I have a Nikon D5100, what would be the best over all lens to have on Vacation?

I have a Nikon D5100, what would be the best over all lens to have on Vacation?

If you have decided just to take one, the 18-200 mm VR is a good single lens solution.

I carry two. A 12-24 wide angle and an old 24-85 mm f/2.8~4 when I'm not on assignment

When I go on vacation I take a Nikon AF-S 18-200mm and either a Tokina 11-16mm or a Sigma 8-16mm.

I have over a dozen lenses, but I could not fathom even taking half of them on vacation. Each lens is for a specific purpose, and the 18-200mm I own is for the specific purpose of vacations - and only taking minimal equipment.

However, being a super-zoom, the 18-200, like all super-zooms, does have some issues. If used at the wider open apertures, the lens tends to have some blurriness along the focal length. This is pretty much corrected when using the lens at f/8, and all of the blurriness is about gone by then.

So, I'm willing to accept the self-imposed compromise of having to use the lens at f/8 vs, the convenience of carrying less equipment. And since most photography is in the daylight when we're on vacation anyway, f/8 is not really too much of a restriction.

But when I go on vacation, I'll usually find myself putting a 50mm f/1.4 in my lens bag just for good measure (they are small and don't take up much room).

I supplement the 18-200mm with the mentioned 8-16 or 11-16 lenses as they are ultra-wide angle, and can really capture the wide open vista of some vacation spots.

I'll take the 8-16 if we're going to be seeing dramatic scenery, or I'll take the 11-16 if we're going to be inside of museums, etc. Where there may be issues with available light. The Tokina 11-16mm is f/2.8, so it really helps in low light situations.

So my lens selections for vacation are highly dependent on where we're going, and what we will be seeing.

For travel you want to have enough of a range of focal lengths, but you want compactness. Unless you really, really, greatly want to capture a scene in wide enough wide or with enough magnification, you need to live with limitations. Nobody is going to look at 1000 vacation pictures, so you need to live with photogenic stuff going unphotographed.
The Nikon 18-200mm has a very good range and pretty good sharpness. The new 18-140mm has less range, but you may rarely miss what it lacks. I still haven't seen hands on reviews, but it seems reasonable to expect better or more consistent sharpness with it.

The 18-55mm.

I'm dead serious. It's light, it's small, it's wide enough for most things and long enough for everything else (unless your vacation includes bird watching or air shows), and it's cheap if it gets broken or stolen. You don't need anything longer than 55mm, just get closer to make a stronger shot.

They bill the compact and expensive Fujifilm X100S as a 'travel camera' and it has a fixed 24mm lens.

If Nikon made a 24mm prime for DX, that is the only thing I would have on my camera for general travel photography, as the 35mm is a tad too narrow.

Yeah, you can get the all-encompassing 18-200mm or even the 18-300mm so you can get close to anything… But you will find your compositions will get boring due to the lack of interesting backgrounds and will lose contrast and sharpness at the long end of the lens.

Plus, you will feel like you have a noose around your neck after lugging around these lenses all day. Are you there to have a vacation, or are you there to take photos?

18-55mm. If you want to get most of the scenery, the wide end of the kit lens will do just fine. If you want to take shots of people, the kit lens will also do. If something is just beyond your reach, you could just walk up to it to take a closer shot. You already have it most probably so why spend on another lens? You could use the money to add an extra day or so to your vacation.