[reignofchaos]

Tokina 12-24mm is the best outta those. For a sharp general purpose lens, you might want to look at the sigma 30mm f/1.4.

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Tokina 12-24mm is the best outta those. For a sharp general purpose lens, you might want to look at the sigma 30mm f/1.4.

I think you ought to give the Sigma 10-20mm also a thought. Have used both the pieces and my vote goes for the Sigma 10-20mm.

[kaushik_s]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

I think you ought to give the Sigma 10-20mm also a thought. Have used both the pieces and my vote goes for the Sigma 10-20mm.

And be careful to test it properly cause there are quite a few pieces which are not that sharp on the corners as a normal Sigma 10-20mm is .It's a very good lens if you are not the unlucky one to get the lemon. But Tokina 12-24mm will be slightly better then the Sigma.
Regards,
Kaushik

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

I think you ought to give the Sigma 10-20mm also a thought. Have used both the pieces and my vote goes for the Sigma 10-20mm.

The biggest issue with the lens is that there are way too many lemons out there. If one is lucky, one may get a copy which is sharper than the tokina but Sigma QC is pretty much terrible. The 30 1.4 is a bit better in that regard as its a prime. There are a few back focussing copies of that too.

[D.V.R]

Hey,could you help me decide on what DSLR camera and lens to buy on a budget of Rs.35k-40k.
A friend of mine was sugesting me to go for the Canon EOS 400/450 D with an with an image stabiliser lens.Will I get a NIKON in my budget range?

Presently I am using a Pentax Optio 6.0 Megapx Point and Shoot Digicam.

Thanks.

[tsk1979]

Go for Canon 450D with Sigma 18-200 OS lens.
Other option is one of the in body stabilized DSLRs (Olympus/Pentax) with a all purpose zoom

[navin]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

I think you ought to give the Sigma 10-20mm also a thought..

On a D300 I'd take the Tokina 11-16mm if you are shooting in daylight and the Nikon 20/2.8 if it is low light. For night safari sots the Sigma 20/1.8 or 30/1.4 might be your best options.

In the end it depends on what you are shooting.

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

..one may get a copy which is sharper than the tokina but Sigma QC is pretty much terrible.

Tokina are Ex-Nikon. I think they will do an excellent job on Nikon bodies especially their ATX-Pro series.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by Mad Monkey

want to buy 2 lens . one very sharp for normal normal use(macro cappibility would be nice) and one for wide angle photo's(no fisheye) choices with prices are below ...



Nikon 20mm f/2.8D Ultra Wide Angle AF Nikkor Lens - $489

or

Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX Aspherical DG DF RF AutoFocus Super Wide Angle Lens with Hood for Nikon AF D Cameras - $399

or

Nikon 16mm - 85mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX ED (VR) Vibration Reduction Wide Angle Autofocus Zoom Lens - $ 649

or

Nikon 18mm - 55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Wide Angle Autofocus Zoom Lens - $114

or

Sigma 12mm-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG Aspherical HSM Autofocus Super Wide-Angle Zoom Lens, for Nikon AF Cameras.

or

Sigma 10mm - 20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Autofocus Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras. - $479

or

Sigma 12mm-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG Aspherical HSM Autofocus Super Wide-Angle Zoom Lens, for Nikon AF Cameras. -$659

or

Sigma 18mm - 50mm f/2.8 EX DC Macro "HSM" Autofocus Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - $449

or

Tokina 12mm - 24mm f/4.0 PRO DX Autofocus Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras $499.00

or

Tokina 10mm - 17mm F/3.5-4.5 DX Autofocus Fisheye Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras $559.95
more info

or

Tokina 11mm - 16mm F/2.8 ATX Pro DX Autofocus Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras. $569.95

or

Tokina 16mm - 50mm F/2.8 Pro DX Autofocus Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras $629.95


also planning to buy a P&S .. should i go for the cannon G9 ? gettng it for $460

can you suggest anyother P&S , more compact than the g9 ?

If you want the angle of view of a normal lens on your D300 - the closest you can get to that in the Nikon range is the 35mm f2. Rather than the 20mm which costs more and is wasted on the APS-C size sensor of the D300, the 35/2 is a better buy. It is sharp, faster than the 20mm and very close to the angle of view of a 50mm lens on film.
Another option, if you are willing to compromise on the angle of view in favor of macro ability, is the 60mm f2.8 micro Nikkor.

Choosing the Nikon 16-85, 18-55 or the same range from any other brand makes no sense if you already have the 18-200VR. 16mm vs 18mm is not a significant difference.
Out of the wide zooms you mentioned two choices stand out: Tokina 12- 24/4 and Tokina 11- 16/2.8
In my opinion, they are essentially the same lens design. The 11-16 compromises on zoom range to go very marginally wider and gain one aperture stop. I would still go for the 12-24/4 because of its greater zoom range and versatility. f4 vs f2.8 doesn't make that much of a difference to me, especially in wide angle photography. Your reasons for choosing one over the other may be different but they are both good choices.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by D.V.R

Hey,could you help me decide on what DSLR camera and lens to buy on a budget of Rs.35k-40k.
A friend of mine was sugesting me to go for the Canon EOS 400/450 D with an with an image stabiliser lens.Will I get a NIKON in my budget range?

