Going full frame - need suggestions...
gunflint
Loc: Rocky Mountain High, Colorado
Hello, this is my first post, have been tuning in for a couple of weeks and there is sure a lot of good information from many knowledgeable people! First of all, I am not a professional photographer, just a serious wannabe. I have had a Nikon D7100 for 3 years or so and want to upgrade to the new D850. Of course that means new full frame lenses and that is where I would appreciate some help. I mainly shoot landscapes so I would appreciate knowing what the "ideal" wide angle lenses would be for me to consider. I really do not want to compromise on the quality of the lens but Nikon is obviously big bucks compared to Sigma or Tamron. What would you recommend and what have you been using?
Thanks much!
gunflint wrote:
Hello, this is my first post, have been tuning in for a couple of weeks and there is sure a lot of good information from many knowledgeable people! First of all, I am not a professional photographer, just a serious wannabe. I have had a Nikon D7100 for 3 years or so and want to upgrade to the new D850. Of course that means new full frame lenses and that is where I would appreciate some help. I mainly shoot landscapes so I would appreciate knowing what the "ideal" wide angle lenses would be for me to consider. I really do not want to compromise on the quality of the lens but Nikon is obviously big bucks compared to Sigma or Tamron. What would you recommend and what have you been using?
Thanks much!
Hello, this is my first post, have been tuning in ... (
show quote)
For landscapes, I use the Nikkor 16-35 F/4 and 24-70 F/2.8 regularly. Even as amateurs, we want the best possible image we can get, and when it comes to glass, you get what you pay for. I don't have tons of money, so I set aside funds to get what I really wanted, one lens at a time. It took a few years to fill my bag. :-)
You might consider renting lenses (and camera bodies) to see first hand what works. Better than random 3rd-party opinions. One rental source is LensRentals.com, but there are others.
BruceWells - our posts passed each other, I wasn’t calling you random.😄
Mac
Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.
gunflint wrote:
Hello, this is my first post, have been tuning in for a couple of weeks and there is sure a lot of good information from many knowledgeable people! First of all, I am not a professional photographer, just a serious wannabe. I have had a Nikon D7100 for 3 years or so and want to upgrade to the new D850. Of course that means new full frame lenses and that is where I would appreciate some help. I mainly shoot landscapes so I would appreciate knowing what the "ideal" wide angle lenses would be for me to consider. I really do not want to compromise on the quality of the lens but Nikon is obviously big bucks compared to Sigma or Tamron. What would you recommend and what have you been using?
Thanks much!
Hello, this is my first post, have been tuning in ... (
show quote)
You will probably get about 87 gazillion recommendations for this, or that, or some other zoom lens. There is nothing wrong with zoom lenses other than they are usually larger, heavier and more expensive than prime lenses. With that in mind, I suggest a 35mm and a 50mm lens. After using those for a while, if you feel that you need something wider look at 20mm or 24mm.
rjaywallace wrote:
You might consider renting lenses (and camera bodies) to see first hand what works. Better than random 3rd-party opinions. One rental source is LensRentals.com, but there are others.
BruceWells - our posts passed each other, I wasn’t calling you random.😄
No problem! I agree with what you say.
You are making a major investment with this camera system so I assume you are prepared for that. There is no ideal lens for you, unfortunately . Going with a Nikon lens is not necessary since other brands can be high quality. A zoom would eliminate, largely, the need to carry several lenses around. You will get some suggestions here but ultimately you will have to do your own research in order to make the final decision. Since you are primarily shooting landscapes and don't yet have an investment in lenses, you could consider other full frame cameras that would be cheaper and very adequate for your needs.
gunflint wrote:
Hello, this is my first post, have been tuning in for a couple of weeks and there is sure a lot of good information from many knowledgeable people! First of all, I am not a professional photographer, just a serious wannabe. I have had a Nikon D7100 for 3 years or so and want to upgrade to the new D850. Of course that means new full frame lenses and that is where I would appreciate some help. I mainly shoot landscapes so I would appreciate knowing what the "ideal" wide angle lenses would be for me to consider. I really do not want to compromise on the quality of the lens but Nikon is obviously big bucks compared to Sigma or Tamron. What would you recommend and what have you been using?
