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by Scott Fairbairn on Tue Feb 26, 2013 10:31 am
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If you were going to buy a D800, and one lens for it, which lens would you choose as a general purpose lens? I was thinking either the 24-70  or 16-35f4, but I'm not sure if the 16-35 is "good enough" for that camera.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Tue Feb 26, 2013 10:43 am
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16-35 is not good enough for that camera IMHO. As I've written many times, Nikon makes no zoom lens that can fully take advantage of everything the sensor has to offer especially in the corners and wide open. Probably the one that comes closest is the 14-24 but that is probably too wide as a general purpose lens. It comes down to what your definition of general purpose is and what you value more, versatility or absolute image quality, wide open or stopped down, etc... Also budget is a consideration! :)

For my type of shooting, the focal length I use most is 35mm and the best 35mm lens on the market currently is the new Sigma 35mm f/1.4 so that would be a contender. If I were going with a zoom, I would take the Nikon 24-70 and know that I am making some compromises but they are not that bad.
 

by Steve Metildi on Tue Feb 26, 2013 11:24 am
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E.J. Peiker wrote:16-35 is not good enough for that camera IMHO.  As I've written many times, Nikon makes no zoom lens that can fully take advantage of everything the sensor has to offer especially in the corners and wide open.  Probably the one that comes closest is the 14-24 but that is probably too wide as a general purpose lens.  It comes down to what your definition of general purpose is and what you value more, versatility or absolute image quality, wide open or stopped down, etc...  Also budget is a consideration! :)

For my type of shooting, the focal length I use most is 35mm and the best 35mm lens on the market currently is the new Sigma 35mm f/1.4 so that would be a contender.  If I were going with a zoom, I would take the Nikon 24-70 and know that I am making some compromises but they are not that bad.
Any comments on how the Nikon 200-400 VRII performs with the D800?

Steve
 

by E.J. Peiker on Tue Feb 26, 2013 3:36 pm
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Steve Metildi wrote: Any comments on how the Nikon 200-400 VRII performs with the D800?

Steve
I think that's a different discussion since he is asking abut a more or less standard lens.  But if you have a good one that is well calibrated for focus it is fine.  There is quite a bit of variation in that lens though.
 

by Dave Courtenay on Tue Feb 26, 2013 3:58 pm
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I was asked to shoot a sports car and wanted to use a wide lens to bring out the swoopy lines, I left the 14-24 at home and ended up using the 16-35, The client was blown away and they had some printed large and looked great,Maybe not the best wide for landscapes although i have sold some as well but it does have its uses
See the car images here
http://www.davidcourtenayphotography.co ... 00&s=0&p=4
All taken with the 16-35 except the moving car images taken with the 24-70, As a general lens i agree with the 24-70 and will be getting a Siggy 35 soon

Dave
http://www.wildlifeinfocus.com


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by E.J. Peiker on Tue Feb 26, 2013 4:08 pm
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Yeah Dave, I think for that type of photography where corner sharpness is not overly importnat the 16-35 is a decent choice and certainly much better than the old 17-35/2.8
 

by Gary Irwin on Tue Feb 26, 2013 6:25 pm
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Well Scott, if it were me I'd probably choose the 24-120 (mostly because I have one!) But the idea of restricting a D800/E to one lens is like putting a one-speed tranny in a Maserati...whats the point? Anyone looking for a "single lens solution" should pick a lower MP camera like a D700 and stick a 28-300 on it.
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by Brian Stirling on Wed Feb 27, 2013 7:41 am
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Gary Irwin wrote:Well Scott, if it were me I'd probably choose the 24-120 (mostly because I have one!) But the idea of restricting a D800/E to one lens is like putting a one-speed tranny in a Maserati...whats the point? Anyone looking for a "single lens solution" should pick a lower MP camera like a D700 and stick a 28-300 on it.
Yeah, I have and use the 24-120 with my 800e's and although the lens isn't going to permit the maximum from the camera there are times when flexibility and the ability to compose quickly far outweigh the penalty in maximum sharpness/resolution.

I now have two 800e's and I tend to leave the 24-120 on one of them and switch out various primes on the other.  I have the Zeiss 21mm, Nikon 35mm f/1.4G, Nikon 50mm f/1.4G, Nikon 85mm f/1.4G and Sigma 150mm Macro with OS.  I also have an older 70-200 VR and an even older 80-400 VR but they don't get much use.

It would be a tough call for one prime lens but if I had to it might be the 85, but I'd need to stitch to get wider...and I do!


Brian
 

by E.J. Peiker on Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:03 am
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Brian, check out the Zeiss 25mm f/2 if you can. It is quickly becoming a favorite.
 

by Scott Fairbairn on Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:12 am
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Gary Irwin wrote:Well Scott, if it were me I'd probably choose the 24-120 (mostly because I have one!) But the idea of restricting a D800/E to one lens is like putting a one-speed tranny in a Maserati...whats the point? Anyone looking for a "single lens solution" should pick a lower MP camera like a D700 and stick a 28-300 on it.
I'm not looking for a one lens solution/system as I have an E-M5 and a couple of lenses that cover all the bases quite nicely in a form factor that is not much bigger than D800 plus 24-70. But what I am pondering is a something to replace my Canon wide/normal range for when I am doing "serious" work(not that I will ever be accused of being a serious landscape photographer! :lol:), and use my Canon gear for the long stuff(I love the 600V2 and the 70-300L).
I am also really interested in seeing what that big dynamic range can do with my astro work as well, or I can continue to wait for Canon to produce better sensors. Like I've been waiting for since 2007.:(
 

by Andrew Kandel on Wed Feb 27, 2013 9:21 am
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The edges from my 24-70 on my D800 look awful at 100%, but I wonder at what print size they actually appear.  I've printed 24-70 shots from my D700 that were fine at 24".  However, to be safe and to have even sharpness throughout the image I've started using the 1.2 crop mode when my 24-70 is on it.  It seems to align perfectly with the softer areas and it's still a 25mp image.
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by Darren Huski on Sat Mar 02, 2013 1:57 pm
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Roger at Lens Rentals did an interesting article on the resolution of a few camera and lens combinations. D800 vs 5D3 with 24-70mm combo. He concluded somethingi like the Canon 24-70 2.8 II is the best 24-70 but the inferior Nikon on a D800 out scores the Canon on the 5d3.
 

by DChan on Mon Mar 04, 2013 12:02 am
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My impression from the comparison by this magazine:

http://www.ct-digiphoto.com/article/Ful ... 45163.html

is that only with the Zeiss 100 f2 can a D800/D800e stands a chance against the Hasselblad H4D40 with its Hasselblad lenses in terms of absolute image quality. Even the Zeiss 21 f2.8 can't do it.

To read the tests you have to get the magazine :-)
 

by docdocpeter on Mon Mar 04, 2013 4:04 am
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Hey Scott,
your question can't be answered.It is always necessary to know what your preferences are for using the D 800(landscape,wildlife animals,birds,sports or other things).There is no "universal" lens for all purposes!My personal objects are landscape and wildlife photography,which needs to buy at least 3-4 excellent lenses-including necessary tripod adapted to the special tasks and other equipment.I don't know anybody of my photographer friends,who one usus only one lens with a high performance camera like d 800 is!
Many greetings from the bavarian forest in Germany
docdocpeter!
 

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