lens help for my D5100

Hi all,
I am doing a friend's wedding photos in October (nothing fancy she's different and wants candid shots not staged ones). I did one last week too, and it went really well. I lent a friend's amazing 24-70mm lens and it was epic. i need a lens in my life that is sharp, fast, autofocus and a good all rounder. i have a 50mm F1.8 prime, my kit 18-55 and the 55-200 but what would you suggest as a good all rounder, possibly wide angle, but something that would be great to capture everything to be honest. I don't want to be faffing around with lenses all afternoon. I have a budget of £275-£300 max. as long as its autofocus I will be happy! any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. my camera is a Nikon D5100.
thanks in advance.

I have a Sigma 17-70 lens almost permanently attached to my D5100. I've had so many good photos with this lens... have a look at my gallery and my flickr or 500px accounts to see the combination together

lens choice for my D5100

What is a good all-rounder lens for my D5100? I am taking pictures for a friend's wedding in a couple of months time, and i have a 50mm F1.8, my kit lens 18-55 and a 55-200mm lenses. I want something sharp and my budget for a new lens is £250 - £300 max. It has to be autofocus and it doesnt have to be a Nikon lens. i bought a second hand tamron lens from someone, and although its a nice lens, it doesn't autofocus on my camera. I dont know why. I like the sharpness of my prime lens, but not the fact that it doesnt have a zoom. awkward sometimes.
thanks in advance.

I will have a look Tracey, thank you

Out of your current selection, I think the 50mm will be the best as it's good in low light (In door wedding, with a night doo?) and a decent focal length... The bit I wonder abound is the "Candid" side of your requirement... That would suggest using a longer length, but I'm not sure the 55-200mm would be up to scratch in low light.

I'd avoid wide angle - Groups of people will get distorted if you go wide, the 18-55mm would be as wide as I'd go.

Maybe use the money to hire a fast zoom for the "across-the-room-candid" side of things, the 50mm for personal portraits and the 18-55mm for group shots?

Then spare batteries, SD cards etc....


ETA - I just thought, if low light isn't a big issue, the 18-105mm would cover most of what you need at a decent price and save a lot of lens swapping........

thanks Steve. I do love my prime i must be honest. i dont think the 55-200 will be used, i dont think its sharp enough.

You should have a look at Tamron 17-50 2.8. I'd say it's as sharp as Nikon's 24-70 but the bokeh is just a tad more nervous. I would probably be a great wedding lens in your case.

Yeah, I don't think the 55-200 would be useful, and it may be that the 18-105 is in the same camp.

Is the wedding in doors, a church or hotel and you taking pics of the evening function too? An all-rounder good in low light could be a big ask on a budget.

Maybe a 105mm F2 prime, and swap between that and the 50mm? Or borrow a second body for the second lens.

I was thinking about a Tamron AF 28-75mm f2,8, the 28 is not ultra wide on an APS-C body, but at the price range you will have to make choices, you will need version 2 with build in motor for the D5100. [h=3]Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 SP XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) - Review / Test Report - Samples Images & Verdict[/h]
It will not be a Nikon 24-70, probably needs some stopping down to get reasonable end to end sharpness, etc... but I guess it will give quite a buzz if you master its character.

Found something else while surfing, not as fast, but Nikon and a bit wider: Nikon 24-85mm AF-S G Review

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And certainly this one, less wide but faster again: Nikon 35-70mm f/2.8 AF

You just need some luck to find them.