I have recently purchased the D7100 and have several lenses (50 mm 1.8 and 85mm 1.8). Most of my photography is outdoor landscapes and I tend to gravitate to wide angle because I love the possibilities with composition and perspective.

My decision/dilemma -which lens to purchase? The cream of the crop seems to be the Nikon 12-24 and 10-24 ( used) , the Sigma 10-20 3.5, the Tokina 11-20 2.8, or the Tokina 12-28. All have great reviews. Whichever I choose will most likely be my go to lens.

I live on the East Coast (DC area) but will be in the Utah/"Colorado/ Arizona areas this fall.

What is your recommendation?

Thanks!

The dilemma is quality versus cost. I know one usually gets what you pay for. However, I have a Canon 55-250mm STM lens that is nothing short of superb within it's entire zoom range. Problem is, it won't be long enough for many distant wildlife shots. So can you recommend a tele lens that can deliver the goods (quality IQ) at 300mm or 400mm without breaking the bank? Right now "the bank" does not have an overabundance of cash for this purpose,
I know I could rent a lens, but would prefer to purchase, if I can. (Well under 1K). Used is OK with me.

What do you think? And THANKS.

I rarely shoot with primes for work with my Nikons and when I do, it's with a macro lens.
For my Fuji mirrorless, I love slapping on the crazy sharp 14mm.
In my early days when I worked for a newapaper, I used only primes because zoom lenses were mostly slow, not very good or too expensive.
With other formats, there were very few zoom lenses anyway. (I miss shooting with my Mamiya RB67.)
I found this article from Nikon an interesting short read.

Over the years i have succomed to GAS attacks and swore I'd sell my older equipment to help pay for the new purchases...well, I have found that I am much better at buying stuff than selling it. I am wary of Craig's List, Ebay, and Amazon because the equipment is high end and I am afraid of being ripped off by a variety if scams. The other side of the equation is I could take it to a local photo store and get peanuts for the stuff. Has anyone found a way that works for them? If it were only a couple of hundred bucks, that's one thing, but several thousand bucks is another in my situation. Thanks for all thoughtful replies (no, I can't afford to start a museum!)

I want to add a wide angle lens for my Nikon d5300, but not sure what to look for in a lens. I will be heading to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, driving the Beartooth and St Joseph's Hwys into Cody WY in August....so lots of landscapes and wildlife photo's. I have the kit lenses 18-55mm and the 70-200mm and I purchased a Tamron 150-600 not to long ago.

So my question to everyone is - what should I look for in a wide angle lens for landscape/wildlife? Budgeting up to $300/$400 if I can stay in that range I won't get into to much trouble with the hubby....lol!!