Hey, I'm looking for a good zoom lense, that will allow me to tak good landscape photos, but also close-up zoom photos like animals here and there. I don't need anything crazy in that regard, but I have 18-55, and it's just not enough when I see something interesting and can't get close enough. I want something in the 18/28(or thereabouts)-xxx that will provide good quality on both ends of the scale as in between. The reason I don't want a 55-xxx lens is because I do not want to switch lenses in the middle of everything, plus since it's off-road, there maybe some dust here and there (but not to the extent I will need a dust-proof/weather-proof lens). Also, since the pictures will be taken mostly in day time, I'm not worried too much about aperture.
my camera is a Nikon d5500, and here are some lenses that fit in my budget:
Nikon 18-140 af-s dx f3.5-5.6g ed vr
Sigma 18-250 f3.5-6.3 dc macro os hsm
Sigma 18-200 f3.5-6.3 dc macro os hsm contemporary
Tamron 28-300 af f3.5-6.3 xr di ld (if) macro
Tamron 18-250 af f3.5-6.3 xr di-ii ld (if) macro
Where the Tamrons are the limit of my budget.
Thanks for the help
I've used the Nikon 18-200 since 2008 and it's brilliant. It's the only digital lens I've owned for the reasons you're looking for. It focuses to 500mm at full zoom and with the excellent stabilisation, you can do hand held macro type type shots as well. I can't believe how useful it is having a quality lens with that range and haven't felt the need for anything else or regretted the purchase as it suits my opportunistic style and is essentially a bag of lenses in one. This is particularly important with digital as the chance of dirt ending up on the sensor due to lens changing, especially in bad weather, is astronomical compared with film, never mind the likelihood of missing the shot or dropping something while changing over.
The 28 will never be enough but the 18 is adequate for most wide angle needs. I tend to find I'm usually at one end or the other, even though I almost never used telephoto when I shot on film and made do with a 28-85 Canon. Having had the 18-200, I can't imagine going back to a 3x zoom and I don't have the skills or discipline to stick with fixed focal lengths, even though I often did it with film due it's speed and resolution limitations.
I strongly suggest you go with a Nikon zoom as I've never found the non camera brands to perform satisfactorily. I know there are many "reviews" suggesting otherwise, but unless you can do useful testing to prove it to yourself, I'm pretty sure you'll regret cheaping out. I've seen my shots on a retina screen and I couldn't believe sharpness compared to my screens, whereas I could see fringing, uneven focus, lack of contrast and general sogginess on what I think was a Tamron 18-250 on my non retina devices.
The combination of the 5500 and a Nikon zoom will amaze you, especially after the rather ordinary 18-55. You can take pics in almost any light. Remember, the stock lens is a fraction of the price of the 18-200 and you really do get what you pay for here, and I'm using the original version. Please remember to get a quality UV filter immediately to protect the lens. Do not be tempted to even take it out of the box till you're ready to put the filter on in a clean environment.