So many choices!

[bluefin]

I am about to embark on a 6 month trip into the Pacific Northwest, BC and maybe Alaska. I have a D70 that I will give to my wife and/or use as a backup to my my soon to be purchased D200.

I have learned so much from these forums and one issue that really has me concerned is the quality of my glass. I have a 80-400vr, 70-180 macro and a 24-120vr. I have read all the comments and reviews and the 24-120 has really taken a beating. I didn't understand the "softness issues" because I have not made a large print yet.

So last night I pulled what appeared to be a sharp image taken on my 24-120 into Capture and zoomed in a couple of times and there it was...I saw the softness around the edges of flower petals. I then pulled in an image taken with the 70-180 macro and zoomed in more than a couple of times It it almost appeared as if the image got sharper with more detail! Ahha! My lucky wife now gets the D70 and the 24-120!

So now I need to fill in the gap from let's say 24mm to 100mm. After reading all the reviews it appears that the Nikkor 24-85mm f/2.8-4.0D IF will give me the quality I need without breaking the bank. Although the 18-200 is appealing on papaer, everything I have read tells me the 18-200 is similar quality to the 24-120.

Am I making sense and am I on the right track? All your advice is very much appreciated.......Mark

[coldrain]

The Sigma 24-70 f2.8 and Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 also will give you the sharpness. So, you will have a lot of choice in this class...

[Jason25]

Mark,

The 24-85 AF-S version is generally regarded as a better lens than the 2.8-4, even having a slower aperture. Not only that, it's only $200 used.

The options coldrain suggested also apply, just be sure to get a good sample of the Tamron if you go for it, as there seems to be quite a variation.

If you come here to Alaska, especially southeast, be sure to get rain gear for you and your equipment. Also be prepared to give that 80-400 quite a workout if coming by boat!

[bluefin]

Coldrain,

This is new to me because when I needed good glass for my T90 I knew to buy L glass and Ziess lenses for my Hasselblad was never a quality issue either.

Trying to understand which Nikkor lens is the right one for me is tough unless you have enough experience with all the different lenses and Nikon.

Thanks for your advice.....Mark

[bluefin]

"If you come here to Alaska, especially southeast, be sure to get rain gear for you and your equipment. Also be prepared to give that 80-400 quite a workout if coming by boat![/QUOTE]"

Jason,

My wife and will drive up in our RV. I know the rain is something I need to deal with but haven't focused on it yet. I've seen all these pouches for SLRs where you can shoot with the camera in the pouch but have no clue how practical they are. You must deal with this all the time. Any favorite recommendations?

[Jason25]

An RV trip sounds fantastic! As for rain gear, it's easy to get by very cheap actually.

Garbage bags make excellent camera covers. Just stick a UV filter on the lens, strap a trash bag on with a rubber band around the lens barrel, cut a hole in the trash bag and go! A regular poncho works great for covering you and your bag on hikes in the rain.

If you really don't want to make your own, you can check out the ewa-marine cover, which is actually made for underwater use : http://www.rtsphoto.com/html/ewamar.html