Lens Review - nikon AF nikkor 85mm f/1.8D

nikon nikkor AF 85 mm f/1.8D (1994 Release) FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS

Focal Length : This is a FX format lens, so you can both use them on typical SLR 35 mm cameras and D-SLRs. But on a D-SLR camera, it will effect like 127,5mm.
Aperture: f/1.8 . Nine-bladed rounded diaphragm stopping down to f/16
Optics: 6 elements in 6 groups. No ED glass elements or aspherical elements.
Closest Focus: 85 cm(0r 12 inches)
Macro Ratio: 1:9.2
Filter size: 62mm Non-rotating, Rear Focusing
Accesories: Lens rear/front caps, Barrel shaped, screw-in metal HN-23 Bayonet Lens Hood . CL-15S Lens case is optional.
Dimensions: 71.5 mm diameter. Length is 58.5 mm.
Weight: 380 grams

MY REVIEW ABOUT THIS LENS
The Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 is extereme sharp with showing NO flaws. Build quality is excellent. Lens glass quality is very high. According to IMATEST results, barrel distortion is only 0,03% , also not negligible in lab conditions. Vignetting is almost non-exsist, even at widest aperture setting of f/1.8. MTF Resolution results are excellent starting from f/1.8. Chromatic Aberrations are not field relevant. (limit is 1 pixel, test results are 0,2 pixel)

85mm f/1.8 is a very good lens for indooe and outdoor portraits. Portrait photographers, this lens is "the lens" you must keep in your backpack.

PAY ATTENTION :
- Screw-in metal lens hood is not so easy to use.

VERDICT : It is a cheap lens with very well build quality, all test result are excellent. It is a flawless lens with lightweight and compact design. Highly Recommended (10/10)

MY SAMPLE SHOTS :

Lens Review - Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G II DX ED

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6G II DX ED(2006 Release) FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS

Focal Length : 18-55mm focal range (3.1x zoom) for use in a popular range of focal length with compact and light weight. (equivalent to a 27-82.5mm lens in the 35mm format)
Aperture: f/3.5 at 18 mm, f/5.6 at 55mm. Seven-bladed rounded diaphragm stopping down f/22 (18 mm) to f/38 (55 mm)
Optics: 7 elements in 5 groups. That includes one ED glass element (shown in yellow) and one aspherical element shown in blue.
Closest Focus: 28 cm(0r 1.0 feet) throughout the entire zoom range.
Macro Ratio: 1:3.2
Filter size: 52mm - rotating
Accesories: Only rear/front lens caps. Barrel-shaped HB-33 Bayonet Lens Hood NOT INCLUDED !!! .
CL-0715 Flexiable Lens pouch NOT INCLUDED !!!
Dimensions: 70.5 mm diameter. 74 mm length.
Weight: 205 grams

MY REVIEW ABOUT THIS LENS
I have tried this lens for a week on my friend's D80 in Taiwan. It came as a kit lens. Frankly speaking, this lens' resolution surprised me during all the short time i use. But, its rotating front unit stuck me to use it with joy.

Wide angle has a lot of barrel distortion. At wide open aperture, this lens has a lot of vignetting and Chromattic Aberrations. But, but, but... This II version of 18-55mm is quite high resolution graphs even at slowest apertures... Very hard to believe !!

I may recommend this lens only for those with very tight budget. But, this lens will answer your resolution needs perfectly if you do not care about barrelling affect and vignetting at slow apertures.

PAY ATTENTION :
- No focus scala. Might be confusing for the ones who are used to or working manual focus usually. At 18mm, there is quite high positive barrel distortion
- This lens' weakest point is this: Resolution loss in the extreme corners at wide apertures. But, the resolution is EXCELLENT at the center.
- Vignetting is seen only at widest apertures at 18mm, rest is very good.
- Chromatic Aberrations are exceeding 1 pixel limit, even 1,5 pixel. Only 55mm end has no problem. Trouble...

