"All the praise heaped on this little lens is well-deserved. It's sharp, has acceptable bokeh (aka out-of-focus blurring), is featherlight, cheap enough to not constantly worry about damaging it, can focus on objects reasonably close to the lens, focuses quickly with its entry-level hypersonic ("Silent Wave") focusing motor, and has wide enough apertures to support most daytime use. Of course, it's limited by its maximum aperture. A truly fast lens begins around f/2.8, and many amateurs wind up insisting on f/2.8 lenses eventually. Also, many photographers find it's easier on the brain to use a zoom with a consistent maximum aperture than one that can do different maximums at the two ends of its zoom range. So many upgrade to something like the Sigma f/2.8 18-50mm HSM Macro lens for four times the price of this Nikkor lens. But this is a terrific place to start. IMPORTANT: Nikon has just released this lens' upgrade, which adds a Vibration Reduction (VR) motor. This should be a big improvement, because it reduces risk of blurred images when hand-holding the camera. Of course, VR can have a downside. First, VR reduces battery life. Second, it sometimes adds a whirring or grumbling noise. Third, it may add weight. Fourth, the price will probably be approximately twice the non-VR version. Fifth, all else being equal, a truly fast lens (f/2.8 or wider) is more advantageous than VR. Nonetheless users tend to overwhelmingly prefer the VR version to the non-VR version of the same lens. It reduces the number of missed shots in dim light shots."
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Sunday, January 13, 2008
Review : Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens
Review : Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
"I got this lens to replace my older Quantaray 70-300mm. I got tired to losing a lot of images to camera shake at the 300mm end. Plus the lens I had was old (almost 10 years) and optically it wasn't that great. The Nikkor 70-300mm w/VRII is perfect for me. I love the way the VR works. I've been able to get useable images taken at the 300mm end with a 1/6th shutter. Very impressive. No more camera shake issues at the long end. I'm also very impressed with how sharp it is (it is sharper than my 18-70mm) and also the focus is fast and quiet. It is on the big side, but not to much larger than any other 70-300mm lens. I'm very happy with the performance of this lens. I find the addition of the VR to be very much worth it. Granted its not a fast lens and I never intended it to take the place of or performe like an f/2.8 lens. Its not fair to compare it to any f/2.8 lens. Comparing to the previous 2 Nikkor 70-300mm models or any of the 3rd party 70-300mm's, this newest Nikkor addition is the best. For the average amerture hobbiest this is a great lens to compliment any of the kit lenses."
"I needed more reach than I have with my 18-200 VR, and was not able to obtain the 80-400VR, so I got this lens thinking I could get rid of it if I didn't like it. I am very happy that I did! I am extremely impressed with this lens. It appears to me that the VR is actually better than on my 18-200VR. The lens has superior balance, size and weight for handheld nature photography. Lens flare (when I could get it to appear) was acceptable, the contrast is tremendous, and the bokeh was quite pleasant. Auto-focus is very accurate and quick. In addition, the lens was extraordinarily sharp all the way to 300mm."
Review : Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
"This is the lens to get for any Nikon SLR, from the simple N75 all the way to the Digital D70. It's faster than a zoom and much, much sharper. That's right, no zooming! If you want to make the image bigger, move closer. Want to make a wider view? Step back. This is the lens that all photographers should start with. Most of Henri Cartier Bresson's photos were taken with a 50mm lens. It forces you to think about perspective, composition, and arrangement. You can take more pictures without the intrusive light of a flash. It's cheap too. This lens is a classic and will make you a better photographer by enabling you to make creative choices. It works on almost every Nikon ever made. What more do you need to know? Get one."
"This lens is probably the sharpest lens that Nikon makes--see lens reviews/specs at www.photodo.com. I use this lens for low light situations outdoors and indoors so I don't need a flash. also, small dept-of-field. Using this at f/2.0 I will get at least four-six times as much light (which means four-six times faster shutter speed) as my zoom at around f/4.8 and also have a sharper image. For $99.00 this f/1.8 is a steal and a much better buy than the f/1.4 which is almost as sharp a lens and costs about $250.00--it's a no brainer."
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