Is fast glass necessary if you have high ISO of good quality

[Still-One]

I usually keep the 17-55 AF-S DX NIKKOR F/2.8G IF-ED lens on my camera for 90% of my photos.

[AudioNut]

I had several "fast" professional quality zooms (24-70 f2.8, 70-200 f2.8, a 17-35 f2.8, and more recently a 17-55 f2.8) all Nikkor lenses.

I really enjoyed using them . . . for a while . . . until I got older with bad back, bad knees and other normal complaints that hit us over 55's (me, I'm way over 55)

I found that I was grabbing a point and shoot a lot of the time and leaving my SLR's at home . . Just too heavy to carry around . . . and no fun . . .

So, I sold all of the fast glass. Bought a Nikon 50 f1.4, a Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6, and a Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 - both of the zooms have VR (Canon calls it IS) and I couldn't be happier. I also have a 12-24 f4 Nikon lens that I seldom use.

I use the lenses on a Nikon D300 and a D90, and my old eyes can't tell any difference in the quality of pictures taken with the fast glass as opposed to the slower but definitely lighter lenses.

I print my own pictures in sizes up to 13X19 and image quality is superb with the slower zooms.

When I travel, I pack the D-300, the 16-85, the 70-300, and a flash in a fairly small bag and actually once again enjoy taking pictures.

My wife uses the D90 with an 18-200 Nikon lens, which is an even more manageable package and her results are often spectacular.

I still carry a point and shoot (Canon S-90) in my pocket as a "just in case" camera - and I do love that little camera - but that is another story.

Needless to say, my answer to your question is a resounding Heck No, you don't need fast glass - only thing I can see that it does for you is make you look better to people who notice that kind of thing.

[MikeSp]

f/4 zooms will also work well IF they have image stabilization, but then that adds more weight too.

The new version 2 of the Canon 70-200 L f/2.8 USM IS is worth every ounce (or pound).

MikeSp

[1KW]

Originally Posted by TommyC

I use my 24-70 100% of the time. Sometime I do wish it can go just a little wider. Other than that, I love that lens.

I picked up the 24-70 2.8 lens last week. It is built like one would expect from a pro lens. I an enjoying using it . Here are few shots taken while I was driving around this past weekend. The last picture was George Washington's headquarters during the revolutionary war.