If i sold my 2 primes (nikon 35mm 1.8 af-s & nikon 50mm 1.8 af-s), and bought the nikon 17-55 2.8...
Would you call me an idiot?
If i sold my 2 primes (nikon 35mm 1.8 af-s & nikon 50mm 1.8 af-s), and bought the nikon 17-55 2.8...
Would you call me an idiot?
Can I ask why did you do that in the first place?
If it was just for the lust of getting new gears? Maybe...
If it is something you feel you need to do to suit your photography style, I say why not!! You only lost 1 1/3 stops but you got a more versatile lens! It covers all your current range plus the wide end!
No. Your headline somehow implies that you have gone from a full set of top-class primes (something like 14/2.8, 35/1.4, 50/1.2, 85/1.2, and 135/2) to a single zoom (something like a 24-120/4). Now that would be a wrench! But going from two cheapish primes to one top-quality fast zoom .... where is the fuss? Nope, seems perfectly sensible to me.
OK, if you insist... "You're an idiot".
Seriously though, the 17-55/2.8 has a great reputation and I'd certainly buy one if I could justify the price difference over the Tammy 17-50. I would find having 35mm as my widest lens to be very restrictive. Good move imo...(unless of course you have a full-frame camera, in which case ignore the smiley in my first line ).
Cheers.
I agree with Tannin when he stated: "going from two cheapish primes to one top-quality fast zoom .... where is the fuss?" Seems like a perfectly logical idea to me as well.
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Well, I haven't done it yet. I suppose I was just looking for some affirmation from the hive mind, before spending some big bucks .
It's a no brainer really, going from 2 average primes to a high end zoom with better range. Go for it.
Eloki, the one thing missing from your plan is VR. VR is enormously useful in all sorts of circumstances. Trouble is, I don't know if there is a suitable VR-equipped lens available. You've probably never had it and don't miss it, but once you learn how to use it, it makes all sorts of stuff possible that was not possible before.
Nevertheless, if you can afford the upgrade, it strikes me as an excellent plan.
I would buy the AF-S Nikkor 28-300 VR and sell only the 50mm
The 35mm is very useful for low light and Video.
I very rarely use VR (it takes to long to settle down) but this lens is very sharp, has wide range and can also be used for FullFrame.
Unless you need something really wide or f/2.8, the 17-55 is only DX
Last edited by RRRoger; 04-08-2011 at 12:13am.
Image stabilisation has worked on tripods for more than a decade now.
Last edited by RRRoger; 04-08-2011 at 12:48am.
^ Up until 1999, that was so, but that was 12 years ago. There are only about 2 Canon lenses left in production that don't work perfectly happily with tripods, out of maybe 40 or 50 with IS. (I'd have to check the exact number - it might even be just one by now.) Is Nikon a decade behind? I'd be very surprised if they were.
Perhaps, but I think this special VR in a Nikkor is bigger and requires a larger lens body to fit into.
Or, perhaps it is more expensive to make?
I would like to know as usually advancements trickle down to all products and cost are made up for in greater production numbers.
Hmmm ... a little Googling reveals that Nikon were a bit late to the tripod-sensing party but by 2008 they had six products with partial tripod compatibility:
- 18-200/3.5-5.6 VR
- 24-120/3.5-5.6 VR
- 70-200/2.8 VR (that will be the old model, now replaced by a Mark II)
- 70-300/4.5-5.6 VR
- 80-400/4.5-5.6 VR
- 105/2.8 VR macro
With these lenses, they recommend switching VR OFF if the head is locked down tight (e.g., for a landscape shot), and switching VR ON if the head is fluid (e.g., for wildlife or sport). With a monopod, VR should always be ON with any lens.
Back in 2008 Nikon also had three VR lenses with full tripod compatibility.
- 200-400/ 4 VR (that is apparently the old model - there is a new Mark II now)
- 200/2 VR
- 300/2.8G VR
Presumably, all Nikon VR lenses released since that time (1998) have full tripod compatibility.