Recommendation for a good 18-24mm Nikon mount DX lens for under £400?

Mark A · 16 May 2020 at 11:13

I am currently using my old 18-135mm kit lens for general photography and mainly use it in the 18-35mm range indoors. It's ok, but seems to hunt constantly when trying to focus and the images are very soft, especially noticeable on eyes.

I want to get something that will be an upgrade from this kit lens, that is faster focusing and sharper if possible. It would be used for general indoor photography and as its wide angle I'd also use it for landscape as well.

I do also have a 35mm Nikon 1:1.8g which is nice and sharp and faster focusing, but is a little too long for inside my small house.

So far I am looking at the Nikon 12-24 1.4 g dx second hand, but reviews aren't great for it. Anything else I should look at?

Camera is a D5300 and doesn't have an internal motor.

TIA

ChrisUK1983 · 16 May 2020 at 21:39

A used Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 may be within your budget. Its a fantastic lens, sharp as hell. The one thing I miss about owning a DX camera is not being able to own this lens :-)

Mark A · 17 May 2020 at 01:02

ChrisUK1983 said:
A used Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 may be within your budget. Its a fantastic lens, sharp as hell. The one thing I miss about owning a DX camera is not being able to own this lens

Thanks a lot! I'll have a look into this lens. I don't mind paying a bit more if its really worth it.

Edit: It seems to go for around £400 second hand but in "excellent" condition. Hmm, it does sound great from a quick scan of reviews. The only slight negative would be the size and weight as my camera is quite light, but that doesn't bother me too much as I am used to using my Nikon 105mm macro, which is a beast.

I could also then sell my 35mm f1.8 lens to help pay for it.

ChrisUK1983 · 17 May 2020 at 12:11

I used mine on a D3100 and a D90, the weight wasn't an issue with either for me. It felt really well balanced.

If you've ever handled a Nikon 24-70 f2.8 it's pretty much the same size and about 100g lighter.
If you're wanting a lens for mainly indoor work then I can't think of a better suggestion, it's very sharp even wide open at f1.8

https://flic.kr/p/oFUpn2 here's an old snap I took at f1.8

Mark A · 17 May 2020 at 15:53

That looks great! Had a quick look through your photos and you have some amazing shots there!

I have a few in my watch list in the hope the sellers will send an offer to tempt me.

ChrisUK1983 · 17 May 2020 at 18:37

Mark A said:
That looks great! Had a quick look through your photos and you have some amazing shots there!

I have a few in my watch list in the hope the sellers will send an offer to tempt me.

Thanks, appreciate that. Good luck with the search, hopefully you land on a decent deal.

Snapshot · 18 May 2020 at 17:52

Nikon's 16-85mm is well worth considering and is pretty cheap second-hand or possibly the Nikon 10-24mm. There's also the Nikon 16-80mm that replaced the 16-85mm but it seems to be hard to find at the moment.

ChrisUK1983 · 18 May 2020 at 18:46

Pretty sure the 16-80 has an electronic diaphragm and won't be compatible with his D80

Snapshot · 18 May 2020 at 20:20

He doesn't have a D80. He has a D5300 and the 18-135mm lens that came with his D80. The OP takes a bit of careful reading.....

Mark A · 18 May 2020 at 21:41

Thanks for the suggestions, i'll have a look into those. Also yes, I sold my D80, but kept the 18-135 kit lens and replaced it with the D5300 for the video capability and updated sensor.

I still have a few Nikon 12-24mm lenses in my watch list on ebay and they're generally going for around £250-£300 :eek:

. This lens is £1100 new! Whats up with that? I thought Nikon lenses usually keep their value pretty well, buts thats a fair old drop in price for that one. Ken Rockwell seems to love the 12-24mm, but i'm not sure if hes sponsored by Nikon or just a big fanboy as he tends to be very biased.

ChrisUK1983 · 18 May 2020 at 23:12

I tend to ignore Rockwell. He'll review a 3rd party lens and absolutely love it, then review a similar Nikon variant and call all 3rd party manufacturer lenses "trash". He does similar with mirrorless cameras too. They're brilliant when he reviews them, then suddenly they're not "proper cameras" in his DSLR reviews.

Theangryphotographer is my usual go-to reviewer, I've never once been disappointed with a lens he's recommended

Columbo · 19 May 2020 at 17:20

So when I shot Nikon I went through a plethora of lenses in this range mainly because I enjoyed messing around with them. A few that stood out for me were when considering price vs performance but honestly the 18-35mm f1.8 is about the best lens available on a crop sensor.

Liked the Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4 DC OS HSM - £214 @ MPB
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equi...2-8-4-dc-os-hsm-macro-c-nikon-fit/sku-980168/

Tamron 10-24mm f3.4-3.5 - £174 @ MPB. I actually much preffered this over the Nikon 12-24mm but preferred the below lens
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equi...-di-ii-ld-aspherical-if-nikon-fit/sku-905610/

If you are deadset on the 12-24mm then get the Tokina 12-24 F4, its cheaper and better than the Nikon for £189 at MBP
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equi...24mm-f-4-at-x-pro-dx-ii-nikon-fit/sku-960130/

Then of course there is the standard Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 VC £159 @ MBP
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equi...-ii-vc-ld-aspherical-if-nikon-fit/sku-980059/

Mark A · 20 May 2020 at 14:38

Thanks @Columbo I think i'm definitely leaning toward the Sigma 18-35mm as it sounds like a great lens. I did read something about it needing to be calibrated to get the best out of it, but not sure my camera has that option.

I'll have a look into the other lens mentioned. The Tokina 12-24 also sounds good and that price is very tempting..

So not much love at all for the Nikon 12-24 then.. I'm surprised its still selling for such a high price.

Columbo · 21 May 2020 at 07:57

There nothing optically wrong with the Nikon 12-24 but the price it commands is just not worth it.

Lots of people refuse to stick 3rd party glass on their cameras and thats where the 1st party lenses hold their value, of course lot of them are excellent as well but Ive always been a bang for buck guy so generally 3rd party have been the more attractive route for me.

On calibration, if you get the 18-35 its compatible with the Sigma USB dock (about £40 to buy I think) so you can play with it yourself.

ChrisUK1983 · 22 May 2020 at 20:14

Columbo said:
There nothing optically wrong with the Nikon 12-24 but the price it commands is just not worth it.

Lots of people refuse to stick 3rd party glass on their cameras and thats where the 1st party lenses hold their value, of course lot of them are excellent as well but Ive always been a bang for buck guy so generally 3rd party have been the more attractive route for me.

On calibration, if you get the 18-35 its compatible with the Sigma USB dock (about £40 to buy I think) so you can play with it yourself.

I couldn't justify not using 3rd party glass as an amateur. Recently picked up a Tamron 70-200 G2 which is easily optically as good as my friends Nikon variant but nearly £1000 cheaper.