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of my lenses are Nikon. I tried many other manufacturers of lenses and was NEVER satisfied
with the results. It's not that Nikon is the only manufacturer to make good lenses -- it's
just that it seems that non-camera manufacturers just don't do as good a job as the major
manufacturers. I used to be obstinate about zoom lenses. I did NOT like zoom lenses. Well, I liked their versatility, but felt that they do not perform as well as prime lenses. Everybody seems to be saying that zoom lenses perform much better than they used to -- well, I recently purchased my first zoom - the Nikon 17-35mm/2.8 AF-S. I did it mainly for "weight" issues. I'm trying to lighten my load. With that one lens, I was able to replace 17mm, 20mm, 24mm and 35mm lenses. This lens has changed my mind to a certain extent as I'm very happy with the results I'm getting. My camera bag now contains the following lenses:
Given the above array of glass, I have my favorites. The 17-35mm is my absolute favorite! I can't imagine being without it. I just LOVE wide (real wide) angle lenses. One of the misnomers of beginning photographers is that they must have (i.e., want) a telephoto lens. To me, the most useful lenses are wide angle. This, of course, assumes you're not doing wildlife photography. I've become a real convert - I really like the functionality of this zoom. The 105mm micro lens is wonderful for macro work and larger animals that are reasonably close. The 300mm is invaluable for wildlife, although with a 300mm, the wildlife must be relatively big and close. A tripod is required with the 300mm, even with shutter speeds of 1/500. With the 2x teleconverter the 300mm becomes a 600mm f8 and is a cheap alternative for wildlife at more of a distance (a 600mm/f4 costs as much as a small car!!). But with this combination (600mm), a tripod is absolutely essential and so is mirror lockup. The vibration caused by the mirror can easily impact images made with this focal length. |
