p.1 #1 · ~$950 for landscape + walk around FX lens
$950 to spend... Want to cover wide angles for landscapes and a general walk around lens on my D700.
Currently have a Sigma 85mm f/1.4 so there isn't much chance of overlap here.
My initial thoughts:
Nikon 35mm f/2
Tokina 17mm f/3.5
That would only run me around $500 total (saving money is always a plus).
Plan B: Nikon 16-35mm f/4
Not a big fan of the loss of a stop. Also eats up my entire budget. But I get an all in one solution which is nice. The IQ is, apparently, world class.
p.1 #2 · ~$950 for landscape + walk around FX lens
Depends on the kind of landscapes you're doing, but if it were me, it would be that 16-35 for sure. One thing with landscapes, they don't all fit onto a single focal length and if you only have one lens, that lens better be a zoom.
And before anyone says it - no you can't always step back or step closer. Sometimes there are things like cliffs, rocks, rivers, lakes, brush, etc in the the way
p.1 #5 · ~$950 for landscape + walk around FX lens
The 16-35 has better corner performance than the Tokina 17/3.5 (I've tried two of them). I'd only bother with the Tokina if ultrawide is near the bottom of your priority list.
The Nikon 24-85 f/3.5-4.5 is a great general purpose lens for the D700. It focuses relatively quick, and is sharp across the range, including the corners when stopped down a touch. You can find them used for $250-350, which would leave you a nice chunk of budget for a quick prime or ultrawide supplement.
p.1 #8 · ~$950 for landscape + walk around FX lens
If you're in landscapes and even for general stuff you may be happy with manual focus. That creates a whole new spectrum for you. What about a 28mm / 2.0 AI (around $250) and for example a Voigtlander 40mm? These lens are small enough to actually carry and you won't lose any light (as opposed to the 28-300).
p.1 #9 · ~$950 for landscape + walk around FX lens
I own a 105mm macro AIS, forgot to mention that. I know the greatness of the MF world and wouldn't mind a landscape manual focus since I'd be stopped down and shooting at hyperfocal anyways. But for the more general walk around, I'm just not good enough to do it without AF. At least not yet.
p.1 #12 · ~$950 for landscape + walk around FX lens
For landscapes
16-35VR
or 17-35 for less $$$
For my purposes, a true walk-around lens would be the 24-120f4 VR, thought it makes for a pretty heavy combination and it's back to the f4 you don't quite like. I sometimes walk around with just the 35 f2, but for landscapes I prefer 24mm. The 24-85 AFS has some pretty good recommendations as well, but I have no personal experience with that.
p.1 #17 · ~$950 for landscape + walk around FX lens
i'd start at a ZF28 or ZF35 ver .1 for 600-700, and if you use wider, and look around for a decent priced 18mm 2.8 nikkor (they can be found around 400, i know ebay always try to get obnoxious amounts for them, 20 2.8 niikors much easier to find cheap., if you don't need filters the tokina 16-28 2.8, and if you do and want a big zoom the 16-35 f4 nikkor or the 17-35mm 2.8.
p.1 #19 · ~$950 for landscape + walk around FX lens
Nijay,
depending on your shooting style you may consider wide angle primes for landscape:
according to photozone.de resolution of the AF-D 20mm and the AF-D 24mm at f5.6 and f8 is very close to 14-24mm performance - albeit in a very light package.
as i recently switched to nikon for the D800 i bought both the 20 and 24 last week on ebay for USD 210 and 330 respectively...
the 35mm 2.0 apparently performs less than stellar - if your style allows i think a 50 1.8 AF-s for 220 new would be a brilliant solution - total cost 760 USD for 20 & 24 f 2.8 wideangle and 50mm f1.8.
