Lens for D750 need help deciding

[BBQMonster]

I am going to be getting the Nikon D750 in the very new future and I am having a hard time with lens selection. Here are the two I am looking at

AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm F/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Or
AF-S Nikkor 24-120 F/4G ED VR

I currently have a D5200 with a 16-85 F3.5-5.6G ED VR and have been very happy with it. The 24-120 would have just about the same focal length range on the D750 as the 16-85 on the 5200 but the overall range of the 28-300 is also appealing. The guy at our local camera store refers to the 24-120 as a kit lens and was pushing the 28-300, but the 24-120 is actually more expensive than the 28-300. I know the 24-70 or 24-85 are also options, but I would like the reach of at least 120mm. If this helps I am planning on also getting the 14-24 2.8g and probably either a 35mm 1.8g or 50mm 1.4g in the future.
Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
BBQMonster

 

[havoc315]

I have the d750 with the 24-85, 18-35, 70-210/4 and 50/1.8.

I'm not a fan of super zooms like the 28-300. It's supposed to be a decent lens, but will be larger, slower, and less sharp than either the 24-85 or 24-120.
If you want to save a few dollars, the 24-85 is pretty good. Many reviews find it very close to the 24-120 in quality.
And truthfully, I want my walk around lens to start at 24, not 28.

For your low light prime... Unless you need 1.4 aperture, the 50/1.8 is just as sharp with faster AF, and of course cheaper.

 

[BBQMonster]

I have the d750 with the 24-85, 18-35, 70-210/4 and 50/1.8.

I'm not a fan of super zooms like the 28-300. It's supposed to be a decent lens, but will be larger, slower, and less sharp than either the 24-85 or 24-120.
If you want to save a few dollars, the 24-85 is pretty good. Many reviews find it very close to the 24-120 in quality.
And truthfully, I want my walk around lens to start at 24, not 28.

For your low light prime... Unless you need 1.4 aperture, the 50/1.8 is just as sharp with faster AF, and of course cheaper.

Thanks for your help with this. I was leaning towards the 24-120 but you helped me finalize my decision. I think it boiled down to more of a 24 vs 28 than an 120 vs 300 and your comment about starting at 24 sealed the deal. I figure if I start at 28 and then have to crop due to any distortion really start at 28+. I am sure there will be times when I will want more of a zoom, but that's what lens rental companies are for right?

Thanks again for your help.
BBQMonster

 

[havoc315]

Thanks for your help with this. I was leaning towards the 24-120 but you helped me finalize my decision. I think it boiled down to more of a 24 vs 28 than an 120 vs 300 and your comment about starting at 24 sealed the deal. I figure if I start at 28 and then have to crop due to any distortion really start at 28+. I am sure there will be times when I will want more of a zoom, but that's what lens rental companies are for right?

Thanks again for your help.
BBQMonster

For the price of the 24-120, you can likely get used, the 24-85 and the 70-300... Then you are well covered from 24 all the way up to 300. You'll get differing opinions, but some people believe the 24-85 is just as good as the 24-120 (and slightly faster on the short end, slightly slower on the long end). From my experience with the 24-85 and viewing reviews, etc... I'd say they are very close, but the 24-120 probably has an edge.

Personally, I'm covered directly from 18-200 (18-35, 24-85, and 70-200), and then a 2x teleconverter to get me to 400... Though I'm not yet sure whether the loss of sharpness is worth the teleconverter.

Took this today with the 70-200 and 2x:

Seagull in Flight by Havoc315, on Flickr

 

[BBQMonster]

Very cool picture and it looks pretty sharp to me. I take it you are happy with the D750? I ordered mine on Friday and it should be here by Tuesday. Already downloaded the manual as there is a lot to learn. It is coming with the 24-120 and I plan on getting the 50 1.8 and then the 14-24mm 2.8g in the very near future. Who knows I might order the 14-24 before the end of the week. We have annual passes to Disneyland so that will give me a chance to get used to everything before we head to Orlando in May. Will probably hold of on getting anything above 200 for awhile. Might rent one for Orlando, but I should probably get used to the new camera and other lenses first.

