Advice needed on FX Lenses Selection

mwajidali

Dear Experts,
I am Wajid a practicing photography as hobbyist & new to this forum, I am currently using D7100 & thinking of switching to FX body (D810/D750)
Kindly advice me in selecting the lens from the following it is mostly from f2.8 Vs F4
24-70 f2.8 vs 24-120 f4
70-200 f2.8 vs 70-200 f4
14-24 f2.8 vs 16-35 f4
As I am mostly into portraits & landscape.
I already have the 28, 50 & 85mm all f1.8
Most of the time while shooting portraits i am using above f4 & results are pretty much good compared to lower f numbers.
& for the landscape i am always above f8 for depth of field.
I am not into sports or stage photography.
Appreciate your inputs & Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Wajid.

heartyfisher

You don't need more lenses :-) and only YOU can decide which is best for YOU.

As an example I don't have even 1 of your lenses. We are all different.

Why are your lenses not suitable? What functionality are you wanting to gain with your next lense?

mwajidali

Hi Heartyfisher,

Thanks for your reply, well according to me the above mentioned 3 lenses especially 2.8 is considered to be a must have lenses for any photographer kits who is on fx. (That's what i came to know from many reviews on net & you tube)
So thought of interacting with some experts here for there feedback.
At a moment for wide angle i will be settling for 16-35mm F4 (as it make sense for me when you ask me about functionality)
Still need to decide on other two options.
Regards..

Pistnbroke

Study DXO and you will find the 16-35 is not the best available. Buy say a Samyang 14mm for your landscapes a
28-300 for everything else..you dont need a bag full of lenses and a bad back.

snakebunk

My advice is to be happy with your "28, 50 & 85mm all f1.8" until you need something else. I don't have any of those lenses but it sounds like a great starting point.

Don't let anybody else tell you what you need, find out for yourself.

mwajidali

Hi Pistnbroke,
Thanks for your input 28-300 sounds good. On other hand I am Nikon fan so wants to stick with their lenses.
Dont know much about samyang but earlier tried my hands on Tamron 10-24 & i am disappointed.

mwajidali

Hi Snakebunk,
I am not going to get away from "28, 50 & 85mm all f1.8" they will always remain with me.
I am here to seek advice as it will be beneficial to some extent as the poor man usually ends up paying more to get what he needs.

sevencrossing

Al the lenses you listed are first class

I have a D800 and of the lenses listed I have the

24-120 f4
70-200 f2.8
16-35 f4

If you want the convenience of a mid range zoom, you cannot beat the 24 -120 it has VR and more reach than the 24 -70

14-24 f2.8 vs 16-35 f4?
The 14 -24 is big, more expensive and does not take 77mm filters, only you know if you can afford or need 14mm and f2.8

If I re equipped, I would not get either the 70-200 f2.8 or 70-200 f4.
I would buy the Nikon 80-400mm AF-S Nikkor f4.5-5.6G ED VR. I also have this brilliant amazing lens and have not used my 70 -200 f 28 since I bought. It It is brilliant for candid portraiture

What about Samyang Sigma and other third party lenses????
I have been using Nikon cameras and lenses for over 50 I like the built quality and reliability
I do read about compatibility problems with third party lenses but I have no recent first hand experience of them

heartyfisher

The 28-300 is a nikkor :-)

LOL at all the suggestions .. like I said we are all different :-) can I suggest the 300 F4 PF ;-)

The 3 lenses that you currently have are good lenses. They will all be slightly different on FX vs DX .. you will have new FOV to play with. I think you should have a play with them and see what you like or dislike about them and then see what you feel is missing.. then decide. or revisit this thread with your experiences and we may be able to offer more suggestions ( .. confusions .. LOL )

funtagraph

If you want the convenience of a mid range zoom, you cannot beat the 24 -120 it has VR and more reach than the 24 -70

'course you can. If you're willing to pay less for more reach and better optical performance, you get a Sigma 24-105. "I do read about compatibility problems" - what is that supposed to mean? I read about focus issues, dirt on sensors, flare coming from AF modules.... shall I carry on? Do I stop using Nikon? I even read about decenterred 300/4E PF fresh out of the box. A 2000$ lens from Nikon is no guarantee never having troubles. Trouble is, we read a lot, but if all satisfied customers woul tell about their current experiences, the "issue!" posts would nearly disappear.

