Should i sell my Nikon 18-105mm kit Lens for a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 lens? need help

[synesthesia]

Hi all,

Hoping to seek advice from seniors here,

Just bought my D7000 recently and i realize i dont really use the full zoom capabilities of the kit lens and was thinking of getting the 17-50mm f2.8 tamron lens.

But the only other lens i have is a 35mm F1.8 lens. Would it be ideal to do the swap of just save up to get the lens separately.

Thanks

 

[kwttan]

If you don't or seldom use 50-105mm (75-157.5mm) and if you have the budget, why not?

 

[Octarine]

What do you need or expect from the Tamron lens that the kit lens cannot deliver?

 

[chillicutter]

Hi all,

Hoping to seek advice from seniors here,

Just bought my D7000 recently and i realize i dont really use the full zoom capabilities of the kit lens and was thinking of getting the 17-50mm f2.8 tamron lens.

But the only other lens i have is a 35mm F1.8 lens. Would it be ideal to do the swap of just save up to get the lens separately.

Thanks

Personally, I will not sell away the 18-105mm lens as I deemed it was a good walk-around lens.

When I was still using D5000, I relied alot on the 18-55mm lens and I am happy with what it can produce. 18-105mm lens is even better!

 

[synesthesia]

Octarine I've heard that the tamron lens is alot sharper then the kit lens. I like it cause of the f2.8 and heard it's a sharp lens.

Thanks chillicutter I guess I haven't taken enough shots with the 18-105 yet. As I always use the 35 f1.8 lens most of the time

 

[coolthought]

perhaps looking at these 2 links can help you make up your mind?
http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikkor-aps-c-lens-tests/290-tamron-af-17-50mm-f28-sp-xr-di-ii-ld-aspherical-if-nikon-test-report--review?start=2
http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikkor-aps-c-lens-tests/241-nikkor-af-s-18-135mm-f35-56-g-if-ed-dx-review--test-report?start=2
This is from just one site. So, do read with at least a pinch of salt.

 

[mousedeers]

Hi all,
Hoping to seek advice from seniors here,
Just bought my D7000 recently and i realize i dont really use the full zoom capabilities of the kit lens and was thinking of getting the 17-50mm f2.8 tamron lens.
But the only other lens i have is a 35mm F1.8 lens. Would it be ideal to do the swap of just save up to get the lens separately.
Thanks

I would say yes you should sell the kit lens and look for a better lens.
A quote fro the dpreview stated that: In any case you should make sure you put some decent glass in front of the D7000's sensor. The 18-105mm kit lens scores points for versatility but it doesn't make the most of the sensor's capabilities.

The D7000 has a such good sensor and high density pixels, it need a good lens to bring out the advantage of the camera.

Here another quote from Ken Rockwell:
The D7000 has more linear resolution than any Nikon DSLR, including the D3X. The D7000 will make immediately apparent any limitations in your lenses and in your photo technique. If you can't get sharp pictures with a D7000, it's your fault, not the camera's.

 

[synesthesia]

Yup mousedeer that was one of my reason for changing the lens too... I guess I'll just do a little more research then I'll prob start finding a new home for my kit lens so I can buy the new one... If not I'd just keep it and buy it anyhow... Hahaha have to find a reason not to let my other half find out though...:/

 

[kentwong81]

There is always versatility vs quality. For me, I'm not a fans of big zoom range because most of the time you won't fully utilize it, but rather a fast zoom lens with f2.8 is more important for giving you the ease of getting good quality pictures in different situations.

 

[Octarine]

Octarine I've heard that the tamron lens is alot sharper then the kit lens. I like it cause of the f2.8 and heard it's a sharp lens.

Do you find your pictures not sharp enough? Have you verified that the cause of this unsharpness is not the person behind viewfinder? There are many possible errors that can cause blur pictures: handshake, wrong usage of focus points / focus modes, focus gets distracted. What are your camera settings for sharpening? What post-processing are you doing?
For which moments do you need the f/2.8? You can do some checks on the normal review sites to see the actual sharpness as tested there. Don't underestimate the kit lens

 

[Stuffed]

Hi all,

Hoping to seek advice from seniors here,

Just bought my D7000 recently and i realize i dont really use the full zoom capabilities of the kit lens and was thinking of getting the 17-50mm f2.8 tamron lens.

But the only other lens i have is a 35mm F1.8 lens. Would it be ideal to do the swap of just save up to get the lens separately.

Thanks

I have both the 17-50 f2.8 and the 18-105. the 17-50 f2.8 is great and is preferred to the 18-105 most of the time. But the reason why I have not sold the 18-105 yet is because I still rely on it, especially on occasions when I predict the situation will not grant me the luxury of changing lens and there is sufficient light for the kit lens to work great. Travel is a good example.

