I have used the NIKKOR 28-300 as a travel lense on a D800 for a few years now. I have some great memories generated by that lense. I also take a NIKKOR 16-35 f4. It is a heavy combo. It is not fast. But I have some enjoyable photos from all over the world. I downloaded a hand held shot of the Terra Cotta Warriors from a recent trip to China. It’s with very little, if any, post processing. Getting enough light for this shot took some creativity. I have thought about trading out the 16-35 for a faster, lighter wide angle prime.

Thanks Chris T. I had a good model to shoot.

Yea, it is part wish list. My current lenses won’t hamper my ability to take the pictures I want, so why put out significant money for minor gains in capabilities?

As far as Sigma and Tamron lenses, I have only seriously looked at a Sigma Sport 150-600. It was simply too heavy. I have also read good things about the Art series lenses. I’m by no means an expert on either brand though.

I wish that I had asked this same question years ago. One thing that I have slowly learned is that good glass lasts. I took this picture of my grandson on Christmas in his new swing. I took the photo with the same lense I bought many years ago to take pictures of my own young kids in the back country of the Tetons: NIKKOR 50D f1.4. Then it was with a Nikon N80 and Kodachrome, now its a D850. I usually use a 16-35 f4 and a 28-300. They are decent lenses. I have a NIKKOR Micro 105 f2.8 that I use for macro and portraits. Those three lenses constitute 90% of my pictures. I also have three older lenses that I sometimes pull out, a 80-200 f2.8, the D series 50 f1.4 and 24 f2.8. They are still great lenses. I no longer use a single kit or Dx lense and wish that I had never purchased them.

Which lenses you buy depends on what you shoot. Given my style of shooting, if I was to start fresh, my choices would be pushed somewhat by whether I shot Dx or full frame. I would choose the fastest glass that I could afford: f 1.4 up to F 4 depending on the budget. Although high ISO levels now have less noise, I still like the artistic capabilities opened up by shooting a fast lense. I would purchase the latest edition of a 24-70 f2.8 and a 70-200 f2.8, or the 100-400 if I shot Cannon. I would then buy a 20 f1.8 for landscape on a full frame. For Dx, I would use a 10-20 for landscape and architecture instead of the 20 f1.8. I love my 105 f2.8 for close work and portraits. On a Dx, I would use a 60G f2.8. However, there are great reviews on several less expensive lenses from companies like Tamron and Sigma. The internet is full of sites reviewing and rating lenses, like DP Review.

I have the previous version of the RRS tabletop/travel tripod. It rests nearly flat and easily holds my Nikon D800 with a 16-35 or 28-300 lense solid as a rock. I have taken nighttime cityscapes all over the world resting on a street garbage can, park bench, or pavement with excellent clarity. I carry it folded in the side water bottle pocket of my standard backpack. When I travel overseas, I only use carryon luggage, so my carbon travel tripod isn’t practical because of size.

Just received my D 850 last week. It really is magical. I currently shoot a D 800 and it does everything better-everything. I am heading on a Kenya safari in the near future and debated the same thing. D500 and D800 or purchase the D850. I could afford to keep the D800 and decided to use it as my second camera with a NIKKOR 80-200 f2.8 lense that focuses relatively quickly and is very sharp. My D850 will have the NIKKOR 200-500. I will also carry a NIKKOR 16-35 and an old 50 1.4D, both for panoramas. My decision not to buy a D500 was based predominantly on one factor: I wanted to shoot full frame. I have heard great things about birding and shooting sports with a D500, and I might have saved money and gone with the D500 if either was my predominant subject. Is my decision making sound? We’ll see. Am I glad that I have a D850? Absolutely. I already enjoy it more than my D800 and haven’t even ventured outside much due to inclement weather and a busy schedule. Personally, if I had to sell my D800, I would and buy the D850. You can only shoot one camera at a time and the D850 is the one I’d want in almost every situation. If needed, I would rent a D500 in the future when a second camera makes sense. The nice thing is, you can’t make a bad decision.

In choosing a lense, where you go may have an influence on your decision. The West encompasses many landscape shooting possibilities. Visiting the Southwest, places like the Zion’s/Bryce/Grand Canyon trio combined with Canyonlands or Mesa Verde/Durango, I handle most shots with a wide angle zoom and a great tripod. Up further north with more mountainous terrain, like Rocky Mountain, Jackson, Yellowstone and Glacier, I take a wide angle prime and a versatile zoom to take waterfalls and wildlife on shorter hikes. No matter where we visit, I bring a nice point and shoot that has RAW format to take on longer hikes. As I’ve aged, a 10 mile hike with a large DSL and lenses turns quickly into a 3 mile hike. There is a lot of beauty to see 5 to ten miles away from the road. Places like Angel’s Landing in Zion’s are dangerous with a lot of gear, but guaranteed, you’d want a picture peering straight down 1488 feet of vertical red rock.

I enjoy the composition with the nest on the right. It tells a story. I am not an accomplished photographer and have learned by the others comments. One other factor not mentioned, if your shots are consistently soft, is a problem some lenses have at the infinity edge of focus. There is often a slight bit of room for focusing ‘beyond infinity.’ Your camera may be pushing your AF into this space, pushing everything taken at a distance into a soft focus. Lense makers will engineer this ‘extra infinity’ into their products to allow for normal slight variances in the manufacturing process. I had this problem with a NIKKOR 28-300 lense that I use for travel. I am a long time Nikon shooter, and am unfamiliar with the fine tuning possible with your system, but you may need to look into that process.

CR attempts to be objective. It tries to avoid bias. I like that a lot. However, it misses out on subtle differences between products that can prove very valuable to me as a user. I have subscribed for years and use it as a guide to look at major features of consumer products. If those features are what I am looking for, it is great as a guide. However, I have been very happy for years with multiple purchases rated as mediocre because I value a range of attributes not examined adequately by CR. This is especially true of high end products. The 7500 is a higher end product. Personally, based on reviews by reputable sources like DP Review and also examining features, I would choose a D 500. But the difference in price is significant. The 7200 is a great camera with a few less features and a lower price still. Great photos are at your finger tips with all three. I personally wouldn’t consider a D5600, although it has nice features and can also take great pictures. In short, although I like CR, sometimes they are wrong. Sometimes products are rated too highly, sometimes superior products are rated too low. I would trust CR with point and shoots and entry level DSR’s, but never higher end products like the D 7500 or its more prestigious older brothers like the D500 or D 850. For higher end products I rely on professional reviews and consumer comments and don’t even reference CR.

Thank you for this well spoken reminder. I must admit, I frequent political and sports chat sites and have become desensitized to the harsh and occasionally insulting rhetoric used so often. When I have been insulted personally, it is usually by someone with minimal insight and, I generally think, an IQ I wouldn’t exchange for mine. Sometimes it is unintentional though, and people just don’t perceive how their comment may offend. Hopefully, there is a little mercy for the commenters. We can’t see their expressions or a smile or the furrowed brow of concern to gain an appropriate perspective. As a newcomer to UHH, I am enjoying the advice and insights from experienced and, often, very accomplished photographers. I appreciate those who patiently explain their points and am surprised how often I learn a tidbit on a subject that I am well versed in. I hope all have a wonderful Holiday Season and a very prosperous New Year. And once again, thank you all. I find photography an enriching experience and appreciate the help in making it more so.