VERDICT : If your bugdet is very very tight, this lens will not let you down. But after a while, you will start to feel the need of an upgrade. Mechanical quality is week and too much plastic feels poor. Among the low budget kit lenss, this lens has the highest point by means of price/performance graphics. NOT Recommended (6,5/10)

MY SAMPLE SHOTS :

Lens Review - Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G DX ED IF

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6G DX ED IF (2006 Release)

FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS

Focal Length : 18-135mm focal range (7.5x zoom) for use in a wide variety of situations (Better than all exsisting kit lenses starts with 18-xx , except 18-200mm VR) (equivalent to a 27-202.5mm lens in the 35mm format)
Aperture: f/3.5 at 18 mm, f/5.6 at 135mm. Seven-bladed rounded diaphragm stopping down f/22 (18 mm) to f/38 (135 mm)
Optics: 15 elements in 13 groups. That includes one ED glass element (shown in yellow) and two aspherical elements shown in blue.
Closest Focus: 45 cm(0r 1.5 feet) throughout the entire zoom range.
Macro Ratio: 1:4.1
Filter size: 67mm Non rotating
Accesories: Lens rear/front caps, Flower-shapedHB-32 Bayonet Lens Hood . CL-0915 Flexiable Lens pouch
Dimensions: 73.5 mm(2.9") diameter. 86.5 mm (3.4") length.
Weight: 385 grams (13.5 oz)

MY REVIEW ABOUT THIS LENS
Just used this lens for a very short time as a kit lens on my first digital Nikon, D80 , did not like the resolution at all. This is my least liked Nikon lens used ever after 18-55mm DX...

If you are a street candid photographer or journalist with a very tight bugdet and this lens came as an occasion to you, 18-135mm may answer your needs.

Very simple : This lens need a VR II on it.

Smooth bokehs on shallow depth of field conditions like portraits.

PAY ATTENTION :
- No focus scala. Might be confusing for the ones who are used to or working manual focus usually. At 18mm, there is quite hefty (3,3%) positive barrel distortion
- This lens' weakest point is this: Extreme vignetting and resolution loss in the corners. Resolution is good at the center.
- Vignetting is seen on widest apertures and wide angles, but 2 stop formula will erase that problem too.
- Chromatic Aberrations are exceeding 1 pixel limit, suffering from purple fringing.

VERDICT : If the bugdet is only thing you are after, this lens may be a solution with 7.5x zoom. But, save some more for a 18-200mm VR. NOT Recommended (6/10)

MY SAMPLE SHOTS :

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

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 16-85 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF VR (2008 Release)

FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS

Focal Length : This is a DX format lens, so you can use this on only APS-C crop factor D-SLRs. (Also can be used with D3 at "crop mode only for 5 megapixels) Picture angle is equivalent to focal length of 24 to 127.5mm in the 35mm format.
Aperture: f/3.8 at 16mm , 5.6 at 85mm. Seven-bladed rounded diaphragm stopping down to f/22 at 16mm and f/36 at 85mm.
Optics: 17 elements in 11 groups. That includes two ED glass elements (shown in yellow) and three aspherical elements shown in blue.
Closest Focus: 38 cm(0r 1.3 feet)
Macro Ratio: 1:4.6
Filter size: 67 mm (no rotation)
Accesories: Lens rear/front caps, Petal-shapedHB-39 Bayonet Lens Hood . CL-1015 Flexiable Lens pouch
Dimensions: 72 mm(28.3 inches) diameter. Extension from lens flange (length excluding rear mount extension) is 85 mm (33.5 inches).
Weight: 485 grams (17.1 oz)

MY REVIEW ABOUT THIS LENS
Not a surprise, this lens has the new VR II as all new Nikkor lenses. With ED and Aspherical elements, its resolution is respectfully high.

This new lens covers the ultra wide angle need and portrait angle need for the 18-35 , 18-55 and 18-70mm kit lens owners. For those who seek for a a little bit more, this lens provides a much more for a little bit bucks.

There is a M/A switch on the body for who do not like to look for the body switch every time.

Actually, i was questioning all these times, why Nikon engineers do not reply to Canon's 16-xx series lenses, and here they are. Congrulations.

Now i am seeking for a Nikon Zoom DX 16-35 mm f/4 ED VR something... C'mon Nikon engineers...

