good all purpose lens for d7000

[acejka]

I'm looking for a good all purpose lens for my camera. I have a 50mm and like it but I just prefer a zoom. The kit lens is giving me major issues, so before I give up on the camera and switch back to sony, I want to give it one more go with a new lens.

I'm looking at the 18-200 sigma, does anyone have any reviews? Or better suggestions? I don't want to spend a ton in case I do go back to sony, but I've got a fair amount to spend.

TIA.

 

[photo_chick]

What kind of issues is the kit lens giving you?

 

[acejka]

What kind of issues is the kit lens giving you?

Everything is really soft and it has trouble auto focusing.

And it's not just me, I've had other people shoot with the camera and their images are soft too. It improves with the 50mm so that is why I was thinking it was the lens. I mostly stick to manual, sometimes aperture, but we've even shot in auto and the images are soft.

At first I was thinking it might be the body because it seems to improve when you take the lens off and put it back on. Who knows maybe it is a combo of the lens and the body. I'm planning on using the 50 until I get back from vacation and then send it off since I do have all the warranties, I was hoping a nicer lens might improve things and I could hopefully avoid sending it off.

 

[TC09]

If the 50mm is an improvement, but still isn't as sharp as it should be, then I don't think any other lens will do better.

You mentioned it improves when you take the lens off and put it back on... maybe it's the connection between the contacts of the lens and body?

 

[acejka]

If the 50mm is an improvement, but still isn't as sharp as it should be, then I don't think any other lens will do better.

You mentioned it improves when you take the lens off and put it back on... maybe it's the connection between the contacts of the lens and body?

The 50 is an improvement and nice and sharp... Sorry, my rambling is misleading. The 50 is definitely much better.

 

[photo_chick]

Primes are sharper than zooms. My 50mm f/1.8 is noticeably sharper than my 18-55 kit lens. (I shoot Canon but I know Nikon's quality is about the same on these)

There are a lot of things that can make an image soft. Have you tried to focus manually? Have you performed a focus test to make sure it is the equipment and not a user issue? Are you sure you're just not expecting more than a kit lens will deliver? (if that's the case than the Sigma 18-200 is likely to disappoint you because it's not going to be any sharper than your kit lens) And lastly.. are you sure it's a case of poor focus and not motion blur? I've talked with a lot of people who thought their zoom was not properly focusing when in reality they just had motion blur. The 50mm is a much faster, lighter lens so motion blur isn't as much of an issue.

 

[wbeem]

For the D7000, look at the Nikon 18-200 VR2. It's very sharp, has excellent range for a walk-about lens, and the VR helps in low-light. I had the older version when I was shooting crop-sensor cameras (D70 & D200) and loved that lens. Now it's even better. In fact, I was just out last night on Disney's Boardwalk shooting with a friend who had that same combination of D7000 & 18-200, and she loves it.

 

[LordAthens]

While the 18-200 Nikkor is an ok piece of glass, also check out the Tamron 18-270 PZD (make sure it's the PZD version and not the older, non-PZD version).

Overall, between the two they're very comparable pieces of glass. The Nikon edges it out in build quality by a hair (then again, I've owned some atrociously built Nikon's over the years and still haven't busted one of them) and I noticed a little more CA on the Tamron (easily fixed in post), but the Tamron is certainly sharper especially on the wide end. It also get's you an extra 70mm on the long end over the Nikon. Keep in mind that past 200mm, it's pretty slow glass, all the way to 6.3. Depending on the subject and if I knew what I was trying to frame, I would likely shoot at 200mm rather than boost the ISO or underexpose the shot and just crop it out, the D7K has a lot of resolution to play with (and it's exactly that reason why it can make certain glass look like absolute pooh, lots of pixel density on that sensor!).

I've used both pieces of glass, they both have their pro's and con's. I just popped over the B&H to see the price difference and.. wow. The Nikkor 18-200 goes for $850 right now, the Tamron 18-270PZD is $599 with a $100 MIR, netting it to $499. That's a $350 savings. I may very well impulse buy one of them just to have a "all in one" in my bag.

Normally I'm not a huge Tamron fan, some of their glass is just utter garbage and sometimes you might have to return it 2 or 3 times to get a solid copy (make sure you shop somewhere with a good return policy like B&H or Amazon (though I'm not sure Amazon is an authorized dealer and as such, no rebate)), but this lens, at least compared to a mid-range lens like the 18-200 Nikkor is quite good.

I would suggest renting both of them from Borrow Lens, but the rebate ends on 12/31 so you may quickly run out of time.

HTH!