ilkka_nissila Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 <p>It's the best 24mm at f/2.8 I've used. The bride's ring was stuck before the ceremony.</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josephbraun Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 <p>if i was in your shoes, i would have got a d300 and an 18-200mm, and donated the other 5k. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acjtucson Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 <p>I do appreciate the above input on different lens reviewers. How does one wade through the information and figure out who is credible and who is not? Do you learn from following one person's advice buying a lens you think is great because of the review and it turns out to be less than great and then you have your answer on credibility? That could be costly. Is there some sort of review on the lens reviewers?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_Tardio Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 <p>You can probably find a Nikon 20-35/2.8, which is an excellent lens, and sells used for around $5-600.00. Add the 70-300 VR and a 50/1.8 and you'll be set.</p> <p>As far as Tokina/Sigma/Tamron, etc... I've never owned one yet that didn't have a problem. Don't waste your money on them.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter_in_PA Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 <p>Anthony, if you stick with Bjorn at http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html and Thom at http://www.bythom.com/ you'll be fine. Others will probably say the same.</p> <p>Ken Rockwell is hit or miss. Some of his info (like his DX wide zoom comparison) is excellent, other is, by his own admission, merely entertainment. The two guys above are very highly regarded around these parts.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmm Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 <p>Anthony - just a quick note, I'm in Sydney so if you want someone to email and chat about where to get gear then drop me a note. I noticed above that you were mentioning the 'premium' for buying locally and if there are any experiences or tips I could share with you I'd be delighted to.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acjtucson Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 <p>Thanks, Peter.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshloeser Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 <p>Another excellent place, and arguably my go-to site for background info, is photozone.de. Very well done all around. They just got themselves a D3x and have begun doing full frame tests for Nikon lenses.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony_gatti Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 <p>I agree that K Rockwells views should be taken with a grain of salt. And in the same instance, Id probably be also inclined to say that no reviewer is free of bias or misrepresentation, its all relative in the end and some products are presented less equally than others. Bjorn/Thom seem to be relatively comprehensive in their reports though.</p> <p>Admittedly alot of my lens choices were based off K Rockwells site, mainly for the fact that all the information is correllated and linked together rather than for his quality of reviewing/ranting. His site gives a general outlay of the 'standard' lenses and their alternatives, which was a good start to my pricing/reading up/trying out other lenses before purchasing.</p> <p>@Joseph: Granted, but I had some full frame lenses already in the anticipation of a move to full frame, and when I read about the low light performance that pretty much sealed the deal. The extra megapixels wernt really part of my decision. Also the fact that I can still use my existing batteries with it and possibly buy a battery grip, keep my existing bags, and avoid the size of full frame cameras like the D3, was another point of convenience.</p> <p>@Andrew: Trying the lenses out before you buy is a good way to avoid this, obviously all the problems cant be preconcieved just by trying it out for 5-10 mins or so, but it does give you a feel for the weight, comfort and general characteristics at different apertures.</p> <p>@Jim: Regarding tamron/sigma my friend said she had similar issues and suggested that if I could afford the Nikkor's I should probably stay away just because of the inconvenience if I did happen to get a dud. So that has sort of made me lean away from those alternatives. On the same note I did read some reviews about some lenses similar to the 24-70 in focal length by Tamron/Sig that reported them as decent (for the cost anyway).</p> <p>@Josh: Thanks for that tip.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenseelig Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 <p>Not exactly sure what you want to shoot but for me, buying lenses is like getting married. It should be for life and expensive. They will outlast bodies for a very long time. For perspective, I shoot mostly portrait work and very occasionally products. <br> Buy the best you can get so here is my list<br> Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8... I occasionally use this lens for interesting pictures and/or when I want to capture a wide angle. I may use it <5% of the time<br> Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8... I use this lens mostly when I am shooting in the studio today and it rarely left my D200 body, but on the FX body, I find it a bit short. The pictures are sharp.<br> Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8... I use this lens mostly when shooting environmental portrait work when I have enough space. When things are tighter, I use m 24-70. Since I have moved to the D700, this has become my favored lens for most work.