PAY ATTENTION :
- The people who are used to 18-200mm VR may feel the lack of +85 mm. But the optic quality of this lens is better then 17-55mm DX f/2.8G and 18-200mm DX f/4-5.6G VR.

VERDICT : It will be the new "tourist lens" of the new Nikon DX owners who are looking for a budget. Optic quality is very high and +2mm wide angle comes more handy together with VR. Recommended (8/10)

BEST FOR :
Nikon D3100, Nikon D5000, Nikon D90, Nikon D7000, Nikon D300s

Lens Review - Micro-Nikkor AF-S 105mm f/2.8G ED IF VR Nano

Nikon Micro-Nikkor AF-S 105 mm f/2.8G ED IF VR Nano

FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS

Focal Length : This is a FX format lens, so you can both use them on typical SLR 35 mm cameras and D-SLRs.
Aperture: f/2.8 . Nine-bladed rounded diaphragm stopping down to f/32
Optics: 14 elements in 12 groups. That includes two ED glass elements (shown in yellow) and three aspherical elements shown in blue.

Closest Focus: 31 cm(0r 12 inches)
Macro Ratio: 1:1 (real Micro lens)
Filter size: 62mm
Accesories: Lens rear/front caps, Petal-shapedHB-38 Bayonet Lens Hood . CL-1020 Lens pouch (artificial suede)
Dimensions: 83 mm(3.3") diameter. Extension from lens flange (length excluding rear mount extension) is 116 mm (4.5").
Weight: 790 grams (27.9 oz)

MY REVIEW ABOUT THIS LENS
The Micro-Nikkor 105mm VR is extereme sharp and silent lens. Build quality is excellent. Lens glass quality is very high and together with Extra-low Dispertion coating and Nano coating, all flares ang ghosts are successfully eleminated. According to IMATEST results, barrel distortion level is only 0,18% , not negligible in field. Vignetting is almost non-exsist, even at widest aperture setting of f/2.8. MTF Resolution results are over the test limits, which is amazing (at f/4 and f/5.6). Unexpectedly, Chromatic Aberrations are increasing as the apperture slows down. Even though, not field relevant. (it is below 1 pixel limit)

If you are a street candid photographer, 105mm VR is a good lens for dawn hunters (even at night) who doesn't like to carry a tripod with it's wide aperture and almost 4 stop advantage VR.

For portrait photographers, this lens is "the lens" you are looking for.

If you own a 18-200mm VR, it may seem unnecessary to own this lens. Who says so? What about the Micro spec you will have in your pocket? I must say that for micro shooters, do not forget to shut off the VR and auto focus. It is a pleasure to adjust the focus with the sensitive focus ring down to 31 cm. (But my personal suggestion is to buy a Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Macro lens for only-macro-obsessed enthusiasts)

PAY ATTENTION :
- This lens' weakest point is this: During macro, auto focus and VR do not work in harmony. VR is looking for your hand movements and very shallow depth of field changes furing this movement as the fast SWM focus trys to fast focus on the subject. Not a headache for me, just shot of VR for extreme macros and the problem solved. But this small detail does not suit to Nikon quality.
- Chromatic Aberrations (blue/purple color shadows at harsh contrast transitions) are around 1 pixel limit. Increases as the aperture slows down.. Interesting!!!. ED and Nano works here...

- 105mm VR is a "G" type lens and has no aperture ring on the body so old film cameras can not use it. Also Pn-11 owners can not use this extention tube. D40 and D40x owners can use this lens.

