24-85 mm Nikon Lens (2.8) "OR" the 24-70 MM Nikon Lens ( 2.8)?

Question:Have to buy one. But which one?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Have to buy one. But which one?

I have the 24-85mm f/2.8~f/4.0 macro only because the 24-70mm f/2.8 was not available six years ago. Both are excellent lens (I use mine for over 90% of my shots), however the 24-70 is f/2.8 throughout its focal range, a huge plus when shooting sports or runway shots indoors, so it should be a natural for a wedding photographer.

The 24-85mm lens.

Check the price difference.

The 24-70 is listed at B&H for about $1700 while they have 24-85mm Nikons for about $500.

This suggests one is professional quality lens while the other is just a very good consumer grade lens.

Just to throw a wrench in the works, for the D80, don't overlook the 17-55, which is more the digital standard. Since 35 mm is the "normal" focal length, 17-55 gives you just about as much wide on one end as it does tele on the other. It's about half a pound lighter than the 24-70.

The 24-70 IS a full-format lens, though, and in your lifetime, that might make a difference. And - for weddings - maybe you don't need the wide angle provided by the 17 mm as much as you need the tele of the 70 mm.

You only lose one stop in the 24-85 lens, so that's not much of a penalty...

Toss a three-sided coin.

I have to agree with Sam, a 17-55mm lens would be really great for wide angle needs. But it is a DX lens, which isn't the best if you ever go FF. If I were your position, I'd get a 17-55mm f2.8 on the D80, and a 70-200mm f2.8 on another body. If not this setup, the 24-85mm is a nice range and great optics.