<br> Nikkor 105 f/2.8 macro... I occasionally use this lens for portrait work and is wonderful for that except I think its focusing mechanism is a bit slow. I also use it for macro and product work.<br> Nikkor 50mm f/1.4... Don't use this lens much<br> Wish list<br> Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 and 105mm 2D</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenseelig Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 <p>Not exactly sure what you want to shoot but for me, buying lenses is like getting married. It should be for life and expensive. They will outlast bodies for a very long time. For perspective, I shoot mostly portrait work and very occasionally products. <br> Buy the best you can get so here is my list<br> Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8... I occasionally use this lens for interesting pictures and/or when I want to capture a wide angle. I may use it <5% of the time<br> Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8... I use this lens mostly when I am shooting in the studio today and it rarely left my D200 body, but on the FX body, I find it a bit short. The pictures are sharp.<br> Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8... I use this lens mostly when shooting environmental portrait work when I have enough space. When things are tighter, I use m 24-70. Since I have moved to the D700, this has become my favored lens for most work.<br> Nikkor 105 f/2.8 macro... I occasionally use this lens for portrait work and is wonderful for that except I think its focusing mechanism is a bit slow. I also use it for macro and product work.<br> Nikkor 50mm f/1.4... Don't use this lens much<br> Wish list<br> Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 and 105mm 2D</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenseelig Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 <p>not sure why i got a double post. Sorry</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony_gatti Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 <p>Sounds like an expensive lineup you have there.<br> My exact problem is that I never know what I need to shoot haha. Whatever I go out to shoot depends totally on the concepts that I pursue in my visual communications work. I shoot in the city, I shoot indoors, I shoot in open country, roads, industrial areas, people photography etc.<br> I didnt want to build my DX kit too much because I knew I would eventually upgrade and so Ive been living with the limitations of that kit for a while now. Good in a way as it helps you get the most out of your lenses.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_f3 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 <p>For the ultimate walk-about, the unfortunately discontinued<strong> 28-200mm G</strong> .</p> <p>Small, light, optically very good.</p> <p>Great combination with the D700's high ISO performance.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc_chang2 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 <blockquote> <p>I agree that K Rockwells views should be taken with a grain of salt. And in the same instance, Id probably be also inclined to say that no reviewer is free of bias or misrepresentation, its all relative in the end and some products are presented less equally than others.</p> </blockquote> <p>If you look at his profolio, one appears to see mostly landscape photography. He is not a real "people shooter," and this affects his recommendation of lenses. He thus does not think too highly of those f2.8 zoom lenses if the kit lenses can provide the same level of sharpness at f5.6. For landscape shooter, the quality of the bokeh, AF speed and accuracy in dim light are not important but corner to corner sharpness is. You just need to keep this in mind as you read his reviews.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_south Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 <p>The 24-70 f/2.8 G is an outstanding lens, but the 24-85 f/2.8-4 is also very nice at a fraction of the price (and size).</p> <p>I've never been a fan of 50mm lenses on 135/FX format. 45 and 55 are more useful focal lengths in my experience. Some FX users swear by the 17-35, 50mm, 70-200 (or 300) lens combination. I would be more inclined to swear AT it. A midrange zoom is the most useful lens on the planet. When I carry only one lens, it's a midrange soom. That means the 17-55 f/2.8 on DX, the 24-70 on FX, or the 24-70 or 24-85 on 135 film. Your mileage may vary.</p> <p>Wish list: Nikon should follow c*n*n's example and build a high-quality 24-105 VR. Yeah, baby!!</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilkka_nissila Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 <p>Dan, check photozone.de's review of the 24-105/4L on 5D Mk II (full frame reviews section). That's hardly what I would call "high quality". "Ok", but nothing like the recent f/2.8 Nikkor zooms.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony_gatti Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 <p>With due consideration, I ended up purchasing the 24-70 f/2.8<br> Hole in my pocket compared to the cheaper and similar lenses but I have been convinced that this lens is going to be the more flexible purchase in the long run.<br> Total cost came to $2829 for the D700 coupled with a high speed 8gb Sandisk CF card and $2265 for the 24-70. Total cost of $5094 including shipping and insurance. All prices in AUD.</p> <p>Once again Id like to thank everyone for their kind advice and thoughts in the matter, your information was extremely helpful. Cheers, Anthony.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now