VERDICT : It is not a cheap lens but the build quality, sharpness and all other test result are excellent. Only autofocus may be a little problem in micro mode when used together with VR. Highly Recommended (9/10)

MY SAMPLE SHOTS :

Lens Review - Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D ED IF

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70 mm f/2.8D ED IF
FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS

Focal Length : This lens is a FX format lens and could be both used on film cameras and new D-SLR cameras. When you use it on a APS-C format digital camera it is equavilent to a 42 - 105 mm lens on a typical SLR 35 mm camera. (D3 will have the same result of 28-70mm with this lens as it is FX format)
Aperture: This lens has a fix fast aperture on all range at f/2.8 . It's 9 bladed rounded diaphragm stops down to f/22. Almost full round sphere gives you excellent bokehs.
Optics: 15 elements in 11 groups. That includes two ED glass elements (shown in yellow) and one aspherical elements shown in blue. Internal Focus and Distance information are other properties.
Closest Focus: 50 cm(0r 20 inches) at 70mm.
Macro Ratio: 1:5.6
Filter size: 77mm
Accesories: Lens rear/front caps, Flower-shapedHB-19 Bayonet Lens Hood . CL-74 Hard Case Lens Case
Dimensions: 89 mm(3.5") diameter. Extension from lens flange is 122 mm (4.9")
Weight: 935 grams (33.0 oz)

MY REVIEW ABOUT THIS LENS
The Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8 works perfectly on my D200 for over one year. This lens was my lifesaver lens for every light condition. Even at widest apertures, this lens has almost perfect results of sharpness. At f/4 and f/5.6, this lens is perfect. This may sound a little bit exaggeration for you, but as a 28-70 f/2.8 user, i have heard a lot of times words of praises from my jelous photographer friends.

If you need to seperate backgroung from your subject, this lens is created to give you full satisfy in this field.
If you are a street candid photographer or journalist, 28-70mm is not your lens, if you are not body builder. This lens is really heavy, together with my MB-D200 battery grip, extra EN-EL3e battery and SB-800 flash, total weight is almost 3.5 kgs, a new born baby weight.

I may recommend this lens for studio photographers, who like to work with prime lenses but tired of changing lenses. This lens is all you need for.

IF Internal Focus and SWM Silent Wave Motor works extreme fast. One of my friend has a nickname for this lens: Hyperactive lens... From 0,5m to infinite and back take less than a second to scan. If you get used to autofocus of this lens, all others will be slow motion for you.

(Addition,2010 October): After some complain from the viewers, i have compared the sound level with the new 24-70mm and heard the difference is not really bothering. But the min and max focal length points has a tiny "Glock" noise. But it is not a fly in the soup for me...

Build quality is really Golden Series. No cons.

PAY ATTENTION :
- At long end of the lens, 40-70mm, there is significant chromatic abberrations(appx. 1 pixel) . f/8 or slower, not field relevant.

- At 28mm, a slight positive barrel distortion could be seen. Not to worry.
- This lens' weakest point is this: Heavy, heavy and very heavy. Also some may complain about not covering popular range like 16-28mm and 70-105mm.
- Very very expensive lens. Golden Series means "GOLD COVERED?"

VERDICT : This lens is perfect for 35mm cameras and D700,D3,D3s and D3x. But not for APS-C D-SLRs. Narrow and not so popular 42-105 mm neutralises all positive properties like fast and fixed aperture and excellent build quality. It is quite expensive for amateurs. If you do not have a muscled body to carry a baby all the day around your neck, this lens is not for you. For the ones looking for extra sharpness and low light efficiency, this is your lens. Recommended (8,5/10)

MY SAMPLE SHOTS :

Lens Review - Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G DX ED IF VR

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 18-200 mm f/3.5-5.6G DX ED IF VR














FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS

Focal Length : As beeing a DX format , digital crop lens, it is equavilent to a 28 - 300 mm lens on a typical SLR 35 mm camera.
Aperture: f/3.5 at 18 mm, f/5.6 at 200 mm. Seven-bladed rounded diaphragm stopping down f/22 (18 mm) to f/36 (200 mm)
Optics: 16 elements in 12 groups. That includes two ED glass elements (shown in yellow) and three aspherical elements shown in blue. The VR group is inside the red box.
Closest Focus: 50 cm(0r 20 inches) throughout the entire zoom range.
Macro Ratio: 1:4.5
Filter size: 72mm
Accesories: Lens rear/front caps, Flower-shapedHB-35 Bayonet Lens Hood . CL-1018 Lens pouch (artificial suede)
Dimensions: 77 mm(3.0") diameter. Extension from lens flange (length excluding rear mount extension) is 96.5 mm (3.8") 18mm and 162 mm (6.4") zoomed out to 200 mm.
Weight: 560 grams (19.8 oz)


