Which One Camera and Lens Combo for Muktiple Uses

[rollsman44]

I know this might sound Crazy but if you had to choose 1 camera and 1 zoom lens ( appr 28-150) in that area. To be able to do group shots and Portraits what choice would you pick from
The reason is : I want to carry 1 camera and 1 lens that will allow me to do as I have stated and Most important is Excellent Image quality. I know this might be close to impossible but I am Speculating. Thank you

 

[Jack]

"Group Shots and Portraits with EXCELLENT image quality in ONE lens"

Not asking for much are you? :ROTFL::ROTFL::ROTFL:

So let's parse this out. Widest I'd use for group is a 24 -- anything wider and rectilinear distorts head shapes near the edge of the frame and looks bad, regardless of lens quality -- and 28 is even better than 24 if your normal group sizes and distances will allow the fit... For portraits, I find 70 a tad short, 85 about the minimum, and 105 is better -- personally speaking, I like the 85 for head and shoulders, and prefer 105 (or even 180) for head-shots.

So all that said, the "excellent" 24-70 won't cut it at the long end. The 24-120 would do nicely on zoom range for your needs, but IQ while very good, is simply not excellent. But then it may be adequate... Any of the other wide to tele zooms are lesser performers still than the 24-120.

One body in the Nikon system is easy -- the D810. It is simply outstanding in all regards -- af, exposure, focus/focus-tracking, user-customization, etc -- and then offers very clean ISO up to 3200. (If money is no object and you need the most robust build quality, then the D5...)

Sooooo.... One lens, one body, I would go with D810 plus 24-120 VR G (the lens IQ is good enough for me). However, if I wanted the best IQ for your stated purposes, I would do two lenses --- the 24-70 (great range for group and candids) and a 105 prime -- or possibly even 80-200 zoom. Obviously the two zooms would give you the most flexibility.

Final comment in my humble opinion only: You don't need stellar IQ for people shots, groups or heads... For prints to 11x14, even the cheapest in the new family of Nikon zooms deliver more than adequate IQ. IMHO only...

 

[Swissblad]

I agree with JACK - ABOUT NOT ASKING MUCH......:shocked:

I had the AFS 24-120mm VR, and while it is good - it is not EXCELLENT.

I also prefer a faster aperture for portraits than f4.0.....

Personally I would go for a 24-70mm f2.8 - either version is good - for groups - and a fast prime for portraits - where you focal length requirement may vary i.e. 105mm, 135mm or 180mm.

HTH :toocool:

 

[Steen]

Maybe a tad heretical to mention an APS-C sensor solution - do you have sharp preferences with regards to Full Frame vs. APS-C ?
I ask you because I can't stop thinking that a combination of Nikon D7200 + AF-S Nikkor 16-80mm f/2.8-4E VR DX Lens would fit rather well to your purpose description.

Swissblad, we need you to chime in with your opinion on Nikon's new 16-80mm all-round DX zoom lens (equals 24-120mm in full frame terms).

Here is what Thom Hogan has to say about the new 16-80mm zoom lens
Nikon 16-80mm f/2.8-4E VR DX Lens Review | DSLRBodies | Thom Hogan

And rollsman, for your purpose I'm pretty sure the D7200 DX camera body would be every bit as good as the new D500, and at less than half the price of the rather expensive D500.
For sports and wildlife the D500 would most likely be a better choice, but that is a different story.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

What Jack said... and probably what Steen said as well. If price, size or weight isn't a problem, the D810 is the camera to have. It's nearly faultless, and the 24-120mm is more or less tailor-made for it. It's a surprising lens, for it isn't all that expensive, and despite its 5x zoom range, it's a very solid performer, sharp, good contrast and colour and easy to work with. There is some CA, and I struggled with that on occasions, but again: it's a 5x zoom.

Although I haven't tried it, the D7200/16-80 combo that Steen suggests will probably produce images that are indistinguishable from the above combo on most occasions. It's a bit handicapped at the long end, since he relative aperture is smaller there, and the ergonomics aren't as fluent. It's smaller, lighter and cheaper though, and those are deciding factors for many. When I sold my D810/24-120, the reason was not the size and weight of that combo. It was when I started adding stuff that it got out of hand.

That is the danger of any one body/one lens combination; when you stand on he deck of a river boat five hours from the coast of some obscure country near the end of the world and you see this farmer with his buffaloes and they are just tiny dots in the viewfinder... that's when when you wish you had taken that extra kilogram of glass. Or when 24mm just isn't wide enough for the group photo that you need and want and there's not enough light and the edges aren't sharp enough for a problem-free stitching. And so on...

So I made a habit of carrying a 21mm (Zeiss) and a 180mm (Nikkor) in addition to the 24-120, making the kit twice as heavy while still not having a backup body other than my Nokia. That also made me realise that, although the zoom is very good, there are occasions when a quality prime really, really outshines it, and I'm not talking about pixel peeping here.

If I'm going to carry the weight of a Nikon DSLR body, I might as well carry the best lenses I can afford as well. If I don't, I might as well "downgrade" to a smaller format. Which I eventually did, but there were many reasons for that that are not relevant to discussion.

 

[rollsman44]

You make a lot of sense with your recommendations. This is my Thinking: just to try and be as clear as I can: Eventually, I am not going to be shooting weddings( few few now that I do) and just have a good camera with Excellent IQ and 1 Very Good Zoom that will give me Excellent IQ. I am ok with F4 due to Higher ISO now available, I know primes are really better than Most zooms BUT I don't want to change lenses all the time. At most I will be using it for Group shots and some Portraits and for travel. I hope that helps in giving me recommendations. I do appreciate all the suggestions. It can be with ANY BRAND Camera System

 

[Swissblad]

I will echo Steen's sentiment here - the D7200 with the Nikkor 16-80mm is an excellent combo.

My basic walk-around combination is the D500 coupled with the Nikon 16-80mm.

IMHO the 16-80mm is better than the 24-120mm, and the IQ of the D7200 is very good.

If you're limited by brand, I would also take a look at the Fuji X-T2.....

Have fun :angel:

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

It can be with ANY BRAND Camera System

If you're not limited to Nikon, the One Lens King right now seems to be the Zuiko 12-100mm f/4 on any of the advanced (Pen F, E-M5 II, E-M1, E-M1 II) Olympus bodies. You get 24-200mm reach, great optical quality and up to 6 stops of dual stabilisation in a very compact package. Very hard to beat. The sensor is smaller of course, but that sensor size isn't in any way limiting for my photography (I use a Panasonic GX8).

 

[rollsman44]

I am looking into getting a Nikon D7200 in excellent condition and less than 12,000 Actuations. That is my decision I made. Thank you all

 

[ptomsu]

I am looking into getting a Nikon D7200 in excellent condition and less than 12,000 Actuations. That is my decision I made. Thank you all

Excellent choice, you will not regret!

 

[rollsman44]

Thank you