Nikon Lens Reviews | Photocrati

Nikon 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR Nikkor Review Round-Up

If 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 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR (Vibration Reduction) Wide Angle Telephoto Zoom Nikkor Lens – Refurbished by Nikon U.S.A.

Photo Zone

The Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED VR showed a quite impressive performance for a zoom lens with a 5x focal length ratio. Apart from a few weak spots the resolution figures are very high and on an APS-C DSLR vignetting is not a big issue. The amount of barrel distortions may be a little objectionable at 24mm (only) and the level of CAs could be a little better. Mechanically the lens is roughly in line with other consumer grade lenses made by Nikon so don’t expect a tank-like construction. The VR (Vibration Reduction) is a welcome addition to the feature list as is the very fast Silent Wave AF drive. All-in-all it’s a nice package but on APS-C DSLR the focal length range isn’t all that great anymore and most users shopping for a new lens will probably prefer to have a look at the new AF-S 18-200mm VR II. READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4D IF AF Review Round-Up

If 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 24-85mm f/2.8-4.0D IF AF Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The Nikkor AF 24-85mm f/2.8-4D IF is an very good standard zoom and it was the right decision by Nikon to discontinue its younger cousin (AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED) rather than this lens. The resolution characteristics is very good to excellent throughout the zoom range with a sweet spot towards the wide end. The contrast suffers somewhat at large aperture settings, specifically at 85mm, but is lifted significantly when stopping down a little. Vignetting and CAs are very well controlled whereas distortions are about average for a lens in this class. The mechanical quality is decent without reaching the true pro grade Nikkors here due to a rather extensive use of plastics and an old style AF. … READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX VR Nikkor Review Round-Up

If 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 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor Lens

Photo Zone

The Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX VR delivered a very sound performance with very few weaknesses. The resolution characteristic is generally very good and neither CAs not distortions are something to worry about. The vignetting is a bit more pronounced at 135mm @ f/5 but otherwise not a real problem. The bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is naturally a bit underdeveloped due to the slow max. aperture but apart from this limitation is seems pretty smooth. … A highly desirable new feature is naturally the VR (Vibration Reduction) mechanism. … However, I’d state that it isn’t quite as efficient as specified by Nikon though. The best thing of all is the very low price tag of the lens – by now it sells for less than 300â‚¬/US$. So you can get lots of bangs for you bucks if you can live with the comparatively slow max. aperture. READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 55mm f/2.8 AF Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Ken Rockwell

The 55mm f/2.8 AF is among Nikon’s best lenses ever. The mechanics are a klunky and plasticy, but the performance is stellar. READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 135mm f/2 D DC AF Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Photo Zone

The DC-Nikkor AF 135mm f/2 D is a very high quality, versatile tele lens. The resolution figures are excellent when using the Nikkor as a conventional lens. The Defocus Control (DC) feature gives you superior control over background and foreground blur – some portrait and still-life photographers will certainly desire such a detailed controlled over the bokeh (the out-of-focus blur) although it requires quite a bit of experience to master it. Vignetting, distortions and lateral CAs are very low and nothing to worry about in the field. The build quality of the lens is excellent whereas the AF (relying on the slotted drive screw) is a bit dated by now. Similar to its shorter cousin the DC-Nikkor 135mm f/2D has one major drawback – its price tag at around 1200 â‚¬/US$. READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 60mm f/2.8 D AF Micro Review Round-Up

If 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 60mm f/2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

Released back in ’93 the Micro-Nikkor AF 60mm f/2.8 D is a relatively old design but it can still deliver excellent results. The resolution figures are excellent and both vignetting and distortions are nothing to worry about. CAs are a little on the high side for a fix-focal lens though (correctable). The mechanical quality is very good and it’s fun to handle the lens. A great macro lens and even a worthy replacement for a standard lens unless you require ultra-large aperture settings. READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G AF-S IF-ED VR Review Round-Up

If 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 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR may not be the Ãœber-lens everybody was hoping for (nor was that realistic) but it is still a very good lens. At 70mm the results are nothing short of stellar and still easily on a very good level at 200mm. At 300mm there ´s a performance penalty specifically at the image borders @ f/5.6. Stopping down to f/8 helps to overcome most of the problems but unfortunately there ´s also a quite pronounced but still correctable degree of yellow/blue (lateral) CA. Distortions and vignetting are basically non-issues throughout the range. The build quality is pretty decent and about in line this Nikon’s recent medium grade zoom lenses. The AF is quite fast and almost silent and unlike most lenses in this league the front-element does not rotate during focusing nor zooming. The pricing of the lens may be relatively steep in absolute terms but price/performance-wise it remains a harmonious package. … READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 180mm f/2.8 IF-ED AF Review Round-Up

If 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 180mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

It was a joy to test drive the AF 180mm f/2.8 IF-ED – it’s one of those lenses that harmonized perfectly with the camera. The resolution is generally excellent. Distortions and vignetting are not field relevant. Lateral CAs are well controlled although you may spot purple fringing at times. During the field tests the lens was also capable of delivering outstanding contrast and a nice bokeh (with a bit of bokeh fringing). READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 28mm f/2 Ai-S Review Round-Up

If 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 28mm f/2.0 Nikkor AI-S Manual Focus Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

Typical for older manual focus lenses the Nikkor Ai-S 28mm f/2 comes with an exceptional build quality and super smooth focusing – most of today’s lenses feel cheap in comparison and the glory doesn’t stop here. At medium aperture settings the lens is capable to produce some of the highest resolution figures tested to date. At f/2 the results are somewhat softer regarding both border resolution and contrast. Distortions and vignetting are quite well controlled whereas CAs could be a little lower at f/8. (more…)

Nikon 45mm f/2.8 Ai-P Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Photo Zone

The Nikkor Ai-P 45mm f/2.8 may be a cute lens but it is also a very serious performer with very high resolution, marginal distortions, moderate CAs and quite well-controlled vignetting. The build quality is very good. The problem may be that today it represents an answer to a question which was asked long ago. f/2.8 is not exactly fast for a normal lens so the more common f/1.4 and f/1.8 variants tend to make more sense … at lesser costs. So at the end of the day the meaning of the lens lies in its extremely small form factor. But damn, it is so cute. Read Full Review

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