My girlfriend owns a D5100 and I own a D7000 for which we both share lenses (or try to when appropriate). I own the 18-55 kit lens, a Nikkor 50mm 1.8g (I may consider buying the inexpensive 50mm 1.8d so that we can both have the 50mm at all times) and a cheap Sigma 70-300 4.5-5.6.
As of right now, I do 65% of my shots using the 50mm, including, most of the time, landscape photography. I just adjust the composition by adjusting my position and only use the kit lens when that's not an option. For some time I've been thinking about acquiring a wide angle lens, but after checking up the prices and different models I couldn't make up my mind.
What is it that you look for in a wide angle lens?
To make it easier to explain where my doubts lay, let's say the Nikkor 24mm 2.8D which sells on amazon for 360 pounds / $450.
- Do I really need a fast lens for landscape? I mean, 90% of my shooting with a wide lens is going to be architecture or landscape so why would I need a fast lens?
- Most of my photography (which tends to be street photography and portraits) is taken with the 50mm or the telephoto (which I'm seriously considering upgrading to something not crappy)... are there other usages for wide angle (other than landscape and architecture) that I'm missing? (I mean things you'll do often, not things that you may do but you never end up really doing).
- How is it different from the kit lens? I can deduce build quality of the kit lens is not going to be great, but it's still a 18mm f3.5 in the wide side, so wider and reasonably fast... is it really worth it to get the Nikkor 24mm? Why?
