What’s Your Preference?

karuna01 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-05-2010, 04:47 PM

I am looking to get a wide angle lens for Nikon D700. Would appreciate if anyone could recommend a good lens?

I am bit squeezed for the budget ( USD800 )as I am getting the D700.

OsmosisStudios · #2 (**permalink**) 10-05-2010, 05:08 PM

Not much to fit the bill unless you can find an older 17-35.

Your best choices:
16-35 f/4 VR
14-24 f/2.8
24mm PC-E

ravncat · #3 (**permalink**) 10-05-2010, 10:25 PM

Those choices are all beyond budget. ( albeit excellent quality6

The question is how wide do you want to go.

28-35 range gets you into "semi wide" 24-28 gets you to "wide" and 14-24 is the ultrawide zone for the d700

you've got choices here, especially if you go third party, but the quality you get isn't killer, but it's not horrid either. Basically softer corners till you stop down more flaring and more ca/ distortion. The latter two can be corrected in post, the tokinas have more CA issues than the nikors. The samyang and Zeiss are MF and I forget the Zeiss prices. To fit your budget you may have to go used. I don't recall all the new and used costs. I wold check bjorn rorslette for info online

Nikon
14 2.8
20 2.8 af-d or 3.5ai or 4ais
24 2.8
35 1.4 ais or 35 2
18-35 af-d
20-35 af-d

Samyang
14 2.8

Zeiss ( used maybe )
21 mm f?
35mm f ?

Tokina
12-24
16-24 I think it's their new one

I think there are some other options too, from sigma and tamron. There are some dx lenses that work, but only for part of thier range like nikons 12-24

I use a nikon 20 2.8 24 1.4 and a 35 2 for my wides on d700. I can advise they will

kirbinster · #4 (**permalink**) 10-05-2010, 10:31 PM

I'm in the same boat and am considering the Sigma 12-24 (FX) not to be confused with the Sigma 10-20 which is DX.

sk66 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-06-2010, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Not much to fit the bill unless you can find an older 17-35.

Your best choices:
16-35 f/4 VR
14-24 f/2.8
24mm PC-E

16-35- $1k+
14-34- $1.5k
24 PC-E- $2k

Sigma 12-24- $800
Tokina 16-28 f/2.8- $850
Tamron 17-50 f/2.8- $650

inkista · #6 (**permalink**) 10-06-2010, 02:46 AM

+1 on the Samyang 14/2.8. ($400). Its only real weakness is the funky mustache distortion and being manual focus, and it performs better at the corners than a 14-24 @14mm. Wide open in the corners it beats the 14-24 at f/4.

The only other low-cost choice I can think of is really hard to find and may not be that cheap any more, and it's another Manual focus prime, but the Olympus OM 18mm f/3.5 (~$550 last I looked) and a Leitax adapter might be worth it. It's certainly smaller than all the other choices.