Presently I am using a Pentax Optio 6.0 Megapx Point and Shoot Digicam.

Thanks.

Yes you will get Nikon in the same range with an image stabilized lens or VR in Nikon parlance for vibration reduction. Nikon body choices for you will be the D40x or D60. The basic VR lens for these is the 18-55 VR.

[jaibir]

Originally Posted by D.V.R

Hey,could you help me decide on what DSLR camera and lens to buy on a budget of Rs.35k-40k.
A friend of mine was sugesting me to go for the Canon EOS 400/450 D with an with an image stabiliser lens.Will I get a NIKON in my budget range?

Presently I am using a Pentax Optio 6.0 Megapx Point and Shoot Digicam.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by StarScream

Yes you will get Nikon in the same range with an image stabilized lens or VR in Nikon parlance for vibration reduction. Nikon body choices for you will be the D40x or D60. The basic VR lens for these is the 18-55 VR.

The D60 and D80 are both available with the 18-55 VR lens as part of the kit. I think the D60 with the lens is around $700. D80 should be $200-250 more. I would avoid the D40x - doesnt offer much over the basic D40 except the extra megapixel's, which arent all that useful. If you're keen on Nikon then check KenRockwell.com. A word of warning though - this guy is a Nikon fan so if you're still trying to make up your mind between Nikon and Canon, this site is not too helpful. Its pretty good for finding out about the Nikon range though.

[navin]

Originally Posted by StarScream

Rather than the 20mm which costs more and is wasted on the APS-C size sensor of the D300, the 35/2 is a better buy..

The Sigma 30/1.4 is another alternate. perfect for APS-C.

Originally Posted by StarScream

Out of the wide zooms you mentioned two choices stand out: Tokina 12- 24/4 and Tokina 11- 16/2.8....f4 vs f2.8 doesn't make that much of a difference to me, especially in wide angle photography.

there is little difference between 11mm and 12mm. besides Mad Monkey's 18-200 covers the 18-24 region well so why buy two lenses that cover the same region? The 11-16/2.8 has ATX-Pro glass and should be sharper than the 12-24 as it uses fewer elements. besides if you can stop down the 11-16 to f/4 for an even sharper image.

[reignofchaos]

Is he 11-16 available yet? I don't see it in any of the web stores. It definitely is a class above the 12-24 and 10-20.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Is he 11-16 available yet? I don't see it in any of the web stores. It definitely is a class above the 12-24 and 10-20.

Adorama says its not in stock. Expected in June.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by navin

The Sigma 30/1.4 is another alternate. perfect for APS-C.

I've never owned a Sigma lens. I've always been wary of their quality issues. Although that lens has tempting specs.

Originally Posted by navin

there is little difference between 11mm and 12mm. besides Mad Monkey's 18-200 covers the 18-24 region well so why buy two lenses that cover the same region? The 11-16/2.8 has ATX-Pro glass and should be sharper than the 12-24 as it uses fewer elements. besides if you can stop down the 11-16 to f/4 for an even sharper image.

Navin, my preference would be for the 12-24/4 because - a) it has greater zoom range and hence is more useful. Like you said 11mm vs 12mm is not that much of an advantage. b) I have one, hence I'm biased.
As far as the overlap is concerned, I actually like that because you don't need to switch lenses every time you need a little extra reach. The 12-24 (equivalent to 18-35) is a perfect walk around lens. Also the 18-200 has bad barrel distortion at the wide end, while the 12-24 starts getting better at its long end and has zero distortion at 24.
The 12-24 is also an ATX-Pro lens. As I suspected, they look so similar that they are essentially the same design. This from Adorama's description:
Based on the award-winning optical design of the AT-X 124 PRO DX (12-24mm f/4) lens, the new AT-X 116 PRO DX has a slightly shorter zoom range to maintain optical quality at wide apertures.
Having said that, Ken Rockwell is fawning over the 11-16. Calling it the sharpest and fastest lens for APS-C digital. I guess, anyone buying today should consider it.

[navin]

Originally Posted by StarScream

I've never owned a Sigma lens.

The 12-24 (equivalent to 18-35) is a perfect walk around lens.

Sigmas do have QC issues. Even the 30/1.4 was not as sharp as I liked. The reply I got was that if I send Sigma my body (after I buy the lens) they'd calirbate them. "What?" why cant they make lens that wroks well out of the box? so my search for a sharp under $500 low light lens (faster than f/2) continues.

If you use Nikon the tokina 11-16 is a good option given that the nikon 12-24 is double the price, if you use Canon the 10-22 makes sense as it given you canon glass for the loss of one stop and additional cost of about $200.