csgaraglino
Senior Member
Looking for some real-world experience/advice.
I have both a D810, D700 and D500 along with all the Pro Glass from 14mm to 500mm and I do well with them in most all scenarios that I put them - and then...
This past year my wife was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and then the threat of Uterine Cancer lead to an additional surgery - and while she is doing great (both caught early) it took a major toll on her physically and "slowed" down our outdoor activities. Not in frequency, but actually in speed; we went from cycling 20+ miles to walking/hiking 2+ miles.
Carrying a couple pro glass lenses 2, 4 even 6 miles under normal circumstances is no bid deal for most; do it at 10,000ft with 1,500+ ft of elevation gain - and it starts to wear on you.
So I'm looking for a "one size fits most" lens that I can carry in my backpack instead of the heavy 2.8 glass. While I am a realist and know that the sub $1,000 lenses are not going to stack up against pro glass, given the right conditions it seems that they can do quite well if used within their limitations. So here's the conditions I'll be shooting in:
These are hiking excursions for my wife first, and shooting second. We live in Colorado Springs at the base of Pikes Peak and with over a million acres of Pike National Forest, we have lots to explore in our own backyard. We will typically 4x4 in and use the truck as base, hikes will range form 2-6 miles in the beginning and over 15+ miles later in the summer/fall. Can start at 9,000-12,000ft and include anywhere from 500 to 2,500 ft of ascents. 95% of the time weather will be excellent with full sun. Hours will range between 9am and 6pm and hikes can last from 2-3 hrs. Colorado Mountains are full of incredible Granite outcropping, stunning high-mountain lakes, huge Aspen groves and more Pines than you can shake a stick at! Wildlife will range from small squirrels, wild Turkeys and 6 of the 7 Big Game animals (Elk, Moose and even Mountain Lion) and lets not forget the plethora of mountain birds; most all relatively slow moving or standing still.
This year I carried the 24-70mm and the 70-200mm on the D810 and weight aside, found myself “occasionally” looking for wider, but mostly looking for more reach. I have been spending several weeks pouring over all the reviews, opinions and samples and have narrowed it down to 3 Nikon VR lenses: 24-120mm f/4 w.1.4x TCII (I already have the TC), 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 and the 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3. I should mention, I will be carrying the D500 a DX body for these hikes and I’m not worried about using these on my FX.
There is just too much conflicting reviews out there; some like Ken Rockwell - some don’t. Some like Photography Life, some don’t - etc. So I figured I’d drop the question here and ask those that actually have one or have used one or more of these lenses (or any other Nikon lens that might work) and can give me some insight into their performance under the scenarios that I mentioned above. I will say, Image Quality, especially sharpness is high on my list (yes like I mentioned, I understand these will not compare to pro glass) and most everything else I should be able to work within the limitations.
Thoughts?
I have both a D810, D700 and D500 along with all the Pro Glass from 14mm to 500mm and I do well with them in most all scenarios that I put them - and then...
This past year my wife was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and then the threat of Uterine Cancer lead to an additional surgery - and while she is doing great (both caught early) it took a major toll on her physically and "slowed" down our outdoor activities. Not in frequency, but actually in speed; we went from cycling 20+ miles to walking/hiking 2+ miles.
Carrying a couple pro glass lenses 2, 4 even 6 miles under normal circumstances is no bid deal for most; do it at 10,000ft with 1,500+ ft of elevation gain - and it starts to wear on you.
So I'm looking for a "one size fits most" lens that I can carry in my backpack instead of the heavy 2.8 glass. While I am a realist and know that the sub $1,000 lenses are not going to stack up against pro glass, given the right conditions it seems that they can do quite well if used within their limitations. So here's the conditions I'll be shooting in:
These are hiking excursions for my wife first, and shooting second. We live in Colorado Springs at the base of Pikes Peak and with over a million acres of Pike National Forest, we have lots to explore in our own backyard. We will typically 4x4 in and use the truck as base, hikes will range form 2-6 miles in the beginning and over 15+ miles later in the summer/fall. Can start at 9,000-12,000ft and include anywhere from 500 to 2,500 ft of ascents. 95% of the time weather will be excellent with full sun. Hours will range between 9am and 6pm and hikes can last from 2-3 hrs. Colorado Mountains are full of incredible Granite outcropping, stunning high-mountain lakes, huge Aspen groves and more Pines than you can shake a stick at! Wildlife will range from small squirrels, wild Turkeys and 6 of the 7 Big Game animals (Elk, Moose and even Mountain Lion) and lets not forget the plethora of mountain birds; most all relatively slow moving or standing still.
This year I carried the 24-70mm and the 70-200mm on the D810 and weight aside, found myself “occasionally” looking for wider, but mostly looking for more reach. I have been spending several weeks pouring over all the reviews, opinions and samples and have narrowed it down to 3 Nikon VR lenses: 24-120mm f/4 w.1.4x TCII (I already have the TC), 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 and the 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3. I should mention, I will be carrying the D500 a DX body for these hikes and I’m not worried about using these on my FX.
There is just too much conflicting reviews out there; some like Ken Rockwell - some don’t. Some like Photography Life, some don’t - etc. So I figured I’d drop the question here and ask those that actually have one or have used one or more of these lenses (or any other Nikon lens that might work) and can give me some insight into their performance under the scenarios that I mentioned above. I will say, Image Quality, especially sharpness is high on my list (yes like I mentioned, I understand these will not compare to pro glass) and most everything else I should be able to work within the limitations.
Thoughts?
