Good lens for a Nikon D80 for mountain/high-desert pics

[Chaotic42]

Hey all.

I'm heading to the Southwest in a little over a week and I plan on stopping by some of the more scenic areas and doing a lot of picture taking. I've got a D80 and I was wondering if there was any must-have lens for that kind of huge landscape picture taking. I was thinking maybe something slightly fisheye?

I'd like to keep it under $500 if at all possible, but I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks!

Edit: Thanks everyone! I went for the Tokina.... and the D7100.... Clearly starting threads in this subforum is expensive.

 

[blastingcap]

Sigma 10-20 mm f/4-5.6 comes to mind

You can always make it distorted/fishy in Photoshop if you want; harder to do it the other way around (you lose resolution in the borders)

 

[Syborg1211]

Tokina 11-16mm. You can get the older version without the autofocus motor built-in since your D80 has a motor in it. This lens is hands down the sharpest DX wide-angle lens you can get.

 

[Chaotic42]

It's reaaaaallly tempting to cash in my Amazon points and pick up a D7100... Must.... resist....

 

[CuriousMike]

The Tokina was a good recommendation, but it's wiiide.
Another very popular ( and sharp ) lens is the 16-85 - that's a better "one lens does it all", sacrificing some wide-ness.

Picking up the D7100 - how "into" photography are you?
The D3300 and/or the D5300 might be significantly more your speed, and are both cheaper.
The D5300 has arguably a better sensor than the D7100, has the newer processor, and is smaller.

 

[Chaotic42]

The Tokina was a good recommendation, but it's wiiide.
Another very popular ( and sharp ) lens is the 16-85 - that's a better "one lens does it all", sacrificing some wide-ness.

Picking up the D7100 - how "into" photography are you?
The D3300 and/or the D5300 might be significantly more your speed, and are both cheaper.
The D5300 has arguably a better sensor than the D7100, has the newer processor, and is smaller.

I'm pretty into it. I figure if I'm taking a once-in-a-lifetime trip, I might as well record it well. Plus I plan to do a lot more hiking once I move.

 

[CuriousMike]

I can dig all that - but I will say, even for day hikes, I find the D7100 to be big-ish. I keep the 18-140 on it for that.

I just picked up the Sony Nex 3N for cheap specifically for something smaller on my hikes.
I didn't want to give up image quality ( the sensor in the 3N is the same as in their 5n/r series and I think the Nikon D5100 ) when I went small. In my limited use so far, it's going to fit the bill.

 

[Chaotic42]

I can dig all that - but I will say, even for day hikes, I find the D7100 to be big-ish. I keep the 18-140 on it for that.

I just picked up the Sony Nex 3N for cheap specifically for something smaller on my hikes.
I didn't want to give up image quality ( the sensor in the 3N is the same as in their 5n/r series and I think the Nikon D5100 ) when I went small. In my limited use so far, it's going to fit the bill.

Yeah, I know that carrying a lot of gear can be a pain, especially on long trips. I'll already be carrying water and a backpack. My concern with my D80 is that I have a huge desktop and it can't fill it even at max resolution. I like to do the whole background swap thing and even putting a D80 shot on one of my 30 inch monitors brings out the blurriness. When I move to a 4K monitor, it will be even worse.

 

[biostud]

I use the Sigma 10-20 for my UW shots.

 

[JohnnyRebel]

Yeah, I know that carrying a lot of gear can be a pain, especially on long trips. I'll already be carrying water and a backpack. My concern with my D80 is that I have a huge desktop and it can't fill it even at max resolution. I like to do the whole background swap thing and even putting a D80 shot on one of my 30 inch monitors brings out the blurriness. When I move to a 4K monitor, it will be even worse.

The D7000 Refurb is a steal @ $609

http://www.adorama.com/INKD7000R.html?utm_term=Other&utm_medium=Search%20Site&utm_campaign=Other&utm_source=adl-google

 

[carlton_fritz]

The D7000 Refurb is a steal @ $609

http://www.adorama.com/INKD7000R.html?utm_term=Other&utm_medium=Search%20Site&utm_campaign=Other&utm_source=adl-google

That is where I got mine a few months ago. Highly recommended. As for wide angle, the 16-85 gets good reviews.