Vibration control vs. just a faster lens

I have a D300 and am currently using a 24-120mm 1:3.5-5.6D lens. It's terrible in low light, so I either need to get a

faster wide zoom lens or a VR lens. I have the added constraint of shooting in very dusty locations, so I'm looking for

as close to an all-in-one lens (let's say effective 24 to 150) as possible, rather than switch lenses and risk filling the

camera body with dust.

 

All the reviews I read for VR lenses - Nikon as well as Sigma and Tamron - indicate that these lenses have significant

distortion problems. I'd like to minimize the amount of correction I have to do (and with the film lens I've actually

found very little distortion). So with all that, does anyone have a recommendation on a versatile fast and/or VR zoom

lens?

If I do not remember wrongly, I think your best bets for that effective length are probably only the VR version of the 24-120mm and the Nikon 18-105mm VR.

 

Though both are versatile lenses, they are not exactly the fastest of lenses. I have tried the 18-105mm VR and found that in terms of picture quality, it is not too bad (it is pretty much a value for money lens). Not sure if this will hinder your kind of shooting, but one problem I personally find with the 18-105mm VR is that the auto focusing is a little slow.

Nikon does not make a fast zoom in the 24-150mm range. Wish they did. But if they did, I might tip the scales a bit. So, if you don't want to change lenses, you will probably need to get a VR lens. I have one and it works fine. It's the cheapest lens on my shelf and no real distortion problems.

 

Not to offend you, but many here have found the 24-120mm to be lacking. I went through 3 copies then finally returned the lens. However, I have a friend who has a great copy of that lens.

 

Not quite long enough on the far end, but the 16-85mm VR is a well built lens and is very sharp. You have a nice cam bod, you might want to drop a bit of dough and get a nicer lens. Or, find a nice copy of the 18-200mm VR II.

 

We all want that all in one zoom. Problem is: compromises.

 

Good hunting.

While taking the dog for a walk this morning with my D200 and 18-70mm I had some thoughts about this. I should have taken my tripod or a body with better high ISO or just taken a couple of fast primes like my 20mm f2.8 and 85mm f1.8. I don't want to spend more for a D300 (I really want one though). I wanted to travel light with the dog. It was raining a bit but my solution should have been two primes. If you have the funds look at the 24-70mm f2.8. I would have been real happy with a D700 at ISO 1600.

VR does nothing for moving subjects, so if that your kind of photography go for a faster lens. When you use DxO 5 as Raw-converter you don't have to correct the distortion, the program is doing that for you(it has the charastics of cameras and lenses). Suggestions: 17-55 or 28-75 2.8 Tamron with a Sigma 70-200 2.8

Also, a faster lens will give you a brighter image in the viewfinder.

You will get 2-4 f stop advantage going to the VR lenses. I have the 16-85VRII and 70-300VRII lenses and the VRII works great on both. Plus the VRII lenses have two modes of VR normal and active. Normal mode stops camera shake in either the verticle or horizontal direction. The active mode stops shake in both directions, very useful for things that fly or when shooting from a moving vehicle. If I could afford the price I would probably have a couple 2.8 zooms but the prices are out of my budget range.

 

The other thing to consider with the 2.8 zooms is the bokeh. It may be better with the faster zooms but I'm happy with my two lenses so it's a non issue for me.

If you want a fast VR lens and are willing to pay for it, it's hard to beat the 70-200/2.8 AFS VR. I get useable results down to 1/15 second (i.e., good enough) and at 1/125 as good as with a tripod. VR may not reduce subject motion, but you can anticipate the motion or organize the shot to minimize it, whereas camera shake is always with you. You'd need an f/1.0 lens to get the same effect as VR, and a wheelbarrow to carry it.

Wider apertures are better for moving subjects or where you want a shallower dof, such as rock concerts or stage plays. VR is better for still objects like inside of buildings. The best, of course, is to have both.

If you are wanting a wide angle zoom get a fast lens as image stabilization VR is less important with a shorter

focal length lens. If you are using a 12 or 17mm lens for example, you can shoot at 1/15th sec without support

and get away with a longer exposure if you are really steady or use monopod .

 

For longer lenses VR is a lot more important; but be aware that if you are taking pictures of moving people or

animals, you will need a high shutter speed. A lens like Nikons 18-200 F3.5 -5.6 VR is useful in bight conditions

but if you are using filters a lot or shooting in darker conditions; you will not be able to get a shutter

speed high enough to freeze movement. A fast lens is more or less essential for low light. VR is nice to

have, but is no substitute for a fast lens,

one of the most versatile fast lenses out there is the sigma 50-150 /2.8 EX HSM. no VR (OS), but it's easy to handhold due to lighter weight. good IQ--at 5.6 it's super sharp-- nice bokeh and color saturation. it costs about the same as an 18-200 VR or 16-85 VR, but IMO delivers better performance. there are a lot less optical compromises in a 3x zoom than an 11x, and of course, neither of those nikkors can go to 2.8. unless you have an extra $1000 to burn over the cost of the Sigma for the 70-200 VR, it should warrant consideration. you're still on your own for the wider end, but that's easily solveable with a fast wide-mid zoom like the nikkor 17-55 or the tamron 17-50.

 

regardless, if you don't have one already, scoop up a 50/1.8 for $120. it wont cover the range of the 24-120 (obviously), but it should remedy your low-light issues, and is one of nikon's sharpest lenses.

I have the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm 1:3.5-5.6 G ED IF VR SWM lens. I have not found the issues with this lens that others have. The AF-S focus is super quiet and fast. I got it with my D1 I found on EBay. This lens can be easily found there but prices vary greatly. It is a great walk around lens.

 

It works great in bright sunlight and well lit rooms. When getting into low light, the VR helps some. Otherwise get out a tripod or mono-pod and turn off the VR. Of course, a tripod is the cheapest speed enhancer you can get. Anything Nikon / Nikkor that has AF-S and/or f2.8 is going to cost bucks and won't be in the zoom range you're looking for.

 

What are you taking pictures off that are in low light and in dusty conditions? I live in West Texas in the Panhandle-South Plains regions and our DUST is rather infamous. I have used my 24-120 to take pictures inside of dimly lit well houses. I just kick the ISO to 800 and lean against the door frame. I have sometimes have had to drag out the SB-80DX Flash to get a shot when the light gets really dim, but that is just part of it. Lucky for me, what I was taking pictures of was not moving. If it was moving, the 35-70mm f2.8 or the 50mm f1.4 would have been attached.