new here

[justshootme]

just want to say hi to all, Im a nikon fan 35mm EL,D70,D200. I do have some others canon OES-G,minolta,fujica, old stuff. Im in the market for a wide ,nikon and tokina look good but still wonder if a prime would be a better investment does anyone know how well a nikon 18mm or a 20mm 2.8 stackup against the wide zooms in sharpness. I have used my old nikkor 28mm AIS lens on the D200 and get good results but AF would be nice.

[BPK]

well a prime is gonna be sharper than a zoom. but the dx wide zooms are pretty sharp. the nikon 17-55, tamron 17-50 and sigma 18-50 f2.8 are all real close in optical quality, with the nikon being the best. in primes also take a look at the sigma 20 f1.8. it has been reported as being a little soft. all pics from it that i have seen were not soft.

[justshootme]

thanks BPK, also thanks for the link to slrgear.com you posted in another sring, it helped me to decide on a telephoto lens. I got the tamron 200-500mm f5-6.5 haven't got to use it much yet but compared to the price of a nikon 500mm prime I can live with it.

on the subject of a wide lens I guess what I keep asking myself is, nikon and tokina make a 12-24mm f4 this will have more FOV but I read talk about soft edges and vingetting at 12mm if you use a filter. for about the same price I could get a nikon 20mm f2.8 this would not be as wide but for scenices you just back some, your detail would be sharper with the prime and the faster appeture would be helpful with action shots and low light. so with all things considerd which would give the best bang for the buck? BTW do you know any websites that tested the nikon 20mm and the 18mm?

[bob_r]

Justshootme,

Welcome to the forum!

Here's a link that shows a lot of lens tests, but doesn't list the 18mm.
http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html

Bob R

[justshootme]

thanks bob_r, a vary interesting site. unfortunately the 20mm didnt do so well on the D200 but my AIS 28mm 2.8 tested vary impressive. I know the photos I've taken with it are sharp, better than my 18-70mm G lens .