Interested in purchasing a new lens

I am fairly new at professional photography and purchased my D7000 9 months ago, upgraded from the D3200 I had for about a year. I am looking for the best all around lens for my camera. Right now I am using the 2 lenses that came with my D3200 bundle and I am sick of switching my lens all the time. I have been doing some research and I just feel over whelmed at this point, and with what these bad boys cost I need other opinions.

TIA
Heather
 
I say $1500.00 because I found the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8G ED Autofocus lens for around that price and it seemed like a good choice for me. Just looking to see what other people think...
 

480sparky

Senior Member
I'm assuming you have the 18-55 and 55-200 now. But what is it that these two lenses are not doing you want to do... not change lenses? Then I'd say the 18-200 is right up your alley.
 
Well I'm glad you find it hilarious..jerk. What I meant by professional photographer is I just recently started getting paid. I learned everything I know so far on my own and I'm obviously still learning. I thought that the whole point of a forum is get ideas and help.
 
I'm assuming you have the 18

Yes those are the 2 I have. I have a couple issues with the ones I have. I hate switching my lens so much and I borrowed my friend's Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.9G ED Autofocus lens and it seems like the clarity of the photos came out so much better with her lens compared to mine.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Yes those are the 2 I have. I have a couple issues with the ones I have. I hate switching my lens so much and I borrowed my friend's Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.9G ED Autofocus lens and it seems like the clarity of the photos came out so much better with her lens compared to mine.


If the 24-70/2.8 has the focal lengths you need, and gives you better IQ, go for it..... as long as it's in your budget. That lens is basically THE gold standard for zooms.

One advantage to that lens is it's FX. So if you ever upgrade to FX bodies......
 

Zerobeat

Senior Member
If the 24-70/2.8 has the focal lengths you need, and gives you better IQ, go for it..... as long as it's in your budget. That lens is basically THE gold standard for zooms.

One advantage to that lens is it's FX. So if you ever upgrade to FX bodies......
How well does the D version compare? She could probably pick one up for about 1/2 of what she had budgeted, maybe even rent one before hand to see if it compares. Just a thought...
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
Heather... Do you use Adobe's Lightroom? If you do, it keeps all your image data (which camera, lens, etc.). Using the Library module's filter... you can determine, of all your images within a specific date range, which focal length you ultimately used... Using that data should help you determine what focal length you use the most and then narrow your lens search...

PS... I'm just up the road from you, in Port St Lucie
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
If the 24-70/2.8 has the focal lengths you need, and gives you better IQ, go for it... as long as it's in your budget. That lens is basically THE gold standard for zooms.
Could not agree more.

If the focal length works for you, and it fits your budget, you couldn't ask for a much better suggestion. That's some killer glass, right there.
....
 

Pretzel

Senior Member
I agree with Sparky on the 24-70 covering a lot of the good zoom ranges for portraiture, but TBH, I've gotten a lot of amazing use out of primes for portraiture (although I'll admit to not using the 24-70). Nikkor's 85mm prime is a powerhouse for portraits, in fact, and the 50mm is a work horse too, for everything except the "head only" shots. I just zoom with my feet.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
......, maybe even rent one.......

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Yep. I'd suggest spending a bit and renting any prospective lens before dropping the dime on it. Far cheaper than buying one, finding out it doesn't suit you, and having to start all over. I've even rented 3 lenses over a weekend so I have time to race them against each other.

Sometimes, you can get lucky and find an über-sharp copy of a particular lens, then contact the rental outfit and see if they'll sell it to you on the spot.
 

Lawrence

Senior Member
I think as a professional you would expect to be changing your lenses as frequently as the shots require.
A general walk around lens might do but you will be better off with lenses for specific jobs which seems to be the message coming through here.
My vote is also for the 24-70
Good luck
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
Heather...Just so you know...There's a series of Photography courses taught at IRSC, and the next Sept 23rd class is an Advanced class on Portraiture... It's at the Chastain campus in Stuart... the questions you're asking will be answered in those courses...
 

PapaST

Senior Member
I like the versatility of the 24-70 and like others have mentioned it's a terrific piece of glass. One thing you should consider, if you're happy with your current glass then maybe you should look at a second body. It sounds like a major sticking point for you is swapping glass. With two bodies, you don't have to worry about that as much. Also, since this is a budding business for you, having a backup camera starts to become essential gear. You can pair up your D7000 with another one for about $500.

Just a thought.
 
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Yep. I'd suggest spending a bit and renting any prospective lens before dropping the dime on it. Far cheaper than buying one, finding out it doesn't suit you, and having to start all over. I've even rented 3 lenses over a weekend so I have time to race them against each other.

Sometimes, you can get lucky and find an über-sharp copy of a particular lens, then contact the rental outfit and see if they'll sell it to you on the spot.

I think renting might be my best bet..I have my heart set on the 24-70 but only because it's the only one I've tried. Do you have any suggestions where to rent from?
 
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