Thanks again for all your help. If I get anything good over Christmas I will post them in the Nikon section. Might be awhile as I still have a bunch to work on that I took with the D5200.

BBQMonster

 

[havoc315]

Very happy with it. As I wasn't a Nikon user, there was a good amount of learning to do.

Make sure you learn all the focus modes.

 

[BBQMonster]

Very happy with it. As I wasn't a Nikon user, there was a good amount of learning to do.

Make sure you learn all the focus modes.

I remember when you posted that you got it, glad you are happy with it. Just picked up mine about an hour ago. Kinda busy tonight so probably will not get to play with it until tomorrow night. Will be sure to learn the focus modes. Also ordered the 50mm 1.8 today based on your advise. Should have it in time to play with it over the weekend.
Thanks again for all your help.
BBQMonster

 

[havoc315]

I remember when you posted that you got it, glad you are happy with it. Just picked up mine about an hour ago. Kinda busy tonight so probably will not get to play with it until tomorrow night. Will be sure to learn the focus modes. Also ordered the 50mm 1.8 today based on your advise. Should have it in time to play with it over the weekend.
Thanks again for all your help.
BBQMonster

Can't wait to see some shots. I noticed I've rarely used my 50/1.8.. It is very sharp, nice and compact, etc. But I came over from Sony, so I'm used to stabilization on all lenses. Because DOF is so narrow on full frame, I find myself stopping down to F4 anyway... So without stabilization, I'm shooting at 1/80 to avoid camera shake... Meanwhile, my other stabilized lenses, I can shoot at the same aperture and slower shutter speed.

If I ever get back to Disney, I'll certainly use the 50/1.8 for dark rides, where I need to keep my shutter speed up anyway. And I have gotten some nice narrow DOF portraits with the 50/1.8 outdoors, but with winter here, I won't be doing a ton of outdoor portraits for a while.

I shot an event the other day.... I realize now, I probably should have tried shooting a bit with the 50/1.8 flashless. Instead, I was bouncing the SB700 for every shot and mostly using my 70-200/4. When my arm started to get sore after a few hours, I should have changed to the 50/1.8!

 

[BBQMonster]

Can't wait to see some shots. I noticed I've rarely used my 50/1.8.. It is very sharp, nice and compact, etc. But I came over from Sony, so I'm used to stabilization on all lenses. Because DOF is so narrow on full frame, I find myself stopping down to F4 anyway... So without stabilization, I'm shooting at 1/80 to avoid camera shake... Meanwhile, my other stabilized lenses, I can shoot at the same aperture and slower shutter speed.

If I ever get back to Disney, I'll certainly use the 50/1.8 for dark rides, where I need to keep my shutter speed up anyway. And I have gotten some nice narrow DOF portraits with the 50/1.8 outdoors, but with winter here, I won't be doing a ton of outdoor portraits for a while.

I shot an event the other day.... I realize now, I probably should have tried shooting a bit with the 50/1.8 flashless. Instead, I was bouncing the SB700 for every shot and mostly using my 70-200/4. When my arm started to get sore after a few hours, I should have changed to the 50/1.8!

I thought that jumping from the D5200 to the D750 would be pretty easy, but I guess I was mistaken. I am starting to figure out where all the buttons are and what they do, but there is a lot to learn. First thing I need to do is learn how to do things on the D750 that I did the most on the D5200 and also get used to the different Focus Modes. I am hoping that I can setup my base bracketing settings under U1 or U2 and make my adjustments from there. When I got my first DSLR I purchased the David Busch guide for that particular camera model and it was very helpful. Unfortunately his D750 guide does not come out til February so I am stuck with my base knowledge and the manual until then.

The 50/1.8 is supposed to arrive on Friday, but I probably will not play with it for a week or two as I need to learn a lot of other stuff first. We are going to go to Disneyland for a day after Christmas and again after New Years so hopefully I will get something worth posting from one of those days. Not much to do but read and take pictures of the cats until then. I still have some photos from the 5200 to work on so I will be sure to note which camera they came from if I post them around here.
Thanks again for all your help.
BBQMonster