yuvalherz wrote:Thank you both for the recommendations.Both the Tamron 17-50mm and the Nikon 16-85mm seem to be good candidatesThe Sigma 17-50 OS HSM is better than the Tamron. See Lenstip for a comparison between the Sigma and other 17-50 lenses. The current Tamron has received VC and that did not do the lens any favours. I hear a lot of mixed stories about that lens.

"Walk around" lens means I don't want my heavy Nikon 17-55 f2.8 so its my more often used 16-85mm.Steve

how about the Nikon 18-200 VR"II" (gold VR lettering)?Review of the VR"I" version by dpreview here:http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/nikon_18-200_3p5-5p6_vr_afs_n15/4the only minor change to VRII is the addition to a "lock" switch to lock the zoom barrel,  a merely tiny physical tab lock -- nothing of an "upgrade" to speak of!   no change to the VR, no change to any design element.

Thanks Steve. The weight factor would be lower in my decision. Ultimately, what I'm looking for is a super sharp lens with good performance under poor light conditions.

I love my 17-55 F2.8. Got a used copy and had it serviced shortly after purchase and the difference was like night and day.It's plenty wide for my D7000 but in my opinion my 28-70 F2.8 takes slightly better images but it is heavy.

yuvalherz wrote:Allow me to begin by stating that I know that there's no such thing as "walk-around" lens, but STILL - imagine you had to choose your favorite lens for Nikon, a lens which would be mounted on your camera either when you're travelling in the city or even when you're hanging with friends on a BBQ event.What I'm looking for could be a recommendation for "an enhanced kit lens", if you will, in terms high max-aperture and remarkable sharpness.I own a wide-angle Sigma 10-20mm and a Nikkor 50mm (both are great), but I'd love to have something in between. My budget would be about 1000 USD,and I've laid my eyes on theNikkor 17-55mm f/2.8.Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.Thank you.If you want a bit more range/versatility (which I think is what a walk around lens is all about):The best walk around lens on DX forhiking/landscapesis the Nikon 16-85vrThe bestall purposewalk around lens with a slightly brighter aperture is the newer Sigma 17-70The bestbright zoom lensfor DX covering some of the "normal" range is the new Sigma 18-35 f1.8All are reasonably priced.

Shunda77 wrote:yuvalherz wrote:Allow me to begin by stating that I know that there's no such thing as "walk-around" lens, but STILL - imagine you had to choose your favorite lens for Nikon, a lens which would be mounted on your camera either when you're travelling in the city or even when you're hanging with friends on a BBQ event.What I'm looking for could be a recommendation for "an enhanced kit lens", if you will, in terms high max-aperture and remarkable sharpness.I own a wide-angle Sigma 10-20mm and a Nikkor 50mm (both are great), but I'd love to have something in between. My budget would be about 1000 USD,and I've laid my eyes on theNikkor 17-55mm f/2.8.Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.Thank you.If you want a bit more range/versatility (which I think is what a walk around lens is all about):The best walk around lens on DX forhiking/landscapesis the Nikon 16-85vrThe bestall purposewalk around lens with a slightly brighter aperture is the newer Sigma 17-70The bestbright zoom lensfor DX covering some of the "normal" range is the new Sigma 18-35 f1.8All are reasonably priced.It's been 8 months since the post. Looking at his recent gear list...appears he made some of his choices already. 17-55 f2.8 turned out to be a buy, for example.