Which lens would you rather have? 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 or 28-70mm f/2.8?

Question

which lens would you choose?

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Answer 1

I would much rather have the 28-70mm f/2.8 lens personally. The loss in the range of the lens is more than made up for by a fixed 2.8 aperture.

Answer 2

This depends on your need and what you are photographing. the 28-70mm f/2.8 is an excellent fast standard zoom lens, suitable for most situations and a great walkabout lens. But it costs a lot of money, the nikkor version of that zoom lens for nikon costs $1500. Hell, if I could afford one, you best believe I'd have it in my camera bag. The superzoom is good, if you need the long range of focal lenths, but you'll pay for that zoom capability in the long run when you compare the shots taken with that lens and the 28-70 f/2.8. The standard nature of the 28-70 means that you have greater ability to capture what you see, as you see it, and is why that lens is so coveted by serious photographers who do photojournalism type work. When you need to capture what you see, how you see it, a superzoom is not the best choice, even though you've got the same zoom range. You'll see the difference between the two.

I would go for the 28-70mm f/2..8.

Answer 3

I have both of these, a Nikkor 28-200 AF, the other a Soligor 28-70 f2.3 with an AI F mount.

The 28-200mm is a great one lens solution, but is very bulky. For some circumstances where the longer focal length is less important, the Soligor does a great job. It is also easier to take bush walking, when I carry a 70-300mm in my pack as well to get the longer focal lengths needed for birds and smaller wildlife.

I bought the Nikkor to replace a Tamron 28-200mm before I found the 28-70mm. I guess that counts as the lens I would choose if I couldn't have both.

Answer 4

Since you asked which lens _I_ would choose, I'll just come out and say that _I_ would choose the 28-70 f/2.8 for all the reasons that everyone said above me.

Which one would _YOU_ choose? That all depends on what you want to do with it, your budget, etc., and you didn't tell us that.

It's not what you asked, but I can't help myself. On your 30D, you might even consider the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens. http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-17-55mm-f-2.8-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx I have the comparable Nikon lens and it's my top favorite lens for quality. The 28-70 is really more of a film lens, based on it's focal lengths. The 17-55 was made to be sort of the digital equivalent of that lens, in case you never considered that.

Answer 5

28mm is not wide enough for a crop frame digital sensor. But I would choose the 28-70 f/2.8., both for image quality and speed.

That said, if I only could have one lens to start with, I would consider the 28-200 for the longer reach.

Answer 6

depends on your needs.

If you need a long zoom range and not a lot of low light support, then the 28-200 would be good.

If you need a moderate zoom with good low light performance, then get the 28-70. Later on if you need more of a zom range, you can alway add on a 70-200mm.