If one doens't want support 3rd party manufacturers, that's perfectly fine. And even photodealers are still living on the "Sigma/Tamron = trouble"-planet. 'Course they are because each unhappy customer returning a lens cuts their benefits.

A word to 28-300: Had it and am glad to sold it. Very disappointing in the long range.

sevencrossing

- what is that supposed to mean?

It means just that
I have only read about them
I have 50 years first hand experience of Nikon reliability
I have first hand experience of the
24-120 f4
70-200 f2.8
16-35 f4
80-400mm AF-S Nikkor f4.5-5.6G ED VR

I have no experience of the Sigma 24-105
Do you ? Have you compared it with Nikon 24 -120

My 24 -120 is 5 years old and has had some rough treatment
my suggestions are based on first hand experience
my past experience with sigma products are they are very good when new but are not a well built as Nikon produces.

(perhaps I should put " I have read Sigma build quality has changed ")

As I put on my signature

the above is just IMHO

do I need to repeat it on every post ?

mwajidali

Hi again Heartyfisher,
can I suggest the 300 F4 PF @ it is already in mind but will consider when i start shooting wildlife.
and agree with you on suggestions = confusions.
So far satisfactory with Sevencrossing advice.
Also note that in buying guide of this forum it is stating to wait for 24-70 f2.8 as it is rumored to be release with VR version some time near mid 2015.
So i am not going with it any time soon.

funtagraph

@sevencrossing No offense meant, You already wrote "I have read".

Just as a possible idea to think about: Within 50 years a manufacturer can change a lot. So, "50 years of experience" tell me "a happy and satisfied customer" has had close to no problems in the past. It doesn't tell me "he will furtheron also not suffering any problems". It's a valid point to talk about the risk of trusting a 3d partycompany which is reverse-engineering the whole stuff. But it's also a valid point to tell "I never had problems with Sigma" and (which I didn't but do it now) "I compared the test results and I know how good and especially, how much better the Sigma OS compared to the finest Nikon VR I know of, the 70-200/4. Both lenses I can talk about because I have them. As well as about 7 other Sigmas which were or are still in my posession.

spraynpray

My2c:

14-24 is great, but a little bit too prone to flare for my style of shooting so I recommend 16-35 (all of this on the basis of viewing thousands of club and public images not owning either ATM.

24-70 f2.8 over 24-120 because I find the 24-120 biased too far to the 'kit lens' market.

70-200 f4 - FABULOUS lens. If the sharpness and VR of the 80-400G is as good, one of those is in my future too (instead or as well depending on funds).

heartyfisher

The 300 F4 is not only good for wild life .. its a nice tele and can be used for portraits. but I was not really suggesting you get one :-) .. You really do have a nice range of FOV now. You may find that it is all you need. especially if you do get the D810 because you have the ability to crop quite a bit ( digital zoom :-) )

sevencrossing

Within 50 years a manufacturer can change a lot. So, "50 years of experience" tell me "a happy and satisfied customer" has had close to no problems in the past. It doesn't tell me "he will furtheron also not suffering any problems"..

I can only say my 3+ year old, hard working, battered, D800 is giving me the same reliable pleasure as my Nikon Fs did 50 years ago

WestEndFoto

Just like you, I am primarily into landscapes and portraits plus a bit of street, macro and everything else. You can see my images in my signature. My kit is:

D800, Coolpix A, J3, F80,
AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, MF NIKKOR 20mm f/2.8 AI-s, MF NIKKOR 28mm f/2.8 AI-s, MF Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-s, AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G, AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G, AF DC-Nikkor 135mm f/2D, AF Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4D IF-ED, Kenko 10, 20 & 36mm, TC-201,1 NIKKOR AW 10mm f/2.8,
RRS TVC-24, RRS TA-2-QC, RRS TA-2-LC, RRS BH-55-LR, B150-B, Billingham 207 and 550, SB-910(5), SB-400
Singh-Ray, Heliopan, B+W, Hoya, Pocketwizard, Nikon Monarch 10x42DCF

If I was in your shoes, I would buy the 20mm 1.8 that just came out and then you are done. If you have cash to burn and you want to push portraits further, I would then buy the 135 that is in my signature. It is 20 years old, but still gives my 85 a very serious run for its money.

