Looking for a good / fast mid range zoom

I'm using the D300 body. I have a Sigma 10-20, a nikon 50mm f/1.4, and the

nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6.

 

My plan was to use the 18-135mm as my general purpose lens but it's just too

slow in doors. With good lighting it's a great lens but I'm finding that I can

only use my 50mm indoors w/ regular success. The 50mm a great lens but having

one focal point gets a little annoying in some situations.

 

So I'm looking for a good but INEXPENSIVE mid range f/2.8 zoom. Just browsing

B&H I've found:

 

Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 EX = $429

Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 EX = $329

Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 XR = $369

Nikon 35-70mm f2.8D = $479

Nikon 24-85mm f2.8-4d = $564

 

IF there are any others that you know of please suggest them. I want something

that remains sharp even at high speeds. (below F/4) So yea I want a $1700 lens

for under $500. lol well as close as I can get anyway.

 

I heard about a Tokina 28-70/2.8 AT-X but I can't find it in any store.

My vote is with the 35-70 as it and the Tamron were the only ones I've owned. Both are plenty sharp. The Nikkor is built like a tank. Literally. Although the range never really worked for me, the Nikkor was amazing.

I have the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 and it's my favorite lens. It's sharp at f2.8, no apparent vignetting on my D80, no significant distortion, and surprisingly light. It's been wonderful, really. I wish my other zoom lenses (Nikkor 18-200, Tokina 12-24) were in the same class, in terms of image quality.

 

- David

Chad, I hope these help you. http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/49/cat/all

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/339/cat/all

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/121/cat/all

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/114/cat/all

You want the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8.

I strongly suggest the latest Sigma 18-50/2.8 DC HSM Macro. I have one, it's excellent.

$499.

Too slow indoors, I would consider an f2 prime, like a good 35mm f2.0. Manual focus, but

still faster. Even faster is the f1.4 but it costs an arm and a leg these days. I don't have any

trouble shooting with my Tokina 12-24mm f4 indoors, I just crank up the ISO or use flash.

i'd vote for the tamron. i've tested it against the 50/1.8 at 2.8 and it was just as sharp. don't let the low price fool you, it's really good. also, the AF is fast enough and doesnt hunt like the sigma 18-50.<div></div>

I can only vouch for the 35-70/2.8D AF Nikkor. It's a peach. While 35mm is no longer even a moderate wide angle on a 1.5x dSLR, it's still and outstanding zoom and has been one of the best values in the entire Nikkor lineup for many years.

 

If I could find one of the Tokina f/2.8 midrange zooms that'd be my second choice. I like the construction quality of the Tokinas. There were two seemingly comparable versions of their f/2.8 midrange zoom, and one was generally rated a bit higher than the other. Don't recall which, tho'.

The older Tokina 28-70 2.6 / 2.8 (not the SV version) is the better of the two according to photozone.

For indoor work where you need to capture a good part of a room or a group of people or

something 28 or 35 is not wide enough.

 

Stick with something in the 16/17/18- 50/55 f2.8 for something really useful on a D300

imho

I vote for the Tokina AT-X PRO 28mm-80mm f2.8 This lens is very sharp and very well made. Have used mine for 7yrs. I love it. Can be found on ebay used and well priced.

You can find mint used Nikon 35-70 f2.8D lens for $400 or less! Terrific lens (53-105 DX

digital) and pro sturdy. In the past, I have used the non-D version as well---same great

results and even less expensive used. Havn't used any of the other brands except Tokina

12-24 f4 on those rare occasions I need a real wide angle---its a good one as well, but its

not mid-range.

I tested out some lenses today. I had heard and read so much about the Tamron 28-75 being amazingly sharp. Well the one I looked at today was the worst piece of crap I've ever used. I tried dozens of settings in a fairly well let camera shop and every pic was soft and fuzzy. Even when shooting w/ shutter speeds above 40/1. I the camera shop guy thought I was crazy. So I pulled out my slow nikon kit lens 18-135mm and it was MUCH better - so much so it was laughable. The camera shop guy was basically speechless. I suggested that the lens he had was a bad copy from Tamron and he just shrugged his shoulders and put it back on the shelf. He said well Nikon makes good lenses. I told him he shouldn't sell that lens to anyone, but he ignored me.

 

I also heard some good about the 70-300 VR - I tested it out and that lens was 10X more sharp then the Tamron 28-75. I was really impressed - I couldn't take a bad pic w/ the 70-300 VR....great lens, I can't wait to get one. He then suggested the Nikon 50-200 VR. Honestly that was the worst piece of garbage I've ever seen (it beat out the Tamron I just tried). It was not only made like a cheap toy, the pic quality was horrible. I learned a little bit about glass today. No matter the manufacturer it could be crap, and no matter how much hype a lens gets it could be a bad copy. I've heard that you can get big differences in copies but I've never seen it that obvious.

 

I'd order that 35-70 Nikon but I really want something wider. What to do?