I'm having a bit of a problem in selecting the proper lenses for an upcoming trip to SE Asia. As I will be gone for 12 weeks I want to travel light and I want to take only 2 lenses with me. I currently own the following lenses for my D70 and F75:
- Nikkor 28-200G and 180D/2.8
- Sigma 17-35EX HSM and 135-400
For the trip I'm planning to take the 28-200G as my main lens, but for the wide angle shots I need something better. The 17-35 was bought for my F75 and gave great WA shots, but on the D70 it is "just" 26mm instead of 17mm. So I'm wondering if I should buy the 12-24 and use that lens instead of the 17-35.
What do you guys think? Any suggestions are welcome.
I've seen most of the reviews and read many postings about the quality of the Tokina so that is why I've chosen this lens instead of the Nikkor or similar lenses from Sigma and Tamron.
However, I'm still undecided between using my Sigma 17-35 or buy the Tokina to go more wide.
The Tokina 12-24 is an excellent lens (value for money is incredible). Don't forget it is quite heavy (in comparison to your 28-200 zoom).
It all depends on what you want to shoot. I use it when visiting cities but I mainly use the 18-70 anyway (for most shots 18mm will be enough, only 5% need to go wider).
gugs wrote:
The Tokina 12-24 is an excellent lens (value for money is incredible). Don't forget it is quite heavy (in comparison to your 28-200 zoom).
It all depends on what you want to shoot. I use it when visiting cities but I mainly use the 18-70 anyway (for most shots 18mm will be enough, only 5% need to go wider).
Compared to the Sigma 17-35 the weight of the Tokina is about the same so that shouldn't be a problem. As I'm not looking for a 1-lens solution I've taken the additional weight as a fact for this trip.
I've also looked at the kit lens but it shows too much distortion at the wide end for my taste. I know I can probably get by with the 17-35 as my main lens, but it is rather limiting on the "tele" end. As a substantial number of photos will be architectural (temples, etc) all kinds of distortion is bad. And yes, I know that the Sigma 12-24 has this very well under control, but it is an expensive lens (compared to the Tokina), weighs a lot and accepts no front filters.
Also the Sigma 18-50EX/2.8 is an option, but cost is about the same as the Tokina but the Sigma has (according to several tests) serious chromatic abboration problems.
Another option is to buy the Sigma 18-125 (mixed reviews available) and use it together with my Nikkor 180D or when total weight of my gear is limited the Sigma 135-400.
