My husband and I are going to Paris and Rome for two weeks at the end of the year. I would like to buy a new lens before I go but am having trouble deciding which one would be better. I currently have a Nikon D70 with a Sigma 18-55 and Nikkor 70-300. I am not happy with the quality of the Sigma at all.
I am trying to decide between buying the Nikkor 16-85mm f3.5-5.6 VR. It would cover a nice wide range and allow me to change lenses less frequently but I don't know if the max apertures are low enough to photograph inside of museums and churches. I have also considered the Nikkor 50mm f1.4 which would be great indoors but I would have to use my Sigma for the wide angle photographs of buildings and such. The other option I am considering is the Nikkor 50mm 1.8 and an external flash since the lens is so cheap. The flash would nice to have, but not very useful on the trip.
Opinions? Suggestions? Things I haven't considered?
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
You seam to by looking to do indoors, large areas a lot so My suggestion is to go low; wide and fast. If you go fast enough you won't need any VR. Having to pack only one lens on my bike rides I would like to think this is a skill I have practiced well, So my choice would be the 50mm 1.4. If you have the money you might want to try for a wider prime, maybe a 30mm 1.4.
Primes are always going to give you the best picture because there are no moving parts they can be built to near perfection. A zoom lens that can perform extremely well will cost over $1000. But a fantastic 50mm can be found for under $200.
The question you have to ask yourself is will 50mm be wide enough for the interior of the cathedrals, Will you be shooting small details where a longer lens might be useful, and what will lighting be like? I know there was the period when they forgot how to make concrete so some of the old cathedrals have very few windows and 15ft thick walls. There's the funny story of the tourists waiting near Michelangelo's Moses, waiting for someone else to put a quarter in the spot light machine so they can take a picture. As soon as the quarter goes in all the tourists pop out like prairie digs.
The last thing is you will be walking alot. Do you want to carry a long heavy lens? And watchout for mopeds no matter what lens you bring, the like to grab purses and cameras.
The 55-200mm is great cheap too
http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/pro... $250
The 24-105 is twice as much, but is great
http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/pro... $500
If you dont have a budget then the 24-70 is the best
http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/pro... $1699