Photogs: Which Nikon zoom combo?

[Racer X]

I have heard of deck apes, a strictly seafaring ape, known for their ability to mop and process beer.

[AAA]

Yeah, I have an 85mm/f1.8. Love the speed and weighty feel. But bad indoor lens for what most people shoot.

[laarree]

AAA wrote:
Yeah, I have an 85mm/f1.8. Love the speed and weighty feel. But bad indoor lens for what most people shoot.

I've got that lens too. It's pretty nice, if a bit noisy with auto-focus
compared to more recent designs. I did this shoot of musicians in
a recording studio using available light with this lens and the D300:
http://homepage.mac.com/laarree/Sites/ja...index.html

[wowzer]

The Nikkor 18-200 VR is a good piece of glass.

The Nikkor 18-105 VR is a good piece of glass.

The Nikkor 70-300 VR is a very good piece of glass.



I'd personally go with the following:
Tamron 17-50 f2.8 or
Tamron 28-75 f2.8

+

Sigma 70-200 HSM (used if you need to save money) or
Nikkor 80-200 AF-D 2 ring zoom (used if you need to save money)


While more expensive than the nikon lenses, these combos will take excellent to outstanding images.



Since your interest is in shooting kids, I'd go with a fast piece of glass (f2.8 or faster). The reason is that they don't stay still for the shot and in darker environments, you may not get good results from the VR lenses (at least without flash).


The Nikon 18-200 VR handles well...although quite a bit heavier than my Sigma 18-200 (non-OS version). The nikon takes sharp images at the center, but at the long range, tends to be less sharp. The autofocus is fast---SWM (silent wave motor) is fast and quiet on this lens. The only complaint about the 18-200 is the lack of a lock, as the lens tends to creep when pointed at the ground. You really can't go wrong with this lens, unless you have fast moving objects in a dark environment (i.e. at home taking pictures of the kids).

GL.