Nikon Lens Reviews

Nikon 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6D AF Nikkor Review Round-Up

nikon-af-nikkor-24-120mm-f-35-56dIf you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Photo Zone

The Nikkor AF 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 D IF was a popular lens during the film era but on APS-C DSLRs the focal length range isn’t all that attractive anymore. The performance of the lens is generally good with a high center resolution throughout the focal length range. Unfortunately the border quality is just so so at the extreme ends at large aperture settings. Apparently the contrast level is somewhat low at wide-open aperture so stopping down seems generally advisable. The distortion and vignetting characteristic is about average for a lens in this class. CAs are surprisingly low. Mechanically the lens feels generally fine but the rotating front element leaves something to be desired. The AF-S 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR felt more convincing during the local tests. … READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5 AF Nikkor Review Round-Up

nikon-af-nikkor-28-85mm-f-35-45If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. Get information and user reviews for this lens at Amazon: Nikon 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5 AF Nikkor Zoom Lens

Ken Rockwell

This early AF lens was my favorite midrange zoom until the autofocus became sticky. I replaced it with the 24-85 AFS. I can’t be sure if it’s just the luck of sample-to-sample variation or a truth valid for all lenses, but this old lens for me and my F100 is much better than any of the newer and similar 24-120, 24-85 f/2.8-4, 28-70 f/3.5-4.5 or 28-105 lenses I have tried and reviewed. READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor Review Round-Up

nikon-16-85mm-f-35-56g-ed-vr-dx-af-s-nikkorIf you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. Get information and user reviews for this lens at Amazon: Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX ED VR Nikkor Wide Angle Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Photo Zone

Despite some shortcomings the Nikkor AF-S 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX is probably still the best DX standard zoom lens in Nikon mount to date. It is very sharp throughout the range although there could be a little less field curvature (curved focus field) at 16mm. The level of distortions and lateral CAs is comparatively moderate for such a lens (still a bit high in absolute terms). Vignetting is generally well-controlled except at 16mm @ f/3.5. The rather slow max. aperture may be a bit unfortunate because the achievable bokeh is rather underdeveloped in conventional scenes. … The build quality is on a good level but don’t expect professional grade quality here. All-in-all an obvious choice but not flawless … which is why I had to agonize a while about the optical rating but I believe that the lens is somewhat more desirable than the AF-S 17-55mm f/2.8G ED although it’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges here. READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 70-210mm f/4 AF Review Round-Up

nikon-70-210mm-f4-afIf you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Photo Zone

The Nikkor AF 70-210mm f/4 delivered decent but not exceptional results. The resolution is excellent at 70mm but a little soft at 135mm @ f/4 and 210mm @ f/4 so the speed advantage compared to current consumer grade zoom lenses is somewhat relativized – stopping down to f/5.6 is advisable here. Despite the full format design vignetting is a little high at 210mm at wide-open aperture but otherwise it is well controlled. The level of distortions is unusually low for a zoom lens. Lateral CAs are moderate but purple fringing can be a problem in harsh contrast situations. The build quality is relatively decent although the approach is a bit dated. … READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 28-105mm 3.5-4.5D AF Nikkor Review Round-Up

nikon-af-nikkor-28-105mm-35-45dIf you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. Get information and user reviews for this lens at Amazon: Nikon 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D Autofocus Zoom Nikkor Lens

Ken Rockwell

Nice try, but thankfully there are better choices for a midrange zoom if you demand sharpness. Of course any good photographer can still make great images with this or any lens, regardless of sharpness. The focus errors I saw were important to picky people like myself who need to shoot at full aperture with 50 speed film. Most people would never even see the defect I saw, and other samples of this lens will differ. If you are buying a new lens you should try it out. You may love its combination of features, and it’s especially good if distortion bugs you. There are no perfect zoom lenses yet, so don’t let me discourage you. READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF Nikkor Review Round-Up

nikon-80-200mm-f-28d-ed-af-nikkorIf you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

Despite its age the Nikkor AF 80-200mm f/2.8D ED is a great lens both mechanically as well as optically (assuming you can get a good sample). The resolution is on a very high level throughout the zoom range and neither distortions nor vignetting are big issues (on an APS-C DSLR). CAs can be visible at times but the problem isn’t overly pronounced. It is a joy to use this lens and the relatively large aperture provides some creative potential in the convenient package of a zoom. The comparatively low price tag is also a good argument to have a deeper look into this interesting option … unless, of course, you can afford the AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR. … READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 70-210 mm f/4-5.6 D Review Round-Up

nikon-70-210-mm-f-4-56-dIf you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Ken Rockwell

If a slow f/5.6 maximum aperture is OK for you, then this is your telephoto zoom. I have played with a great many lenses in this focal range, and this one is clearly superior. I’m unsure how much of this is due to my luck at getting a good sample, or if they all are good. This 70-210 AF-D is as sharp as my 80-200 AF-S, better built, focuses almost as fast and focuses closer, and has fewer ghosts. The AF-S lens is handier if you need to go quickly between AF and manual focusing, and of course if you need f/2.8. Also having tested the actual focal lengths, the 70-210 AF-D also goes longer AND shorter than the 80-200, just as the specs suggest. As if you haven’t gathered, this is a lens to get if you need small, sharp, close focusing, inexpensive and don’t need the f/2.8 aperture. “¦READ FULL REVIEW

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