MY REVIEW ABOUT THIS LENS
The Nikkor 18-200mm VR works perfectly on my D200. But, as the lens is a little bit weak on widest apertures, it needs minimum 2 stops closer aperture for getting sharper results. This may not sound as a problem for many of you, but as a 28-70 f/2.8 user, i am not used to shot my street candids with f/8 aperture. f/8 means less light, and i do not like to work on strong daylight, i prefer sunset time, i had a trouble with 18-200mm. Some will say, VR will handle this problem but 1/8 , 1/4 sec shutter speed could be handled by the VR II, but the time is so long that my subjects became more blur than i need to.

I may hear you say, why don't you increase the ISO than... But the CCD sensored D200 does not like high ISO levels like 400 and above, so this was not an option for me.

Since i have bought my D300 in January 2008, i can work noiseless on ISO1600, getting 1/30 in the same light conditions and voila!

If you are a street candid photographer or journalist, 18-200mm is your lens, but if you care about the noise too much, than your camera must be a CMOS sensored D300 or whatsoever in the near future ( Nikon D90 maybe )

If you own a 18-200, it may be the lens all you need for. No more camel huntch camera bags! For my businees and touristic trips, D300 and 18-200mm is all i need. I am also getting my MB-D10 battery grip with a full battery and no need to carry charger. (only if i was not travveling over 3 days or a cold country)

VR II obsoletes tripods if you are not a scenary or night photographer. Believe me, do not fight with technology, VR is really handy and makes your pics sharper.

18-200mm VR has also other properties like Micro-like with a very high close-up ability. It can never replace a micro lens but useful when needed. For street candids, 120-200mm range covers all hidden shot necessities.

PAY ATTENTION :
- At 18mm, there is quite high (4,1%) positive barrel distortion which is a headache for structure photographers.
- At 200mm, the sharpness decreases in the corners and a little in the center, but not a big deal. Only if you are a wild life photographer, this may be effective.
- This lens' weakest point is this: Not so good at widest apertures. If you go 2 stop slower apertures, this problem will be out of league.
- Vignetting is seen on widest apertures and wide angles, but 2 stop formula will erase that problem too.
- Chromatic Aberrations are around1 pixel limit, even at widest apertures. ED works here...

VERDICT : It pays every penny you pay. If you do not like to carry a truckful of GOLDEN Series lenses, tripod; this lens is all you may need in one shot. For the ones looking for extra sharpness and low light efficiency, do not fool aroun in that page. Recommended (8/10)

MY SAMPLE SHOTS :

New Generation Nikon Lenses

My New Generation Nikon Lenses List:
Prime Lenses
Nikon Nikkor AF 20mm f/2.8D
Nikon Nikkor AF 35mm f/2D
Nikon Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.4D
Nikon Nikkor AF 85mm f/1.8D
Nikon Nikkor AF-S 105mm VR Micro f/2.8G IF-ED Nano
Nikon Nikkor AF 180mm ED f/2.8D

Zoom Lenses
Nikon Nikkor AF-S 28-70mm f/2.8D ED
Nikon Nikkor AF-S DX VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED

But, before starting the lens reviews, lets explain to new starters who are confused with the Nikon abbreviations..

NIKON Abbreviaton Meanings:

AF : Auto Focus. Driven by a slot drive unit, your lens could be Auto Focused by your camera. All Digital SLR's and late models are fully proper for this spec. (only D40 and D40x can work with DX versions for full automatic control and all DX lenses are AF fyi)

AF-s : Different than AF, it is also Auto Focus model, but with a better built, Silent Wave Motor equipped version. It is quite silent and a plus; you have instant manual override just by grabbing the focus ring while you push the shutter halfway.

