In article <4bno0e$qp1@news.cais.com>, ssives@ids2.idsonline.com says...
>If you're like me, you might find that no zoom ever looks really
>sharp. That's why I stick with fixed (prime) lenses which are very
>fast (1.8 >or lower). Try a good fixed lens and I think you will
>see the difference!

Hmmm... Try a sharp zoom, and you will see the difference. ;-)
Or, try a slow prime lens, and you will see the difference. ;-)
Comments like yours are always appreciated (experience, rather
than a recounting of a bunch of published numbers to prove a
point), but I felt I needed to counter what could become once
again a myth-in-good-repute. There are many examples of zooms
that can equal prime lenses, at least in most respects.
In the Nikon line, the following come quickly to mind:
25-50mm, 35-105, 50-135mm, 75-150mm, several 80-200mm's,
100-300mm, to name a few.
Hope this helps.