need a general use lens for when Im off to france (and jamaica) soon, only got that horrid 50mm lens and the 70-200 one for my D80, should I buy this?

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-nik ... #bvreviews

or this one?

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-nik ... s/p1001800

should I avoid "DX" lenses?

also would anyone know any websites where I can pay for the lens bit by bit rather than paying it all in one big chunk,

thanks

I have that first lens you link to (14-24mm).
Unless you plan on upgrading your camera in the short to mid term there's no reason why you should avoid a DX lens.
If there's any specific questions you have about the 14-24mm lens then feel free to ask.

Mark

well firstly what site did you buy it from? and were you able to pay for it bit by bit? shame I cant have a play around with the lens on the site before purchasing u got any test photos perchance? or standing in same place and having it zoomed out fully and zoomed in fully? etc?

Edd:


That's the spirit!

Try Jessops for looking at trying before you buy, or similar. Also, in my eyes, if you can't afford it up front, you can't afford it.

I have to say, I agree.

I didn't buy it online. I got it from a physical shop down in Dublin. Nope. The place that I bought it from actually broke up a Nikon D3 + that lens bundle to sell it to me, as he was finding it (understandably) tough to sell the brand new D3 with a brand new one of those lenses.Have you thought about renting one from a shop for a couple of days?I have test images on my Flickr account - they don't all have the lens data attached to them though so if you can't work out which of the images were taken at 14mm then I'll link directly to them.

Mark

(8+)

Mark

Jessops offer 6/12 months interest free credit depending on the total value of the purchase but as has been said by others unless you have the money (of most of it) upfront then you probably shouldn't be buying the lens.

The two lenses you linked are very good, but is there nothing similar available for the Nikon mount that is more affordable without sacrificing too much quality/speed

While I lust after the Zeiss glass available for my Sony, I've realised that I am better off spending money elsewhere until I can justify the cost.

There's nothing wrong with your 50mm. Just get to grips with it. Put it on your camera for a days shooting, think about what you're trying to achieve and just use it.

If money is tight then the Tamron 17-50 is a lot cheaper and gets favourable reviews.

Or if you need a general 'one lens for everything' thats not overly expensive then the Tamron 18-200 / 18-250 / 18-270 could do the job but obviously not as well as £1000 Nikon glass.

What about this?

not sure dogbert I had a 17-70 nikon DX F3.5 lens which I hated the photo quality of it so much that I binned it

Ohh, I think I have one of those as well and I quite like it as a general lens. I've certainly not noticed any drop on overall quality from that an my full frame lenses (well, other than the general loss in megapixels).
I'll check later to see if it is indeed the same lens as you had.

Mark

ye, I remember you offered it to peter