DX : Digital Crop. It works only on digital cameras. These lenses build for D-SLRs with a crop factor of 1.5. If you try these lenses on a FX format D-SLR camera (like D3) or 35mm film cameras, you will have a rounded vision and a black vignetted black frame surrounding it. But, as Nikon manufacturers and R&D engineers are very smart, the new D3 has a crop factor and can work with DX lenses too. Only it loses some million pixels (down to 5Mio pixels) but the speed increases up to 11 frames per second (11fps). Incredible for an SLR. Even for a Canon Mark III.

ED : This means Extra-low Dispertion, which stands for a special made glass lens to decrease lens inner reflections, flares and light reflections. When you see ED on a lens, it is more valuable than the non ED version of the same series.

IF : Stands for Internal Focusing. The lens focuses with only the slight motion of internal elements instead of moving entire lens in and out. This means the front no longer rotates as you focus and no need for re-arranging the circular polarizing and grad filters anymore.

D : Distance information. This spec tells your camera's meter the distance to your subject. This helps for flash exposure metering. D lenses have a meter/feet indicator on them for visual controls. (sometimes works in dark when you can not focus and take a guess about the distance and set-up)

G : The lenses with "G" lettering has no aperture ring so it won't work on 35mm film cameras. As you can not control aperture ring manually, you can not use devices like Nikon PN-11 on "G" lenses. (i.e. If you use a Micro Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G VR together with PN-11, the aperture will be blocked on f/32, not allowing you to take pictures, but this is a very minor problem for some people like me owning a PN-11)

RF : Rear Focusing. Same as Internal Focusing "IF", except just the rear element or group move(s) inside the lens. Practicaly "IF"...

VR : Vibration Reduction. It lets you get sharp images without a tripod. The lens has a special magnetic sensor inside to compensate for camera motion, vibration/shake caused by your hand. VR can sense panning movement and follows your subject too. If you select "active" on the lens body, you can pan a vehicle during riding on a vehicle (two objects must move to select "active). If you hear VR II, it is the second generatin with better control. VR II lenses can compensate up to 3,5 stops.

SIC : A multi-layer coating to increase light transmission and reduce ghosts and flares.

ASP : Aspherical Elements. All conventional lenses are spherical, meaning that all the curved surfaces are the same shape shape. But the new lenses are curved Aspherically, collecting all the light rays in one single point for increased sharpness and better colour control.

CRC : Close Range Correction, means the lens optimizes itself as the distance changes. This is done with "floating elements" that move in relationship to others during focusing. This is most needed on macro and fast wide-angle lenses like Micro Nikkor 105mm F/2.8 AF-D . It lets wide-angle and macro lenses to focus closer than they could .

M/A : Manual/Automatic. This is always on lens body to simply change focusing to manual or automatic. If you select Manual on lens body, regardless what you have selected on camera body (S,C or M) it will work manually. Vice versa, if you select "M" on camera body, the lens swith will not be effective for Automatic mode.

N : Nano coating. This is the latest invention of Nikon engineers, increasing the sharpness better than ED and decreasing the flare and ghosts almost to nill. All new gold series lenses of Nikon are with nano coating. ( Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8G ED IF N , Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8G ED IF N and etc.) ED and N could be seen together...

My Old Cameras

Hello, here is Oytun PINAR, trying to share his experience with you on the Nikon lenses i have tried since i bought my first Nikon.

You may see on above picture my old camera collection listed as below:

Nikkormat FT-N

Nikkormat EL

Nikon EM

Nikon FM10

Canon QL19E

Kodak Retinette (My Father's)

Konika C35

Nikon D200 (After buying D300, this became "old")

Lenses on the Nikons:
Nikon E series 50mm f/1.8
A classic, Nikon has founded "E Series" lenses as an economic solution, budget gear for the Nikonowners, but no question for the quality at all.

Micro Nikkor AI-S 55mm f/3.5
With amazing close-up ability, lifesaver for macrophotgraphers.

Nikon MF 35-70mm f/3.5-4.8
Typical kit lens of FM10. Covers traditional street photographer's need with an avarage quality. APS-C size 52.5-105mm.

Nikon H.C 50mm f/2.0
I have not testedin the field yet. No idea.

All these lenses are not popular nowadays that i will not focus on these and pass to my lenses and the lenses i have tested with my D200 and D300 bodies lately...