What should I be aware of when buying a zoom lens (other than that it will fit my camera)? What specs should I pay close attention to?
['https://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/135', 'https://photo.stackexchange.com', 'https://photo.stackexchange.com/users/54/']
One consideration (this is a generalization, but most generalizations are based on some facts) is that usually the longer the zoom range, the quality of the image will suffer. As an example, the mega-zooms (28-300mm for example) will usually result in softer images (especially at either end of the zoom range) than a lens with a narrower zoom range (such as 24-70mm).

In any case, look for real-world reviews and photo samples before making a purchase.

I really like the lens [review section of FredMiranda.com](http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/) for getting real-world reviews.
I'm a big fan of Thom Hogan's lens reviews. <http://bythom.com/nikon.htm>