Camera Labs

I too am buying a D80, but like very few people, am not set on getting the 18-200mm VR. I am currently in the market for a great wide angle lens, then in the future worry about macro and telephoto lenses. If anyone has any advice for great wide angle lenses or other buying strategies it would be greatly appreciated. - Bottlemore

Has Gordon's feature Nikkor kit lens group test been of any help?

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Hi Bottlemore, forum moderator and D80 owner Thomas (Tombomba2) is currently conducting a big test of wide angle zooms, so I'd wait and see what he comes up with!

In the meantime, the full range of Nikkor lenses cn be found here if you fancy a browse...

http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5

Gordon

I own both a 20mm and a 24mm which are great wide angles for city shots. For landscapes I would only use 20mm and sometimes it's not wide enough. On film though it equals to 13mm in 1.5x crop format which I find wide enough for landscapes. So I would say it depends on it's purpose.

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Minolta primes: 2.8/20 2.8/24 1.7/50 2.8/135
Minolta zooms: 28-135 35-70 70-210(beercan) kit
Minolta cameras: Dynax 5D 7000
M42: Pentax Asahi S-M-C Takumar 1.4/50 and 2.8/105 Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 2.4/35 Industar-61L/Z Kiron 2.8/105 Macro

18mm on the kit lens feels wide enough to me. I havn't felt the need for something wider yet.

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Nikon D80 | 18-135mm Kit Lens | 50mm f/1.8 | 4GB 150x Card | SB-600
http://flickr.com/photos/antmanisfubar

Hi, Bottlemore!
I'm almost through with my wide-angle-zoom comparison. See some conclusions here:
http://www.cameralabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1126
As you start with lenses, let me asure you that 18mm is already quite wide on an APS-C sensor cam like the Nikons or the resp. Canons: It translates into 27mm on a Nikon and 29mm on an Canon.
So after a lot of testing with the ultr-wides between 10(!) and 24mm I can say if you're not really really into serious ultra-wide photos, try starting with a 17/18mm-XXmm lens.
"Serious" meaning, doing photos like this (@12mm) or that(@10mm). The first photo could have been done with a kit-zoom starting at 17/18mm by stepping a few feet away but with a serious change in perspective - not the "in the face" feeling with the dog. The second shot would have been impossible due to the fact that with a few steps back I would have drowned in the Gracht behind my back

Addendum: If you forego the last two millimeters (10mm vs 12mm) you could start with a 12-24mm lens like the Tokina and than add a standard-zoom beginning with 24mm like the Nikon 24-120mm VR. Or if you want the FF (aka FX) route to be open for later upgrade consider the brand spanking new Nikon 14-24mm. This is rumoured to be the best full-frame glass you can get for that range beeing equivalent to a 9mm (!) straight (non-fisheye) lens on an APS-C sensor. The alternative, the Sigma 12-24mm is also FF/FX compatible (beeing equivalent to a 8(!!)mm on APS-C), but sadly has some nasty color-fringing (see here) and flare. Both can be looked over/avoided esp. as this lens is only 1/3 of the respective Nikon lens...

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses