With Nikon, at least, it all comes down to what you're willing to pay -- and I'm not willing to pay the freight for their big lenses.

Re. third-party lenses, at the other end of the spectrum, I've been really pleased with the Tokina AT-X Pro SD 11-16. Excellent super wide bang for the buck.

If you're fixin' to put a hole in something,
make it a hole to remember.