Reviewed by Ben Lee, http://dslrlensesonline.com editor.

Nikon 35mm f/1.8 G

The Nikon 35mm 1.8 is a supreme quality, fast and cheap Nikon DX lens that is perfectly suited to hand-held photography in low light.

As a result, it is especially perfect for indoor photography where you would otherwise need the use of a flash. This is a great way to finally rid yourself of the unflattering and intrusive qualities of flash forever while obtaining images that will take your breath away.

Nikon 35mm 1.8 review

This lens is an absolutely no brainer for any Nikon DX user, especially if you don’t already own a fast prime lens. It is just a miracle worker in low light and the price of this lens is almost equal to the cost of a really good filter. Enough said.

The 35mm 1.8 is a particularly useful addition to the lower end DX models like the D40 and D60 and the flawless auto focus system means you can switch to manual focus at any time by simply rotating the focus ring. There is no need to flick any switches.

What I like about this lens is the fact that it is the perfect trade off between size and speed. At f/1.8 it is not too fast that it would require a bigger, bulkier lens. The 35mm is small and nimble.

Conversely, the fixed aperture is not too slow that it would be in direct competition with the kit lenses which generally start at f/3.5 or f/4.0.

Nikon 35mm 1.8

It is indeed a nice compromise and you’ll have to agree that this particular lens fills its niche within the market quite well.

(NB: If you are planning on upgrading to full-frame in the future, then please consider the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D which is compatible with full frame bodies – the 35mm 1.8G IS NOT).

What others are saying about the Nikon 35mm 1.8 DX

Glenn Carpenter from Golden, Colorado praised Nikon for delivering a feature-packed lens for a very affordable price:

Nikon has absolutely nailed it with this lens. A modest sum gets you exactly what you need in a lens, nothing you don’t, and it works beautifully.

It is relatively feature-rich at its price: cheap lenses, even from Nikon, often lack important features – but not here. Unlike other recent DX bargains this lens has Nikon’s M/A focus setting, which allows automatic focus with instant manual over-ride.

This is a simple and intuitive method of combining the ease and accuracy of AF with sometimes-necessary manual control, and Nikon has done users of this lens a great favor by including it, despite the low price…

… What is clear to me in using this lens is that Nikon has put its money in exactly the right places to make this lens a star despite its price. There may be nitpicks here and there, but the optics, the coatings, the engineering, and perhaps most importantly the quality of the focusing system, are exactly what they need to be to allow this lens to make photographs that are the equal of those made by professional zooms costing in the thousands.

Read the rest of this lengthy but awesome review here.

Don’t pay more than $250 for this lens, otherwise it is daylight robbery.

Amazon.com have it for under $200 at the time of writing, so click here to take advantage of this price before they decide to put the price up again.

Please help support the maintenance of this site by using the links above to make any purchases you might be thinking of making. I get a small commission from your purchase but it doesn’t cost you anymore to buy the lens. It is greatly appreciated, thankyou.

Conclusion

It is hard to find a reason not to buy the Nikon 35mm 1.8 - perhaps the only reasons why you wouldn’t buy one are because you own an FX camera or you are highly skeptical that Nikon could produce such a great lens for such a low price.

Skepticism and caution are natural human traits, but please, read the reviews and see how it has surprised and delighted so many photographers before you – you won’t be disappointed and if by some miracle you don’t like it – you can always return it for a refund within the specified time period.

I wish that I would have had something like this available to me when I was just starting out in photography. This lens is going to be ideal for amateurs who have bought the kit lens (often at a higher price than the 35mm 1.8) and were disappointed with the results.

They are going to be in a position to ditch the kit lens and buy something for half the price but for twice the satisfaction.

photo credit pv ks

Reviewed by Ben Lee, http://dslrlensesonline.com editor.

Nikon 24-70mm

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The Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens is a highly capable lens and has been often touted as the world’s sharpest lens.  It is that good that what this lens doesn’t do isn’t worth knowing about in my honest opinion.

Those of you who like to feel something solid between your hands will enjoy this all metal lens with an engraved zoom ring. Both auto and manual focus are a joy to use and operate and are both highly accurate and fast at finding focus.

There is barely a lens better at having the ability to lock onto a subject with such precision and accuracy.

The 24-70mm enjoys a high degree of compatibility allowing you to use it on all DX and FX sensor bodies, however this rather large full frame lens would be suited to an FX camera.

While this lens will still give you flawless performance on a DX camera, this lens is definitely more geared towards a full frame body as the price and focal range suggests.

At a glance..

• AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens
• Compatible with the D40, D60, D80, D90, and D300
• 36-105mm effective focal length for APS-C sensor cameras
• Versatile zoom range for landscapes, people photography, and everyday shooting
• Minimum focus distance: 16 in.
• Lens construction: 15 elements in 11 groups
• Maximum aperture: f/2.8
• Minimum focus distance: Approx. 1.2 feet (Middle)
• Minimum aperture: f/22
• Maximum reproduction ratio: 1/3.7
• No. of diaphragm blades: 9 (rounded)
• Picture Angle: 61 – 22 degrees 50 minutes (Nikon DX-format)
• Filter attachment size: 77mm
• Dimensions: Approx, 3.3 in x 5.2 in (83 x 133mm) Weight: Aprox. 2.45 lbs.(900 g)

The best feature of this lens is the extraordinary image quality throughout the range., with the only slightly sour point being the noticeable barrel distortion wide open at 24mm.

