6 replies to this topic

[banffdude]

Hi all, newbie here looking for some advice.

 

I have a trip booked in April to Easter Island followed by a stay in Torres del Paine in Patagonia.

 

I currently have a Nikon D90 (converted to shoot IR) which I am looking forward to using in both locations, but more specifically Easter Island.

Along with this I have just the two lenses, the Nikon kit 18-105 and a Sigma 10-20 3.5 which as a general rule suit my needs as I rarely shoot telephoto.

 

However, the biggest restriction of the IR conversion of course was that the camera was no longer capable of picking up colour, something that I have come to miss.

 

Therefore I have now purchased a Nikon D7200, which I am looking forward to trying out.

 

However, I could do with some advice as to what lens to buy to go with my setup.

 

I predominently, shoot landscape, but I don't want to miss any opportunities that may present themselves on this trip.

I also want to try some astrophotography in both locations and have a play with the timelapse capability of the 7200.

 

I have been looking at the following lenses

 

Nikon 17-55 2.8

Nikon 18-300 (all in one, but as I said it's rare that I shoot the long telephoto end)

Nikon 20mm 1.8 for the astrophotography

 

What do you think?, could anyone suggest a good alernative lens, possibly with experience of shooting in the same locations.

Unfotunately, there is one caveat, the usual one, Money I'm limited on budget due to the cost of the trip and having purchased the 7200, so please much as I would love one, no 24-70 2.8 or 70-200 2.8's please.

However, is Santa is reading this, please please please, I've been a good boy honest!

 

To get an idea of my more normal shooting styles (almost anything), please take a look at my flickr account James Sykes | Flickr

 

Any ideas or suggestions will be gratefully received.

 

Thanks

 

 

[etphoto]

If you are going to shoot any wildlife you'll need a long lens. Just because you shoot mostly landscapes doesn't mean you don't need some reach on occasion.

[Ron]

Tall order. As etphoto said, for wildlife the tele would come in handy. However, for both astro and time lapse you would probably be better served by a prime and the new 20mm F/1.8 the best lens (of the three you mention) for those tasks.

 

I personally don't have any experience with either the lenses you're interested in or the location you're traveling to (you lucky devil, you!). However, I do shoot some DX and I have an AFS 16-85DX VR that I can recommend. It's not terribly expensive although not real cheap either. It is, I believe, less expensive than any of the lenses on your lest though.

 

I guess if I were doing this on a tight budget I'd go with the aforementioned 16-85 and an AFS 70-300G VR. Add to that the 35mm F/1.8 DX (for low light and astro) and you have a good all around kit that gives you great coverage from 24mm all the way to 450mm (35mm equivalent). And all of those lenses together should run around a $1000US. The 20mm alone is, I believe, just under 9 bills.

 

The down side is that, with the exception of the 35mm F/1.8DX, all of the lenses I mention are fairly slow with variable apertures. 

 

Good luck!

 

--Ron

[Merco_61]

The 17-55 is a wonderful lens, but expensive even used. It is quite heavy and don't balance too well on today's bodies as it was made for the D2 that was much heavier. If you need f/2.8, the Tamron or Sigma 17-50 offerings are more budget-friendly. The Tamron without VC is the better choice for landscape as the VC version loses sharpness near the edges and the Sigma shows some CA. The older Tamron has some vignetting but that is easily corrected in post and is included in the lens profile in LS and PS. If f/2.8 isn't necessary, the 16-85 is a great allround normal zoom.

The 70-300VR is cheap enough to get just in case you need a longer lens for such a once in a life time experience. The new version of the 18-300 is good for a superzoom, but more expensive than and not as sharp as a 70-300VR.

A 20/1.8 is a nice choice for astro and well worth the cost if you can afford it, just remember not to use an UV filter at night... If you intend to visit some of the museums, get a 35/1.8 as there are lots of interesting exhibits and tripods and flash are forbidden.

 

In short, I agree with Ron, but with some added third-party alternatives.

 

Good luck!

[banffdude]

Hi all

 

many thanks for your feedback.

 

Thinking about it, I'm afraid that I must agree with you, though I use telephoto rarely, not having 300mm capability on this trip runs the risk of a missed opportunity.

 

Based on that, I think I will go with the 18-300 at present to reduce the amount of times I may need to change the lens during the days, Patagonia is renowned for being somewhat changeable weather wise (I believe all four seasons in a day is not unheard of)

 

However, I would still like to get  a 2.8 for the Astro and timelapse option.

 

Outside of the lens, I was going to purchase a SB-700, but I could potentially, put that money towards the 2.8.
Hopefully, there will be some Sales on after the holidays and something interesting may come up. if not, I'll play the waiting game for the 2.8 and see what happens.

At least with the equipment I will have I cover 15 - 450 though not the fastest

 

I'd love the 20mm 1.8 but I suspect that's unlikely on this trip, but thanks for the suggestion of the Sigma 17-50 2.8 and I know the Nikon 35mm 1.8 is good, I just suspect It won't be quite wide enough for the Astro.

 

Unfortunately, it looks like I won't be getting the Nikon 17-55 2.8, it only made the list as I saw a new one in a clearance sale of a reputable dealer here at $675 , I hesitated and missed it aaaargh!

 

Thanks again.

[Merco_61]

When looking for the 18-300, make sure that you get the AF-S DX 18-300/3,5-6,3G ED VR and not the older and more expensive 3.5-5.6 version as it is both cheaper and better. 

[banffdude]

Hi Merco

 

I had already checked on this, but thanks for making sure that I was aware of the two models available.

 

It's currently on Amazon UK at £499 which I think is a fair price, though I am hoping it may go down slightly more in the sales after Christmas.

 

Thanks again