Nikon d7000 lens recommendations and a new point & shoot

[ShadeRF]

Get the Tokina 11-16 2.8 if you want to go wide. It's one of the best (if not the best) lenses for the D7000 IMO. Also agree with what everyone is saying about the Sony DSC-RX100. I know I'll be picking up one for myself in the next month or so. That thing is awesome!

[ford91exploder]

I have never understood why people recommend third party lenses after buying a dSLR, The camera body merely contains the image capture system, its the lenses which create the images.

The 18-200 is a bit heavy I agree but weight works for you in photograpy in that it damps vibration

[havoc315]

Originally Posted by ford91exploder

I have never understood why people recommend third party lenses after buying a dSLR, The camera body merely contains the image capture system, its the lenses which create the images.

The 18-200 is a bit heavy I agree but weight works for you in photograpy in that it damps vibration

Because there are some incredibly great 3rd party lenses!

[Gianna'sPapa]

Originally Posted by ford91exploder

I have never understood why people recommend third party lenses after buying a dSLR, The camera body merely contains the image capture system, its the lenses which create the images.

The 18-200 is a bit heavy I agree but weight works for you in photograpy in that it damps vibration

Another is cost. Some very good third parties provide affordable alternatives to OEM's. Not everyone has an unlimited budget. We can go back and forth about image quality, but the third parties provide lenses that generally have very good optics that will please the amateur-hobbyist-enthusiast. I have even seen pros using the upper tier third party lenses. I have a Sigma 100-300 f4 lens that is just outstanding.

Another, is sometimes the offering of the third party is in a users focal length that the OEM does not offer. Coming from a film SLR, I was invested in lenses and could not affordably change manufacturers and they did not offer a 70-200 f2.8. I purchased the Sigma and have been pleased with the results. Therefore if someone is in the same circumstances, I would make that recommendation.

There are a multitude of reasons to recommend third parties. As Havoc stated, there are some very good third party lenses out there and the OEM's sometimes produce clunkers.

[Pixel Dust]

Originally Posted by ford91exploder

I have never understood why people recommend third party lenses after buying a dSLR, The camera body merely contains the image capture system, its the lenses which create the images.

I do agree that lenses are the most important part to create the image. But times have changed and third party manufacturers have upped their game. While everyone here would love to own the Nikon 14-24mm, not everyone has $2,000 to burn. The Tokina 11-16mm is a great alternative at $600, especially for DX bodies.

Is this Tokina as good as the Nikon? No! But that's the wrong question to ask. The question should be, Is the Nikon worth $1400 MORE than the Tokina? And there is no wrong answer to this! To the professional making a living, the difference is more than worth it. For me, taking family photos and snapshots around Disney, the sharpness and contrast of the Tokina is enough for me.

So really what I am saying is that the answer to third party lenses is up to the individual. Definitely read reviews out there. Or maybe rent them and do your own testing. But don't count them out. They are getting better.

Here is my sample of the Tokina 11-16mm. This is with the Nikon D600, but still has a similar pixel density as the D7000. (and yes, the Tokina works on a full-frame, at least at the 16mm end)


100% crop, center


100% crop, right edge. You can see the red bricks in the crest!