What should my Nikon FX midrange setup be?

I have a D700 with:
14-24mm f/2.8
35mm f/2
50mm f/1.4 G
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8

My question is should I stick to the two prime lens and buy a cheap midrange zoom like the Nikon 24-85mm for $300 OR should I sell the two prime lens for about $550 and put that money towards a used $1500 Nikon 24-70mm. I'm on a budget right now and I'm contemplating on which midrange I should go with. Which one would be smart financially and optically.

I'd keep the primes if I were in your shoes. The 24-85mm can't match either of those primes for image quality at the same focal lengths. There's also no substitute for the primes in low-light. I'd simply continue saving until the 24-70mm is affordable.

It depends… What do you like shoot?

I would suggest you wait until you have enough money for the 24-70 mm lens.

Until then, I think you have enough coverage to shoot almost any subject.

Where are you finding an inexpensive Nikkor 24-85 mm lens? They cost just under $800 were live when you consider the tax you have to pay.

I still own one I bought in 2002 and it performs flawlessly. If you don NOT need f/2.8 at 70 mm, 85 mm at f/4 is fine when shooting most subjects.

I don't think you would be disappointed with the 24-85 mm Nikkor at all.

Sure, if you are going to be shooting NBA basket ball from the base line, the 24-70 mm f/2.8 may be exactly what you need, but only you can make that decision

Complete the trinity and keep the 35 or add a used 50mm f/1.8D for traveling light.

If the cash isn't there, consider which of those three zooms you should downgrade for now… Which one would generate the least amount of income or pleasure? It might make perfect sense to temporarily downgrade your 70-200 VR ll to a used VR l, or a VR l to an 80-200 f/2.8. Or to temporarily downgrade the 14-24 to a used 17-35. If the 24-70 is the lens you'd use least, consider a discontinued 28-70 or a third party 24-70.

When I upgraded to a D700 myself, the 24-70 was part of the same purchase… As a matter of course. It's the lens I use over 70% of the time.