A standard zoom is ideal for walkabout photography, and the compact Nikon 16-85mm
f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX ED VR II weighs less than 500g, so is an ideal travel companion, and our best on test.
One thing the lens lacks is a relatively fast, constant maximum aperture of f/2.8. However, the f/2.8 lenses on test have less zoom range, lacking the telephoto reach of their slower rivals. By using the longer focal length of 85mm, you can still get a similarly tight depth of field at f/5.6.
And if you need faster shutter speeds, there's a lot to be said for increasing the ISO setting in current Nikon cameras (which deliver excellent image quality at high sensitivities) rather than having to use a larger f/2.8 aperture.
The Nikon 16-85mm is fairly affordable, but if you want a DX-format lens on a tighter budget, the Sigma 17-70mm is great. We're not so impressed with the even cheaper Tamron 17-50mm. It lacks sharpness away from the frame centre and often seems to cause metering errors.
The best-value f/2.8 for DX cameras is the Sigma 17-50mm, with its four-stop stabiliser.
For FX cameras, there aren't any optically stabilised standard zooms, but the Sigma 24-70mm is the best buy. It costs less than half the price of the Nikon 24-70mm. The DX-format Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 also lacks stabilisation. Unless you need bombproof build, the Nikon f/2.8 lenses are fairly poor value for money.