Further cash to burn? Then I would buy the 200 f/4, which is a surprisingly good landscape lens. A macro also comes in handy and the 200 f/4 is the best macro lens money can buy. However, you might prefer the new 300 f/4 if macro is not your thing. If you have deep pockets, you also might want to consider the 200 f/2. That is my next purchase when Nikon updates it with fluorite elements.

Hope this helps!

heartyfisher

How cool is that @westEndFoto ! I don't have even 1 of the lenses you listed ! :-)

mwajidali

Dear Westendfoto,
I am quite impressed with your gear, your advice is under consideration for 20mm for landscape & 135mm for portrait.
Well currently i am not making any money out of my clicks it is just for my pleasure i am pursuing it. When ever i start making money from this surely will look fwd to your suggestions for 300 f/4 & 200 f/2.

Msmoto

A thought or two....I am into mainly full frame, D4, D800E, and utilize the following short lenses:
Modified 10.5mm f/2.8
16-35mm f/4 VR
24mm f/1.4
24mm f/3.5 PCE
24-120mm f/4 VR
35mm f/1.4 Sigma
50mm f/1.4 Rarely
85mm f1.8G
105mm f/2.8 VR
135mm f/2
70-200mm f/2.8 VR
and some others

Old, from the 1960's, manual focus, 24mm f/2.8, 35mm f/2, 85mm f/1.8

Here is a place you can see images on Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fantinesfotos/sets

As to lens choices....I use all of the above plus a couple others. They will all perform adequately, but subtle differences will influent my decisions. Quite often I will carry around one of the primes and simply shoot everything with this.

As one looks at the contributions to NRF, it is easy to see such a wide variety of lenses for all subjects that the final decision may be as simple as which one you like or on the cost. The new Sigma Art lenses are very good bargains IMO vs. the Nikkors.

So, have a good time in your shopping. Also, if you have any questions re: a photo on Flickr, send me a PM

mwajidali

Dear Msmoto,
Thanks for your response on my query, you the most senior in this forum i believe.
Your gear is from the years before my birth. hehe..
Before joining this forum i used to read your replys & advices to other members & already seen your pics on flickr..i like your moon pic..really it looks is it from NASA.
Will sure learn something new from this forum from the experts here.

tcole1983

I can't even recommend anything. To me and what I would suggest is $6000+ of lenses. Most people don't just go out and buy them all. And what works for me might not work for you. I would probably skip the 70-200, but I would get the 105 f2.8 and 300 f4 instead. Or if I had more money than I knew what to do with why not the 200-400 or something.

dissent

Can you rent an FX body? Then take your lenses and try them out on it. See how this impacts your shooting style/perception of your field of view. That may give you a better idea as to whether you are actually lacking any focal length option or not.

WestEndFoto

How cool is that @westEndFoto ! I don't have even 1 of the lenses you listed ! :-)

Quite cool actually. Nikon has a wide selection.

sevencrossing

Nikon has a wide selection.

Over 60 Fx lenses in fact

KnockKnock

Serious NAS here :-)

The 28 / 50 / 85 are a great trio. In this focal length range, if you can't get the shot you want, it's probably not the fault of the lens... maybe having to switch lenses is inconvenient to you though (?). So the zoom would only get you convenience, but the zoom will be inconveniently big.

As for other focal lengths, you might like a super wide. You might like a telephoto. Not once has the word "budget" appeared on this thread. Are you beyond concern for price? Do you have an opinion on weight? How do you like to carry your gear? How fast can you change lenses?

I only ask because these are classic zoom vs fixed lens issues. By all means, get the 2.8 zoom trio if you don't have these cares. It'll help Nikon and that fuels other things they can do that the rest of us can afford :-)

Otherwise the new 20mm f/1.8 and the 70-200 f/4 would be an efficient way to plug your focal length holes.