While it is not the worst case of barrel distortion I have ever seen, it is noticeable. The good news is that it can be easily corrected in photo editing software without affecting the integrity of your image.

Unlike other lenses where you have to flick a switch (accidentally or otherwise) to move from auto focus to manual focus, the 24-70mm f/2.8G ED allows you to simply rotate the focus ring if you would prefer to use manual focus.

This may seem like a small thing, but it is a big plus to me and I know it would be to other photographers out there – particularly in those heat-of-the-moment type situations like shooting wildlife where you need to quickly and accurately switch between auto and manual focus.

Who is this lens good for? Anyone really. The highly workable 24-70mm focal range and super fast f/2.8 aperture means this lens can be comfortably used in a wide range of scenarios.

Some have expressed concern of the lack of vibration reduction (VR) technology featured in this lens. My personal opinion is that the relatively ‘wide’ focal range and fast aperture will negate the need for the use of VR in most cases and if not just use a tripod.

Furthermore, the addition of any extra technology may have pushed the price up beyond many consumers reach.

My final piece of advice would be not to buy this lens unless you own (or plan to upgrade to) a FX body. Aside from the extra weight and price that you will incur, the 24-70 is obviously closer to a medium range telephoto on a DX body. Of course the end decision is up to you.. just a little reminder.

Overall Rating:

The Nikon 24-70mm is available now on Amazon and is actually in stock. Some people seem to be under the impression that this lens is hard to find in stock, but this is not the case at the time of writing (July 18 2010).

Reviewed by Ben Lee, http://dslrlensesonline.com editor.

Nikon 50mm 1.8

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The Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens is the cheapest 50mm lens from Nikon and replaces the 50mm f/1.8 AF.  This very accomplished lens owes its popularity to its tack-sharp image quality for an extremely low price, enabling it to hold its own against lenses that cost 10 times as much or more.

As if this wasn’t enough, the 50mm 1.8 is compatible with every Nikon body lens ever made, whether it be digital, film auto focus or manual focus.

This lens passes every test with flying colors and where it matters with superb image quality, fast auto focus and minimal to no distortion, all for a price so low that you are wondering whether it’s too good to be true.

Well, I’m happy to tell you that it isn’t too good to be true. The lens is only just over $100 because it is a simple design and as a result easy to construct. A zoom lens for the same price would be almost unachievable (and extremely low quality if achievable) for the simple fact that a zoom lens is more complex to construct.

At a glance…

• Lens Construction: 7 elements in 6 groups
• Closest Focusing: 045m/1.5ft.
• Filter Size: 52mm
• Dimensions: 2.5 x 1.7 in.
• Weight: 7.9oz.

But who is the Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens good for? This lens is good for anyone really, but particularly those who shoot in low light often and will benefit from the wide aperture setting and fast auto focus. It is also good for potrait photography and the bokeh is awesome, too.

It is also great for travel photographers who want the convenience of a cheap, light, high quality prime lens which they can get out at a moments notice for that important travel photo.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that everyone should own this lens in addition to the lenses they already have, and especially if they have an extra $124 lying around. It is that good that you will always find a use for it and its size and weight enable it to not become a nuisance if you are carrying it around in your bag.

Now I mentioned above that the 50mm f/1.8D AF is a prime lens. If you don’t know or have never owned a prime lens before, it basically means that you cannot zoom in or out on your chosen subject(s). What this means is that you yourself is the thing that has to move in order to get the right composition.

One thing I forgot to mention in this Nikon 50mm 1.8 review is that the 50mm becomes 80mm on a 1.6x body, meaning the versatility of this lens is increased further. Now obviously that is not going to be to everyones liking, but it may be ideal for some people as 80mm is a pretty workable focal length in my opinion.

If you want a faster 50mm prime lens, then by all means check out the Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens which, for a slight increase in price, is highly worth considering also.

As we have learnt in this review, the lack of zoom on this lens has made it extremely cheap as it is a simple design. If you are willing to pay for the privilege of a very fast zoom lens then you can always have a look at the 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S lens which is about 15 times the price.

Overall Rating:

I don’t know about anyone else, but I would be happy to do a bit of walking backwards and forwards, especially if my finances didn’t allow for the $1700 upgrade.

Reviewed by Ben Lee, http://dslrlensesonline.com editor.

Nikon 80-400mm

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The Nikon 80-400mm is a popular lens that does not look like a 400mm lens to the naked eye. The picture quality is sharp, the weight is light (compared to say a Canon 100-400mm IS) and the size of the lens will have you thinking you are using wide angle or general purpose zoom lens.