Thanks much!
Hello, this is my first post, have been tuning in ... (
show quote)
Welcome to UHH. I use and would suggest a Nikon 24-120mm f/4G. I like the consisten F4. Super sharp across the range and Thom Hogan has it on his list. lol
cjc2
Loc: Hellertown PA
As Bruce mentioned, the 24-70/2.8 is a fantastic lens. For landscapes, you might want to consider the previous version to save money as it doesn't have VR. I also like the 14-24/2.8 for this work. For a bit less $, consider the Sigma 24-105/4 ART or the Nikon 24-120/4. Lots and lots of choices here. IMHO, I have found Sigma's new ART line to include some of the best non-oem glass. Best of luck.
gunflint
Loc: Rocky Mountain High, Colorado
Thank you, I was looking at the 16-35, seems to be a great lens. I am also wondering if a 20mm prime would serve my purpose well also and it is the highest rated Nikon lens in the super wide angle category on DXOMARK. I realize I would be giving up a few degrees of coverage but...
Gene51
Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)
gunflint wrote:
Hello, this is my first post, have been tuning in for a couple of weeks and there is sure a lot of good information from many knowledgeable people! First of all, I am not a professional photographer, just a serious wannabe. I have had a Nikon D7100 for 3 years or so and want to upgrade to the new D850. Of course that means new full frame lenses and that is where I would appreciate some help. I mainly shoot landscapes so I would appreciate knowing what the "ideal" wide angle lenses would be for me to consider. I really do not want to compromise on the quality of the lens but Nikon is obviously big bucks compared to Sigma or Tamron. What would you recommend and what have you been using?
Thanks much!
Hello, this is my first post, have been tuning in ... (
show quote)
For landscape I seldom use a lens wider than 45mm, and resort to creating stitched panoramas. The primary reason for this is to end up with an image with a natural sense of depth. Wide and ultra wide lenses will create extension distortion, which is fine for a special effect, but not great for general purpose landscape use. If you think for a moment how the great landscape painters did their work, they did not have the benefit of a wide angle lens to view their scenes - they used their eyes, and for width they would turn their heads and similarly move their heads up and down for greater height in their paintings. But the relationship of the relative size of foreground to background was more or less equivalent to anything from about 45mm to 60mm.
If you want to get your money's worth out of a D850, you'll not want to compromise on lens quality. If the price of a new lens is a little hard to take, then get it used or refurbished. I like the 24-70 though it does have some drawbacks when used wide open as far as corner and edge sharpness, and I like all of Nikon's prime lenses. The faster ones tend to have similar issues with edges and corners, but stopping them down 2-3 stops usually fixes that. The 70-200 FL is an outstanding lens, as is the 105 F1.4 - which really doesn't get any better. Some of the Sigma Art lenses are certainly worth a look as well.
The first two images were shot with a 150mm lens in fact.
The second two were with a 45mm.
It's not that I don't own wider lenses - I have several 24mm lenses, including a 14-24mm F2.8. Of all the focal lengths I use, the range of 14 to 30mm is the least used. And I shoot a lot of landscapes.
It would be a shame to put anything but the best lenses on your camera.
gunflint wrote:
Thank you, I was looking at the 16-35, seems to be a great lens. I am also wondering if a 20mm prime would serve my purpose well also and it is the highest rated Nikon lens in the super wide angle category on DXOMARK. I realize I would be giving up a few degrees of coverage but...
Borrow/rent the 20mm for a day. It’s a really good way to help making the decision.
gunflint
Loc: Rocky Mountain High, Colorado
Thanks for the suggestion, it is easy to create panos these days and maybe an ultra wide is not needed.
Here's my Holy Trinity of Nikon Full frame lenses:
Nikon 14-35 F/1.4
Tamron 24-70 F/2.8
Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 DI G2 with 2X Teleconverter TC-X20N
Also, when I do not want to bring the Tamron 70-200, a Nikon 28-300 f/3.5 - 5.6 is great for all around use.
My suggestion is the Nikkor 16-80 2.8-4; it's a great lens for landscape and general photography, it's the kit lens to the D500 so you know it's not a piece of junk, and it's not outrageously expensive at around $1000.
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