Showing posts with label lenses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lenses. Show all posts

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

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

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We have here the Nikon 18-55mm kit lens that is seemingly designed to do one thing: make you want more. I received mine as part of my kit package with my Nikon D40. It is a decent lens that cuts corners all over to keep price down, and doesn't really do anything great. However, for those first starting out, it's light as a feather, simple to use, and at least for the initial month or so, all you need to get out and start capturing memories.
As expected for the price, it is of relatively low-grade plastic construction, to include the mount (the part at the rear that connects to the camera), however the optics are uncharacteristically sharp. While it is an AF-S lens (focusing element in the lens and not the camera), it doesn't benefit from full-time manual override found on other AF-S lenses (that is, you're able to make manual adjustments after the lens has focused). I'm sure that Nikon did this as a cost-cutting measure. For users of this lens, this shouldn't be an issue as you can always switch over to manual focus anyway via a switch on the lens or camera (save the D40/X which doesn't have an internal focus motor and as such no switch on the camera). However, more experienced users will find the manual focus ring quite distasteful. Also, since the front element rotates, use with a polarizer will be annoying.
With a variable aperture of 3.5-5.6 you can easily get available-light shots for outdoor daylight photos, and well-lit indoor photos without jacking up the iso too high at the wide end, but near the long end, you're going to need to use a flash unless you use a relatively slow shutter speed or high iso setting. You're going to get some vignetting (darkening of the corners) on the wide end, as with any wide-angle lens, but this can be corrected with most post-processing software, like Photoshop. Also, there will be CAs or purple fringing with high contrast images.
The range is quite short, though not as bad as say the 17-35 or the 35-70 (which outclass this lens in every way, shape and form), and will definitely have you wanting for just a little more reach at the long end. The Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ($199.95 Amazon) is an excellent compliment to this lens, or if you can afford it, the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G AF-S VR ($473.32 Amazon). The difference between 55 and 70 is fairly small and won't be missed (but the difference in price will hurt a little more). 18mm will most likely be plenty wide allowing you take large group, landscape shots, and even some fun distorted portrait shots due to the barrel roll at the wide end.
All in all, this is a lens to get you started, but leaving you wanting for more. More range, faster light gathering, better construction, etc. Its cheap construction is enough to keep price down, but won't take very much abuse. Also, being a kit lens, you'll be hard pressed to sell it unless packaged with the camera if you ever upgrade lenses in the future. It is what it is, with the only alternative at this price being the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D ($109 Amazon) aka, the nifty fifty.

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Designed exclusively for Nikon DX-format SLR cameras, this 18-55mm lens approximates the picture angle performance of a 27-82.5mm lens in the 35mm format, ensuring superb versatility in a wide variety of shooting situations. The lens offers such features as a Silent Wave Motor (SWM) with a compact rod-type design that provides fast, ultra-quiet autofocusing; an ED glass element that minimizes chromatic aberration and produces a superior optical performance; a hybrid aspherical element that delivers high resolution and contrast; and a seven-blade rounded diaphragm that produces more natural out-of-focus highlights. The focus mode switch, meanwhile, makes it a breeze to switch quickly between autofocus (A) and manual (M) focus. Finally, the lens's Super Integrated Coating minimizes ghosting and flare to provide an even higher contrast and more vivid images, even in challenging light conditions. All Nikon lenses carry a five-year warranty.

Focal length: 18-55mm
Maximum aperture: f/3.5-5.6
Minimum aperture: f/22-38
Lens construction: 7 elements in 5 groups, with one ED glass element
Picture angle: 76 to 28 degrees (at 50 feet)
Minimum focus: 0.9 feet throughout entire zoom range
Filter attachment size: 52mm
Included accessories: LC-52 snap-on front and rear lens cap
Dimensions: 2.7 inches in diameter and 2.9 inches long
Weight: 7.2 ounces


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Nikon FC-E8 Fish-Eye Converter Lens for Nikon 4300, 4500 & 5000 Digital Cameras Review

Nikon FC-E8 Fish-Eye Converter Lens for Nikon 4300, 4500 and 5000 Digital Cameras
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The most important thing you need to keep in mind is that because the Coolpix has a built in lens (unlike SLR), any modification (tele/wide add on) will invariably degrade the quality of the picture in both sharpness and exposure. That said, the Nikon fisheye is excellent in both sharpness and quality compared to my Tiffen wide angle lens. There is obvious distortion at the picture edges and you will have to compensate for exposure by increasing EV about 1+. Also, it blocks the internal flash so you will need an external flash if flash is required.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Nikon FC-E8 Fish-Eye Converter Lens for Nikon 4300, 4500 & 5000 Digital Cameras

This model of the Nikon fisheye lens is dedicated to the Nikon Coolpix 900 digital camera. Since this lens will block the internal flash on your camera, an external flash is necessary for low-light conditions. A fisheye lens gives your image an obvious linear distortion and can be used to add an unusual perspective to any subject or scene, such as landscapes or still-life images.