This lens by Nikon is perhaps the only 400mm lens going around that can boast the fact that it has very little flare and distortion combined with a superb vibration reduction (VR) feature which enables you shoot with this lens handheld in all sorts of situations.

Those photographers out there who will be thinking this lens is perfect for sports shooting or low light motion photography will be a disappointed unfortunately.

A combination of slow automatic focusing and f stop issues will make life difficult capturing motion in subjects, but more on that later.

Who this lens is good for – people that like to wander around the place, you know, landscape photographers/nature photographers and the like who will appreciate the large zoom range and VR functionality and the fact that your arm won’t feel like it’s going to drop off after 15 minutes of use.

It’s also good for people who aren’t very tripod disciplined and prefer to handheld most of the time. Of course, because camera vibration is such a random thing, the vibration reduction setting won’t save you every time, but you can go along way to making sure it does by holding the camera correctly and steadily before taking the shot.

You can certainly hear the vibration reduction engage with a rather noticeable clunking noise, but it is as smooth as silk once engaged and for me this wouldn’t put me off buying the Nikon 80-400mm or indeed any other lens. As mentioned in an earlier review, I sometimes enjoy knowing that functions are working rather than simply relying on the fact.

At a glance…

• Color: Black
• Diameter: 3.58 in
• Length: 6.73 in
• Weight: 2.86 lb
• Diaphragm Blades: 9
• Features: Internal focusing system, ED glass, VR (Vibration Reduction), AF stop
• Filter Size: 77 mm
• Focal Length: 80 mm – 400 mm
• Focus Adjustment: Automatic, manual
• Lens Aperture: F/4.5-5.6
• Lens Coating: Nikon Super Integrated Coating
• Lens Construction: 11 group(s) / 17 element(s)
• Max View Angle: 30.2 degree(s)
• Min Focus Range: 2.3 m
• Mounting Type: Nikon F
• Optical Zoom: 5 x
• Zoom Adjustment: Manual

Remember how I mentioned the slow auto focus system earlier on? Some of the more thoughtful photographers out there might be wondering why this lens doesn’t incorporate some sort of modern AF-S technology.

So why not? No-one really knows except the manufacturer. Possible explanations may be that there isn’t simply enough room in the lens or that the price would be out of reach for many had it incorporated a decent AF-S motor.

My gut feeling is that the lack of decent auto focus is because this lens was one the first in a long line of Nikon lens improvements stretching back a decade. Usually but not always the newer lens is the better performing and technologically refined.

Again, if you want faster autofocus at the expense of reach then have a look at the Nikon 70 300 VR Lens Review or the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR II Telephoto Zoom Lens

Overall Rating:

This does not detract from the fact that the Nikon 80-400mm is a great lens that does the job it is designed for. It offers itself to a great range of mostly stationary or slow moving subjects in the field and is the perfect companion to a wide angle lens in your camera bag. Check it out!

Reviewed by Ben Lee, http://dslrlensesonline.com editor.

Nikon 70-300mm VR Lens

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So you are looking for a Nikon 70 300 VR Lens Review to help you decide if this lens is right for you? I’m happy to tell you that you’ve come to the right place.

The 70-300mm VR offering from Nikon has arguably the best compromise between size, image quality and weight among all Nikon zoom lenses.

Throw vibration reduction (VR) and instant manual focus override into the mix and you have a lens that is well on the way to being a winner.

The second generation VR system simply put allows you to hand hold shots at slower shutter speedsand still get the tack sharp image we are all accustomed to from Nikon gear.

In fact, Nikon claims that with VR enabled you can get a sharp image under a further 4 stops.

At a glance…

• Nikon 70-300mm with f/4.5-5.6 maximum aperture for Nikon digital SLR cameras
• Vibration Reduction (VRII) minimizes effects of camera shake to produce sharper images
• 2 Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass elements delivers super contrast and resolution performance
• Internal Focus (IF) system provides fast and quiet autofocusing; 4.9-feet close focus range
• Measures 3.1 inches in diameter and 5.6 inches long; weighs 26.3 ounces; 5-year warranty

So, who is the Nikon 70-300mm lens really suited to?

1. those who love a light weight but good quality lens
2. anyone with a range of old bodies lying around the place – this lens is perfect for FX, DX and 35mm film bodies
3. those who have owned heavy, bulky or expensive dedicated zoom lenses in the past that have taken the fun out of photography (me included!)

Something else I should mention if you are seriously considering the Nikon 70-300mm is that the auto focus, while not as fast as perhaps a Canon lens, still gets the job done each and every time with perfectly focused images – this was something that a lot of people loved about this lens.

Overall this Nikon 70-300mm lens is great for what it is. For a mid priced lens it can hold its own in some aspects against more premium lenses and surprisingly, it is a great general purpose lens in combination with a wide angle lens.

It offers a wide reach and you can be confident that the 70-30o VR will give you impressive results 99% of the time with only slight performance fall off being seen above 200mm, however most telephoto zoom lenses fall off in quality the further you zoom in.

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