Hello! I’ve browsed these forums for a long time just reading threads but I finally decided to register and ask a direct question this time. I have a Nikon D7500 and I love it even though I know the future is mirrorless. It came with the 18-55mm and 70-300mm kit lenses and while they’ve gotten a lot of use, over time I collected a few more, some primes (35, 50, and 85), an ultra wide (10-20mm), a macro (105mm), and the one that really won my heart, the Sigma 18-35mm art. That last one felt like a true upgrade, it’s sharp and fast through the entire zoom range and I get great results with it despite being a bit bulkier and heavier than my other lenses. I realized part of what I like about it is its versatility without sacrificing image quality and speed. It doesn’t cover a huge range, but it’s become my go to for those ranges, to the point that I never bothered getting the 20mm prime I originally had my eye on.
So all that to say, after collecting primes I’m wondering if there’s a decent upgrade to those original kit lenses. Prime lenses are great and they get plenty of use depending on my mood, but I do a lot of landscape and exploratory nature photography and sometimes I don’t know what I’ll be shooting when I first set off, so if I can carry fewer lenses on a hike without sacrificing too much sharpness and speed that feels like a win. The kit lenses are great for that, but they struggle in lower light and the overall image quality never quite matches my primes or that sigma. Don’t get me wrong, they’re surprisingly sharp for how light and versatile they are, but I’m wondering if anyone out here has found some upgrade options that just beat them on every metric without spending quadruple digits. Honestly, I’d love to just hear what some of your favorite lenses in general are!
When I was using Nikon AF DX cameras, my all time favorite lens has been the AF-S 16-80 F/2.8-4 DX.
My second has been the AF-S 70-200mm F/4.
The third has been the 500PF.
It has been my most used lenses at that time.
I was also using the TC 1.4 III.
I'll add the AF-S 24mm F/1.8 G was pretty decent too.
I played with AI-S 180mm F/2.8 for architecture too (found second hand).
@prg-lagarde thanks for the reply! The af-s 16-80 is one I see recommended a lot, though some people say their one complaint is it's a bit fragile. Did you get that impression too or is it only fragile in the sense that it's not a big, heavy, metal lens? I treat my gear really well but I don't want to be afraid to take it on a mountain trail or something
Well, it's light but I won't say that fragile. Indeed, it's not metal but if you treat it normally, it won't break more than any other AF DX lens. if it can make you feel safer, always use the lenshood (I bet you already do that with your lenses) and use a Sigma Ceramic Protector filter, it's really hard to break ;)... (I even tried quite vigorously with a hammer with no success... it's absolutely true, though it was not mounted on a lens, of course :D ).
@prg-lagarde good to know, thanks for the info! I typically always use hoods and lens protectors so it sounds like I shouldn't have any issue with durability