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Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Nikkor SLR Camera Lens Review

Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Nikkor SLR Camera Lens
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I used this lens for about a year with both film and digital. In general, it's a decent lens for the price. Even though it's ED (extralow dispersion), I do get purple fringing on high-contrast subjects at long (telephoto) zoom. Since I do wild bird photography, this would show up as purplish bird beaks and twigs against a bright sky. Annoying. On the other hand, it has produced some excellent portraits and even wildlife photos where contrast wasn't excessive.
Doing a side-by-side test w/ the help of a camera store and a D70, I compared this lens to both 80-400/5.6 VR (nikon) and Tamron 200-500/6.3. All three were "good", but the Nikon VR was sharpest (Tamron roughly similar to ED), and also lost the least contrast (Tamron somewhere in the middle, ED worst), and the ED and Tamron lenses both appeared to kill color very slightly (not a big deal). Only the ED showed purple fringe w/ high contrast.
But although the 70-300 ED wasn't stellar in these tests, I still prefer it for backpacking due to the low weight and size (and robustness), and I rely on the 80-400 VR for serious wildlife photography where I can tolerate the weight/size in exchange for image stabilization and sharp optics.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Nikkor SLR Camera Lens

Diversify your photographic toolbox:with its 70-300mm (105-450mm @ 35mm equivalent) focal length and 4.3x zoom power, the AF-S VR 70-300mm lens delivers high-power telephoto performance. Look to superior lens construction for enhanced light transmission, improved sharpness, and advanced color consistency.While VR II image stabilization ensures sharp, blur-free images even at slow shutter speeds, a Silent Wave Motor serves up fast, accurate, and quiet autofocus performance and a non-rotating front element allows use of circular polarizing filters.

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35-80mm F4-5.6D NIKON NIKKOR AF ZOOM LENS Review

35-80mm F4-5.6D NIKON NIKKOR AF ZOOM LENS
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This is a cheap, older zoom lens which will work on FX caneras and any of the DX DSLR cameras which have a focusing motor built into the camera. So it will not autofocus on the D40 or D60.
This lightweight lens is fairly sharp, but the range between 35mm and 80mm is so small as the be almost useless. Not quite, but almost. Nikon does not make this lens any more.
If you get this lens for free you will kind of like it. But if you have to pay more than $40- for it, my recommendation would be to buy an AF prime lens. It will be sharper and probably have a much larger aperture.


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Nikon 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras Review

Nikon 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
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The image quality delivered by the 200-400 mm is excellent. The lens itself is very well constructed. While the 200-400 mm is heavy at 7 lbs+. it balances well on the tripod mount. The control buttons include AF lock, memory reset, sound warning on/off, AF range, VR mode, etc. The S-wave AFS operation is fast on the D2Xs, but slower on the consumer level D70. With the TC14-E teleconverter (max. to maintain autofocus capability) added, the focusing speed slows down on the D2Xs and becomes unacceptable on the D70. The VR feature works well on this lens. Images are well-saturated with excellent contrast and crisp detail. A great lens for nature photography but pricey!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Nikon 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

A significant advance for professional telephoto photography, this lens features Vibration Reduction (VR) and Nikon s exclusive Silent Wave Motor (SWM). A flexible combination of fixed focal length telephoto lenses in one portable package.

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Nikon TC-14E II (1.4x) Teleconverter AF-S for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras Review

Nikon TC-14E II (1.4x) Teleconverter AF-S for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
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I have used both the TC-17E II and this one, the TC-14E II. This one multiplies the reach of a zoom lens by only 1.4. There are two other Nikon teleconverters in this series, the TC-17E II (1.7 multiplier) and the TC-20E II (2.0 times multiplier). The "E II" series of teleconverters is only suitable for certain Nikon lenses--check the Nikon website for compatability. I purchased this teleconverter for use with the 70-200VR F/2.8 lens, with which it is quite compatible.
All teleconverters introduce at least a theoretical degradation in image quality in exchange for the extra reach; the extent of this can range from the unnoticeable to the significant. The TC-14E II does not degrade the images from the 70-200VR to any perceptible extent. Even when shooting with wide aperture settings this teleconverter does not appear to introduce any noticeable decrease in lens image quality. Further, it only lowers the light sensitivity of a lens by one F Stop. This means that a 2.8 lens will become a 3.8 lens when using this teleconverter--still pretty fast. The TC-14E II is noticeably sharper than the TC-17E II in lower light conditions requiring wider apertures (at the cost of less "reach" or magnification). I have been extremely impressed with the combination of the TC-14E II and the Nikon 70-200VR. The magnification is significant, and the decrease in image quality is undetectable.
Most Nikon afficianados seem to think that the 17E II is the best compromise between not too much image degradation and significant magnification, and I am inclined to agree with this, generally. The charm of the 14E is that it really does appear not to exact any appreciable price in terms of image quality, and it is the only teleconverter I have ever used (or heard of) of which this can be said. The qualities of the 14E II become evident when shooting in low light conditions, such as early morning wildlife shots. When shooting flying birds, for instance, this TC is particularly useful, because it allows wider apertures, which may be required to allow the photographer to use faster shutter speeds to "freeze" the subjects and avoid motion blur. Under such conditions, one appreciates the special qualities of the TC-14E II.
Highly recommended.

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AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E-II multiplies the effective focal length by 1.4x of select compatible NIKKOR lenses, offering an affordable and portable gateway to extend telephoto reach; ideal for sports shooting, wildlife, surveillance and more AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E II NIKKOR Lens Compatibility The following lenses may be used with the Nikon TC-14E II, some with noted functional limitations. NIKKOR lenses not listed cannot be used with the TC-14E II. The rear elements of NIKKOR lenses not listed can contact and damage the Teleconverter element and must not be attached! List includes current lenses along with lenses for which production may have ceased. Lenses that are no longer in production are shown only for your convenience as a compatibility reference! Prod # 2160 AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED - Autofocus not possible Prod.# 2150 AF-S VR NIKKOR 200mm f/2G IF-ED - No limitations Prod # 2186 AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II - No limitations Prod.# 2154 AF-S VR NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED - No limitations Prod # 1942 AF-I NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8D IF-ED - No limitations Prod.# 1909 AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4D IF-ED - No limitations Prod # 2171 AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR - No limitations Prod.# 2127 AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED II - No limitations Prod # 1949 AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED - No limitations Prod.# 1948 AF-I NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED - No limitations

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