If you are really certain you do not need the 50-105 range, then by all means, sell it off. As for the 35mm f1.8, you have to judge how often do you use it at f1.8, and if you can settle for f2.8 which the 17-50 will provide.

 

[Octarine]

Here another quote from Ken Rockwell:
The D7000 has more linear resolution than any Nikon DSLR, including the D3X. The D7000 will make immediately apparent any limitations in your lenses and in your photo technique. If you can't get sharp pictures with a D7000, it's your fault, not the camera's.

KRW states a lot of stuffs on his website. Keep in mind he's making money from it. Take all his stuffs with a good pinch of salt. His statement is somewhat true, but also applicable to many other cameras and also oversimplifying. That's his style. Technical specs like linear resolution will hardly cross the path of newbies, can be safely neglected for now.

 

[Override2Zion]

I think TS should weight the pros and cons based on needs.

Nikkor AF-S 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR
PROs
1) Longer focal length
2) VR
3) SWM (Better AF Speed)
CONs
1) Variable aperture size at f/3.5 widest

Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8
PROs
1) Large constant aperture through the zoom range
CONs
1) Slow BIM (Slower AF compared to the Nikkors)

I was a user of the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 and I must say the IQ is pretty good. However the images made with the Tamron tend to be a little cooler in hue compared to that made with a Nikkor.

 

[kentwong81]

Hi, the SWM is not meant for better AF speed, but just to ensure low noise during focusing only.

I think TS should weight the pros and cons based on needs.

Nikkor AF-S 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR
PROs
1) Longer focal length
2) VR
3) SWM (Better AF Speed)
CONs
1) Variable aperture size at f/3.5 widest

Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8
PROs
1) Large constant aperture through the zoom range
CONs
1) Slow BIM (Slower AF compared to the Nikkors)

I was a user of the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 and I must say the IQ is pretty good. However the images made with the Tamron tend to be a little cooler in hue compared to that made with a Nikkor.

 

[Override2Zion]

Hi, the SWM is not meant for better AF speed, but just to ensure low noise during focusing only.

USM/SWM/HSM are all abbrevations of high speed motor driven AF mechanisms used by the various lens manufacturers. Compared to Tamron's BIM, its a world of a difference. Being silent is just one characteristics of the SWM. When you refer to AF-S, that means its SWM equipped.

Please read this extract from Nikon's Lens Glossary
http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/lens/glossary.htm

"Silent Wave Motor
Nikon's AF-S technology is yet another reason professional photographers like NIKKOR telephoto lenses. AF-S NIKKOR lenses feature Nikon’s SWM which converts “traveling waves” into rotational energy to focus the optics. This enables high-speed autofocusing that’s extremely accurate and super quiet."

These are just basic knowledge on Nikon systems.




.

 

[synesthesia]

Thanks for all the inputs haha I've weighed the pros and cons and I'm trying to stir my brother to get a nikon camera with the tamron lens so we can share! Haha but if he doesn't get it I'll prob go with the option of buying the tamron 1st. To see how I like it. thanks guys

 

[ovaltinemilo]

A faster lens is always more appealing... probably you can get the 17-50 f2.8 and get a telephoto in the future for your set up...if you are like me who can't reli get all using 1 lens.:bsmilie:

 

[Magix88]

I am a user of Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 for the past 3-5 years and I'm still loving it. No regrets about selling my initial kit lens. You can and will very soon overcome the shorter working distance and appreciate the higher image quality. The Bokeh produced while shooting at 50mm wide open is unbelievable.

 

[kentwong81]

Yup, I saw these on Nikon website before, but there are complains that AF-S are slower than AF-D without the SWM for certain lenses, which leads confusion to many people, including myself, that the "better speed" of SWM may not be the same for every lens.

USM/SWM/HSM are all abbrevations of high speed motor driven AF mechanisms used by the various lens manufacturers. Compared to Tamron's BIM, its a world of a difference. Being silent is just one characteristics of the SWM. When you refer to AF-S, that means its SWM equipped.

Please read this extract from Nikon's Lens Glossary
http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/lens/glossary.htm



These are just basic knowledge on Nikon systems.




.

 

[Override2Zion]

the "better speed" of SWM may not be the same for every lens.

My point was that SWM is not meant for the sole purpose of being silent, its main purpose is for for speed. AF accuracy and speed are dependent on many factors, Camera's AF processor, type of selected AF sensor (cross-type?), lens' AF drive system (body built-in/lens built-in), lens' widest aperture size (AF happens with widest possible aperture at selected focal length) and lighting conditions.

For the case of the Tamron 17-50mm BIM version, the AF-S 18-105 will focus faster. Using the same camera, try using both lenses on AF-C and 3D tracking on a moving object and you'll see the difference.