on what your definition of "walk around" is. If you mean a lens that sits on your camera most of the time, then you probably don't need a lot of zoom and I would say something in the range of 24-70 would cover about 90% of your images. If you are talking "travel", I try to minimize the baggage. I have found that I carry two lenses when I travel to most places; a 14-24 Nikon and a 28-300 which sits on my camera most of the time. One poster brought up lens distortion at the short and long end of the zoom which is true. However, I can back off from 300 to say 250 and the image is fine. If I need the full 300, I just crop it out in post processing. As to the short end, that is primarily why I take the 14-24. It is absolutely the best wide angle lens that I have ever used. I am not experienced in Sigma or Tamron. I just came back from an Alaska Cruise and all I used was a Sony RX10iii which has a Ziess 24-600. Although I continue to have a problem finding the right buttons to push because of their location compared to Nikon, it proved to be a great travel lens for that environment. If I had taken my DSLR, I would have added a 200-500 and used a 24-70 as my walking around lens. Subject matter usually determines what my Walk Around lens would be.

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Jul 14, 2017 11:06:35   #
fetzler Loc: North West PA
 
I don't much like the super zooms. To many compromises. The Nikon 16-80mm is a very nice general purpose lens. The 16-85 is also OK and cheaper. Indeed a lot cam be dome with a 35mm lens. I must say I also like my Tamron 10-24mm lens (The new version)

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Jul 14, 2017 11:18:15   #
Pilot 6 Loc: Eugene, OR
 
Grandpa, walkaround lens is like beauty---it's in the eye of the beholder. For you young jocks its a DSLR with an intimidating heavy zoomer. For older guys who can still walk, a P&S or bridge camera. For those in the middle, maybe a DSLR with a small, unobtrusive prime. For me at 91 it's my DSLR with a 40mm tiny Voigtlander prime. Comfortable one hand carry with a wrist strap tether.

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